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

Monterey County Code Title 10 (Health and Safety), Chapter 10.46 (Weed Control), implements California Health and Safety Code §§ 14875-14922 by allowing the Board of Supervisors and the Fire Chief or Agricultural Commissioner to declare specified vegetation a public nuisance and order its abatement. State law defines 'weeds' to include 'vegetation that is not pruned or is otherwise neglected so as to attain such large growth as to become a fire menace to adjacent improved property,' poison oak and poison ivy where they menace public health, and 'dry grass, stubble, brush, litter, or other flammable material which endangers the public safety by creating a fire hazard.' Owners receive written notice of the nuisance and a deadline to abate; if they fail, the County may abate by contractor and assess the cost against the parcel pursuant to Government Code § 25845. Separately, the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner enforces California Food and Agricultural Code provisions on state-listed noxious and invasive weeds, focusing on agricultural pest species (e.g., yellow starthistle, French broom, jubata grass).