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

Tuolumne County's Community Development Department Code Compliance program enforces the Ordinance Code on private property and road rights-of-way in the unincorporated area. Its complaint categories expressly include "Accumulation of Garbage (Garbage, Refuse, Rubbish, and Recyclables)." Chapter 1.10 (Ord. 3457, 2024) sets the abatement framework. Section 1.10.020(P) defines a "violation" to include a public nuisance under California Civil Code 3479, and Section 1.10.020(Q) lists "accumulated solid waste" among "violations impacting health and safety," which bypass the five-year statute of limitations and the normal Opportunity to Correct step. For most violations the County first issues an Opportunity to Correct (up to 90 days under 1.10.020(M)), then a Notice and Order if uncorrected. Under 1.10.070(C), penalties for unspecified violations run \$100 first, \$200 second, and \$500 for additional violations within 12 months, assessed daily for up to 15 days after a Notice and Order; commercial properties that fail to remove visible refuse face escalating building-code penalties up to \$2,500. Unpaid penalties and abatement costs become a lien and special assessment on the parcel (1.10.250–1.10.260). Note: complaints about abandoned or inoperable vehicles are directed to the Sheriff's Department, and weeds/brush complaints to CAL FIRE, not Code Compliance.