Santa Clara, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

City Code § 8.15.020 states that no owner, agent, lessee or other person occupying or having charge or control of a building, lot or premises may "permit weeds to remain" on that property, on the abutting public sidewalks, streets or alleys, or between the property and the centerline of any adjoining street or alley. Every property owner must remove or destroy weeds on their own land and in the abutting half of any bordering street or alley. When weeds are found growing on private property or in a street or alley, the City Council passes a resolution declaring the growth a public nuisance and directs the Chief of the Fire Department to post and publish notice under § 8.15.030, warning that the City will abate the nuisance and assess the cost against the property if the owner does not act.

The notice sets a hearing date for property owners to raise objections under § 8.15.040, and after the hearing the Council may overrule objections and authorize abatement by cutting, disking, chemical spraying or other methods, with Fire Department staff and their agents authorized to enter private property for that purpose (§ 8.15.050, § 8.15.060). A property owner retains the right to remove the weeds personally or at their own expense, but only before the Fire Department's crew arrives to do the work (§ 8.15.060). The Fire Department tracks abatement costs and reports them to the City Council and City Clerk, who posts and publishes a further notice before the Council confirms an assessment against each affected parcel (§ 8.15.070 through § 8.15.090).