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Sacramento, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Governing chapter
City Code Ch. 8.28
Incorporated procedure
Gov. Code §§ 39500 et seq.
Administering officials
Code enforcement director, fire chief, revenue manager
Cost report
Itemized report confirmed by city council
Cost recovery
Lien, personal obligation, or special assessment

Summary

Sacramento does not set its own numeric weed-height limit. Chapter 8.28 instead adopts the state's Government Code weed and rubbish abatement procedure (Sections 39500 et seq.), run locally by the code enforcement director, fire chief and revenue manager, with unpaid costs becoming a lien on the parcel.

Weed and rubbish abatement in the city shall be performed pursuant to Title 4, Division 3, Part 2 of the Government Code (Sections 39500 et seq.) except as modified by the following provisions. ... The code enforcement director, the fire chief or their designees shall keep an account of the cost of abatement in front of or on each separate parcel where work is done, and shall submit to the city council for confirmation an itemized written report showing such cost. The cost of abatement shall include an administrative charge to cover incidental expenses and costs of the city incurred in the preparation of notices, specifications and contracts, and inspecting the work, and the costs or printing and mailing required under this chapter.

Full Breakdown

, except as modified by the chapter's own provisions, Sacramento has chosen the state's annual nuisance-declaration and noticing process rather than writing a separate local height threshold into its own code. 020 assigns the duties that the Government Code gives to a street superintendent or city clerk instead to the code enforcement director, the fire chief, or the revenue manager and their designees, and allows the city to perform the actual abatement work by contract rather than with city crews. 030 requires whoever performs the abatement to keep an itemized account of the cost incurred at each separate parcel, including an administrative charge covering the incidental cost of preparing notices, specifications and contracts, inspecting the work, and printing and mailing required notices, and to submit that itemized report to the city council for confirmation.

04 of the same title. Because the whole framework is a cross-reference to the state Government Code rather than a locally drafted height standard, a property owner cannot look up an inches-tall trigger in the Sacramento City Code itself; the operative standard, notice timing and hearing rights all come from the incorporated Government Code sections, with only the administering department and cost-recovery mechanics supplied locally.

Violations & Fines

Unabated weeds and rubbish become a public nuisance under the incorporated Government Code procedure; the code enforcement director, fire chief, or revenue manager (or their designees, or a hired contractor) may abate the condition. The itemized cost of that work, plus an administrative charge for notices, contracts and inspection, is confirmed by the city council and then imposed on the property as a lien, a personal obligation of the owner, or a special assessment under Chapter 8.04.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall can grass or weeds get on a Sacramento property before it's a violation?
The city code sets no separate inch measurement of its own. Section 8.28.010 runs weed and rubbish abatement through the state Government Code's nuisance abatement procedure (Sections 39500 et seq.), which governs when weeds are declared a nuisance rather than a locally drafted height number.
Who in Sacramento actually enforces weed abatement?
Section 8.28.020 assigns the duties the Government Code gives to a street superintendent or city clerk to the code enforcement director, the fire chief, or the revenue manager and their designees, and lets the abatement work itself be done under contract.
What happens if I don't pay for the city's weed abatement work?
Section 8.28.040 lets the cost be assessed against the parcel as a lien, made a personal obligation of the owner, or converted into a special assessment as set out in Chapter 8.04, after the itemized cost report is confirmed by the city council under Section 8.28.030.
Does Sacramento send the abatement bill itemized per property?
Yes. Section 8.28.030 requires an account of the abatement cost for each separate parcel, including an administrative charge for notices, contracts, inspection and mailing, submitted to the city council as a written itemized report for confirmation.

Sources & Official References

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