Colusa County, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

The weed-abatement program is set out in Chapter 7A of the Colusa County Code, adopted by Ordinance No. 437. Section 7A-1 finds that summer and fall weed growth on unincorporated parcels poses a severe fire and safety hazard and declares it a seasonal, recurring nuisance. 'Weeds' under Section 7A-2 include vegetation bearing downy or winged seeds, grasses that become a fire menace when dry, poison oak or poison ivy threatening public health, and accumulations of combustible rubbish. Section 7A-3 requires clearing all weeds over three inches high from a fifty-foot strip around improvements (improved parcels) or to maintain fifty feet of clearance from a neighboring improvement (vacant parcels). The administering 'department' is a county fire district acting within its boundaries. Section 7A-4 sets the enforcement process: at least 21 days before the plow down date the department mails notice to owners and publishes a newspaper notice; owners who fail to clear by the deadline commit an infraction and may have weeds abated by the department, with costs assessed to the parcel. Owners may avoid abatement costs by clearing weeds themselves before the department acts (Section 7A-5/7A-4(f)). This program is distinct from state PRC 4291 defensible-space rules, though both target wildfire risk.