Riverside, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- RMC § 6.14.020(B)-(C)
- Core duty
- Landscaped areas free of weeds and debris
- Mowing/trimming
- Required even during water-shortage emergencies
- Who's responsible
- Owner or occupant in possession/control
- Enforcement
- Administrative code enforcement, RMC Ch. 1.17
Summary
Riverside Municipal Code Section 6.14.020 makes it unlawful to let landscaped areas visible from the street go overgrown, weedy, or untended. Lawns, plantings, and required yard landscaping must be watered, mowed, trimmed, and kept free of weeds and debris, with enforcement scaled back only during declared water-shortage emergencies.
B....1.Allow or permit on such property overgrown vegetation including trees, shrubbery, ground covers, lawns and other plantings.2.Allow or permit on such property dead, decayed or diseased trees, shrubs, or other vegetation....C.It shall be unlawful for any person owning or having possession or control of any property to maintain such property in violation of the following minimal standards:1.Landscaped areas shall be kept free from weeds and debris;2.All plant materials shall receive regular maintenance, including but not limited to, watering, fertilizing, mowing, and trimming;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
14, the City's Property Maintenance chapter, makes overgrown yards a code violation independent of any nuisance-abatement action. 020(B) prohibits any owner or occupant of property visible from the public right-of-way from allowing 'overgrown vegetation including trees, shrubbery, ground covers, lawns and other plantings,' or dead, decayed, or diseased vegetation, and requires that required yard landscaping in residential zones, and required landscape areas on commercial and industrial property, be provided and properly maintained. Subsection C sets the minimum maintenance standards directly: 'Landscaped areas shall be kept free from weeds and debris,' plant materials must receive 'regular maintenance, including but not limited to, watering, fertilizing, mowing, and trimming,' damaged or dead plants must be removed and replaced, irrigation systems must be kept working properly, and screening hedges must be pruned to keep their screening function.
These duties run to 'any person owning or having possession or control of' the property, so tenants share responsibility with owners. 040 A ties enforcement level to the City Council's declared water-shortage contingency stage. 020 keeps applying. 17, alongside any other proceeding otherwise authorized by the Code.
Violations & Fines
Letting a lawn or landscaped yard go overgrown, weedy, or unmaintained in view of the public right-of-way violates Section 6.14.020(B)-(C) and can draw an administrative code enforcement citation under Chapter 1.17. Mowing and trimming stay mandatory even during a declared water-shortage emergency; Table 6.14.040 A only relaxes the watering, fertilizing, and plant-replacement duties as the City Council's shortage stage escalates, from Stage 3 through Stage 5.
Frequently Asked Questions
How overgrown can my lawn get before it's a violation in Riverside?
Do I still have to mow during a drought in Riverside?
Is a tenant or the landlord responsible for yard maintenance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside
How Riverside compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Weed Ordinances in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle weed ordinances.