Vallejo, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- VMC Chapter 7.56, Vegetation Management and Brush Clearance
- Administering official
- Fire chief, Vallejo Fire Department
- Annual inspection
- Completed by February 15 each year
- Notice deadline
- Mailed to owners by March 1
- Abatement deadline
- Must clear by May 1 (60 days)
- City authority
- City abates and bills owner if unmet
- State basis
- Implements Health & Safety Code § 13146.4
Summary
Vallejo's Vegetation Management and Brush Clearance Ordinance, Municipal Code Chapter 7.56, declares weeds, dry grass, brush and rubbish that create a fire hazard a public nuisance on every private and public parcel in the city. The fire chief inspects citywide by February 15 each year, mails abatement notices by March 1, and if owners haven't cleared the hazard by May 1, city crews do it and bill the property.
"Vegetation" for purposes of this chapter includes any of the following:1.Vegetation that is unwanted or by its proximity to structures, rights-of-way, roads or other improvements creates a fire hazard in the opinion of the fire chief.2.Weeds which bear seeds of a downy or twiggy nature;3.Sagebrush, chaparral, shrubs, vines or weeds which attain such large growth as to become, when dry, a fire hazard;4.Poison oak and poison ivy when the condition of growth is such as to constitute a menace to the public health;5.Dry grass, stubble, shrubs, vines, dead or diseased trees or the branches or roots thereof, or other flammable material which endangers the public safety by creating a fire hazard; and6.Weeds, grass, shrubs, vines and dead or diseased trees or the branches or roots thereof, which are otherwise noxious or dangerous. The city council hereby declares that all vegetation as defined herein, growing upon private or public property or streets in the city and all rubbish on such property or streets are public nuisances and are subject to abatement by eradication and/or removal under the provisions of Sections 7.56.060 through 7.56.140.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Update 12 - 25).
Full Breakdown
020 defines 'vegetation' broadly to include downy or twiggy weeds, sagebrush, chaparral, shrubs and vines that grow large enough to become a fire hazard when dry, poison oak and poison ivy that threaten public health, dry grass, stubble and dead or diseased trees, and any other weeds, grass or brush that are noxious or dangerous, plus 'rubbish,' meaning waste, litter or debris that is or may become a fire hazard or health menace. 030 declares all such vegetation and rubbish on private or public property and adjoining street frontage a public nuisance.
060, the fire chief inspects the city by February 15 of each year and mails a written notice to every property owner with a violation by March 1, describing the property and warning that the nuisance must be abated within sixty days, no later than May 1, or the city will abate it and bill the owner. 050. 080. 140. Owners get a postcard to elect self-abatement or the city's program, and if it isn't returned within ten days, the city proceeds on the owner's behalf. 090(C) rather than the full annual cycle.
Violations & Fines
Failing to clear cited vegetation or rubbish by the May 1 deadline lets the fire chief's crews or a contractor enter the property and abate it under Section 7.56.090, and it is unlawful to interfere with that work. The tax collector bills the owner for the abatement cost plus an administrative charge; if unpaid within thirty days of the council's confirmed assessment, the amount is added to the Solano County secured tax roll as a lien collectible with ordinary property taxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What plants count as a fire-hazard nuisance in Vallejo?
When does Vallejo inspect properties for overgrown weeds?
Can I burn the brush instead of hauling it away?
What happens if I don't pay the city's abatement bill?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vallejo
How Vallejo compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Vallejo to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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