Combustible weeds, brush, and dry vegetation are declared a public nuisance under the City's adoption of the California Fire Code via SMC § 14.10.045, enforced by the Sonoma Valley Fire District's Annual Weed Abatement Program. Owners must abate within 30 days of notice or the city/SVFRA performs the work and bills the cost plus a lien.
SMC § 14.10.045 (2022 California Fire Code amendments) authorizes the fire chief to notify property owners when a property is or may become a fire hazard due to combustible vegetation. The owner is given the choice of (a) performing abatement themselves, or (b) authorizing the fire chief to perform the work. Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue Authority (SVFRA) runs the Annual Weed Abatement Program for all City of Sonoma parcels plus SRA lands and the Valley of the Moon Fire District area, sending pre-season notices in spring. Standards mirror PRC § 4291 and 14 CCR § 1299: cut annual grasses to ≤ 4 inches, remove dead/dying vegetation, eliminate ladder fuels, and clear roofs/gutters. SMC § 14.10.045 also imports California Fire Code §§ 304 (Combustible Waste Material) and 4906/4907 (Vegetation Management / Defensible Space) as locally amended.
First inspection failure triggers a written notice and 30-day cure period. Continued non-compliance allows SVFRA to hire a contractor to abate and bill the owner for actual cost plus an administrative cost-recovery fee. Unpaid charges are recorded as a special assessment / lien on the parcel under Government Code §§ 38773.1-38773.5. Re-inspection fees apply for repeat non-compliance. Refusal of access or repeated violation may be charged as a misdemeanor under SMC Title 1 general penalty (§ 1.20.010).
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