Menifee, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

The City of Menifee coordinates an annual weed abatement program for hazardous or flammable vegetation, including tumbleweeds, as defined in Riverside County Ordinance No. 695, which the city adopted at incorporation. Ordinance 695 declares all hazardous vegetation and combustible material a public nuisance and requires every owner, occupant, and person in control of an unimproved parcel, upon receipt of a Notice of Violation and Order to Abate, to clear hazardous vegetation that constitutes a fire hazard endangering neighboring property. The clearance standard is a 100-foot-wide strip at the parcel boundary adjacent to a roadway and/or a 100-foot-wide strip around structures on an adjacent improved parcel; the fire chief may require more or less clearance based on weather, fuel type, topography, and environment.

Abatement must occur within 30 days of the notice (10 days in emergency situations), and where terrain cannot be disked or mowed other removal methods may be required. Under the city's program, inspections typically begin around June 1, owners must maintain abatement through the fire season (typically April through November), and appeals must be filed in writing within 20 calendar days of the notice postmark. If the owner does not comply, the fire chief may have the vegetation removed by public employees or a private contractor, and the owner and any person in possession are jointly and severally liable for all abatement costs, which may be specially assessed against the property and collected like property taxes with a recorded abatement lien.