Simi Valley Weed Ordinances Rules (2026): What You Need to Know
Heavy RestrictionsThe Short Version
Simi Valley enforces weed abatement through both its own Municipal Code Chapter 15 property maintenance standards and the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner's parallel county weed abatement program. All dry, dead, or overgrown weeds — especially those capable of becoming fire fuel or spreading invasive species — must be cleared from private property and the adjacent public right-of-way each year before fire season begins. Simi Valley's location in the eastern Ventura County foothills, combined with its high fire hazard designation, makes annual weed abatement one of the most actively enforced code compliance issues in the city.
Full Breakdown
Simi Valley Municipal Code Chapter 15 (Property and Premises Maintenance) treats overgrown weeds — particularly those that are mature, dry, or producing seed — as public nuisances subject to mandatory abatement enforcement. Code enforcement officers conduct both complaint-driven and proactive inspections in the spring months, targeting properties with visible accumulations of dry annual grasses, thistle, mustard, and other fire-hazard vegetation. Property owners who receive a notice of violation are given a compliance period of typically 10 to 30 days. If the owner does not comply, the City may retain a mowing or discing contractor to perform the abatement and assess all costs — including administrative overhead — against the property owner through a special assessment lien filed with the Ventura County Assessor.
Ventura County operates a parallel Weed Abatement Program administered by the County Agricultural Commissioner's Office (805-388-4340). This program, which operates under the California Food and Agricultural Code, sends annual abatement notices in spring to owners of parcels containing hazardous weeds. Simi Valley parcels — particularly those with open lots, hillside terrain, or proximity to undeveloped open space — frequently appear on county abatement lists. Noxious weed species of primary concern in the Simi Valley area include yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis), Russian thistle (Salsola tragus, commonly known as tumbleweed), wild oat, black mustard, and castor bean. These species are capable of becoming dense, dry fuel loads by mid-summer and in the case of starthistle and castor bean can also pose direct health hazards to people and animals. Property owners who fail to comply with the county notice are subject to contractor abatement at their expense plus a 100% administrative penalty surcharge billed through the property tax roll.
The fire risk dimension of weed abatement in Simi Valley is especially severe. Ventura County is one of California's highest-risk counties for large, fast-moving wildfires, and Simi Valley sits in terrain that historically channeled the destructive Easy Fire (October 2019), Chatsworth Fire, and numerous brush fires ignited by Santa Ana winds along the Santa Susana Pass corridor. Dried annual grasses and weed fields adjacent to residential structures serve as the primary fuel for structure-threatening surface fires in the community. The Ventura County Fire Department coordinates with the City and the Agricultural Commissioner to encourage early-season clearance, and VCFD personnel are authorized to cite property owners under California PRC Section 4291 for inadequate defensible space. Simi Valley property owners in designated fire hazard zones should treat annual pre-season weed abatement as a fixed regulatory obligation, completing clearance before May 1 whenever possible to stay ahead of both city and county enforcement cycles.
What Happens If You Violate This?
Failure to abate weeds by the City's compliance deadline results in administrative citation fines starting at $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second violation within one year, and $500 for each subsequent violation within one year. City-contractor abatement costs are assessed against the property owner and placed as a special assessment lien on the property. Under the Ventura County Weed Abatement Program, County abatement costs plus a 100% administrative penalty surcharge are billed to the property owner and collected as a special assessment on the property tax bill, which can result in a tax sale risk if unpaid. Ventura County Fire Department defensible space citations carry separate fines of up to $500 per inspection failure and require paid reinspection for continued violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Simi Valley issue weed abatement notices and what is the deadline to comply?
Are there specific weed species I am required to control on my Simi Valley property?
I have a vacant hillside lot in Simi Valley. What weed clearance do I need to do each year?
Sources & Official References
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