Sonora, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Weed abatement in unincorporated Tuolumne County is handled as wildfire-fuel management under Chapter 8.14 of the Ordinance Code, the County Hazardous Vegetation Management Ordinance (Ord. 3428, 2022). 'Hazardous vegetation' (Section 8.14.030(I)) means flammable vegetation creating a fire hazard, including seasonal and recurrent weeds, stubble, brush, dry leaves, needles, tumbleweeds, standing dead trees, undergrowth, and 'ladder fuels.' Section 8.14.050 prohibits allowing hazardous vegetation to accumulate so as to constitute a fire hazard in violation of PRC 4291, which requires 100 feet of defensible space around dwellings and buildings. Section 8.14.060 imposes a duty on every owner/responsible person to remove hazardous vegetation from driveways, roadways, and road easements they control, maintaining 15 feet of overhead clearance from the road surface and a 10-foot Reduced Fuel Zone from the roadway edge; unimproved parcels must complete a Reduced Fuel Zone within 100 feet of a building on an adjacent parcel. The Reduced Fuel Zone (Section 8.14.030(N)) includes mowing annual grass to a maximum of 4 inches, spacing shrubs and trees, removing standing dead vegetation, and keeping 10 feet of clearance around wood piles and propane tanks. Fuel reduction is not required within stream beds/banks, riparian areas, wetlands, areas with cultural resources, or on slopes greater than 30% grade. The County draws its authority from California Health and Safety Code 14875-14931, the California Fire Code, 14 CCR 1270-1276, PRC 4291, and Government Code 25845.