Simi Valley, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Simi Valley is surrounded by brush-covered hillsides and the City takes a year-round position that weed abatement is the property owner's responsibility to maintain the property in a 'fire safe' condition. Each spring the Fire Marshal identifies parcels with overgrown weeds that present a potential fire hazard, sends written notice to the property owner, and oversees removal of the hazard by the owner or by a public contractor. Owners must remove all weeds, grasses, shrubs, or dead trees from lots, parcels, or alley ways within the city that pose a fire hazard.

The compliance period after notice is 30 days; the City states that compliance inspections begin in May. The Code Enforcement Section of the Environmental Services Department (located at 2929 Tapo Canyon Road) administers complaints on vacant parcels and developed properties, in coordination with the Fire Marshal. Recommended defensible-space best practices the City publishes include creating a defensible weed-abatement zone of at least 100 feet around structures by removing all dead and dying vegetation; maintaining at least three times the dimension of a tree as spacing between vegetation; planting fire-resistant landscaping such as succulents, flower beds, and rock in a 30-foot diameter around the structure; removing leaves from yards and rain gutters; and trimming low-hanging tree branches at least 10 feet from the chimney.

The City's authority traces to California Health & Safety Code Sections 14875-14922 (Abatement of Hazardous Weeds and Rubbish), which declare flammable, neglected, or dry vegetation a public nuisance and authorize cities to inspect, order abatement, and recover costs. State defensible-space rules in Public Resources Code Section 4291 (Cal Fire) also apply in State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones that abut the city.