Monterey, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Chapter 14, Article 2 (Weed and Rubbish Abatement) is Monterey's operative weed ordinance, and it is written as a functional definition rather than a measured height limit. Section 14-10 defines 'weeds' to mean all weeds growing on streets, alleys, sidewalks or private property that fall into any of five categories: plants that bear or may bear downy or wingy seeds capable of spreading; weeds and indigenous grasses that can grow large enough that, once dry, they become a fire menace to adjacent improved property; weeds that are otherwise noxious or dangerous; poison oak and poison ivy where growing conditions make them a public health menace; and accumulations of garden refuse, cuttings and other combustible trash.

That fire-menace language is the closest the code comes to a growth threshold, and it ties directly to Monterey's wildfire exposure rather than to a fixed inch count: a stand of dry grass or brush is regulated once it is tall or dense enough to threaten a neighboring developed property when it dries out, not at a specific measured height. The same section makes clear this applies on any building, lot or premises in the City, including the strip of street or alley frontage up to the centerline abutting a property.

5, meaning the City does not have to go through a full nuisance lawsuit to force a cleanup; it can issue notice and, if ignored, remove the growth itself.