Unincorporated Calaveras County prohibits maintaining a public nuisance on any premises. County Code 8.06.050 defines a nuisance to include any accumulation of junk, debris, or junk cars visible from another parcel or a road and not enclosed within four walls and a roof. Code Compliance enforces through notices, citations, and abatement.
Chapter 8.06 of the Calaveras County Code ("Property Maintenance and Administrative Enforcement Procedures") governs blight in the unincorporated county. Section 8.06.060 makes it unlawful for any owner, occupant, tenant, or operator to cause or maintain a public nuisance on any premises, and 8.06.040 places responsibility for maintenance on owners and occupants. The nuisance definition in 8.06.050 is broad: it covers any condition that threatens public health, safety, or welfare, any violation of Titles 13, 15, or 17, violations of adopted building/fire/housing codes, and specifically "any accumulation of junk, debris, or junk cars, as defined in Title 17, on any parcel of land within sight of any other parcel of land or public or private roads, and which is not enclosed within four walls and a roof." Enforcement runs through the Building Official and code enforcement officers (8.06.070). The process typically begins with a notice of violation (8.06.310) listing the code sections violated and required corrections, followed by an administrative citation and order (8.06.400) if not corrected. Calaveras County's Code Compliance Unit operates on a "Compliance Through Education" model and accepts complaints (not anonymous) by online or paper form; average response is 10 to 30 days. Complaint categories include damaged/dangerous buildings, outdoor storage of junk (junkyards, trash, debris), substandard housing, and waste/refuse/garbage.
Maintaining a public nuisance is generally an infraction (8.06.300, 8.06.430). Administrative fines escalate at $100/day for a first violation, $200/day for a second violation of the same ordinance within one year, and $500/day for each additional violation within a year. The county may also assess administrative costs at $108 per hour (8.06.550), recover abatement costs, and place a code enforcement lien on the property (8.06.530).
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting is allowed and encouraged in unincorporated Calaveras County. California's SB 1383 organics law applies statewide, but Calaveras County o...
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Calaveras County has no ordinance banning artificial turf, and no county permit is generally needed to install synthetic lawn on private property. Statewide,...
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Calaveras County does not mandate native plants for homeowners, but its adopted Zoning Code (Chapter 17.20) requires water-efficient landscaping for projects...
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Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged. Under California's Rainwater Capture Act of 2012, no county permit is required to install or operate a resident...
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Most unincorporated Calaveras County water customers are served by the Calaveras County Water District (CCWD). CCWD's Water Shortage Contingency Plan sets st...
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Calaveras County Code Compliance does not enforce weeds as a property-maintenance nuisance. Weeds and brush are instead abated as a wildfire hazard under Cal...
See how Calaveras County's property blight rules stack up against other locations.
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