Mendocino County, CA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Mendocino County Code Chapter 8.75 (Uniform Nuisance Abatement Procedure), adopted by Ordinance 4373 in 2017, governs property blight in the unincorporated County. Section 8.75.040 declares it a public nuisance to own, lease, occupy, or have charge of property maintained so that conditions such as an 'excessive accumulation of solid waste, including but not limited to used tires, furniture, carpets, mattresses, or appliances,' the unlawful disposal or burying of waste, dead animals or putrescible material, attractive nuisances like abandoned wells or excavations, or any condition 'dangerous to human life, unsafe, or detrimental to the public health or safety' exist. The procedure is an alternate process derived from Government Code Section 25845. After an Enforcement Officer declares a nuisance, the County issues a Notice and Order to Abate (Section 8.75.080) giving a reasonable time to fix it and a 10-day window to request a hearing before a Hearing Officer. If the owner does not abate or appeal, the County may do the work itself and recover all costs, which can become a special assessment or recorded lien on the parcel at parity with County taxes (Sections 8.75.150 through 8.75.190). Summary abatement without prior notice is allowed when immediate action is needed to protect public health or safety.