Thousand Oaks Weed Ordinances Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

Thousand Oaks addresses weed control through two complementary frameworks. The first is the city’s public nuisance and weed abatement code, rooted in Municipal Code Section 11-3.02, which declares weeds that are dry, dead, overgrown, or likely to harbor rats, vermin, or fire hazards to be public nuisances subject to abatement. The Code Compliance Division enforces these provisions on both improved and unimproved lots. Property owners typically receive an annual weed abatement notice in early spring — often before May 1 — directing them to remove dry vegetation, clear dead weeds from fence lines, and maintain their lots in a fire-safe condition before the fire season peak. Failure to abate within the compliance period allows the city to arrange for forced abatement by a contractor, with costs assessed against the property owner and recoverable as a municipal lien if unpaid.

The second and often more demanding framework applies to properties within Ventura County Fire Department jurisdiction in High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, which encompass much of northern and western Thousand Oaks near the Santa Monica Mountains. The 2025 California Fire Code and VCFD standards require that within Zone 1 (0 to 30 feet from any structure), all dead weeds, dry annual grasses, and accumulated plant debris be completely removed — not just mowed down, but cleared from the ground to eliminate surface fuel. Within Zone 2 (30 to 100 feet), dead and dry weeds must be cut, chipped, or disced to reduce their fire load. Weeds along driveway margins and property fence lines within these zones are also subject to removal requirements. VCFD conducts annual defensible space inspections between approximately April and September and issues citations to non-compliant properties.

A third layer of regulation comes from the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner, which administers the California Food and Agricultural Code’s noxious weed provisions. Property owners throughout Ventura County — including Thousand Oaks — have a legal obligation to control and eradicate state-listed noxious weeds, including species such as yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis), tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca), and giant reed (Arundo donax). The Agricultural Commissioner can require landowners to eradicate listed noxious weeds and may recover the cost of forced eradication if the owner fails to act. Residents near Conejo Open Space or along the Santa Monica Mountains interface should be particularly attentive to invasive weed obligations, as these species spread readily into adjacent public lands and the county may compel action.