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

Imperial County does not have a stand-alone 'blight' chapter; instead, property-blight conditions are handled through the Land Use Ordinance (Title 9). Section 90501.20 (Unlawful Accumulation of Waste) states that every person who causes or permits trash, rubbish, garbage, swill, cans, bottles, paper, ashes, or refuse to accumulate on private property in a way that may support verminous vectors of public health is guilty of a misdemeanor and/or infraction. More broadly, Division 13, Chapter 2 adopts the California Civil Code §3479 nuisance definition (anything injurious to health, indecent or offensive to the senses, or an obstruction to the free use of property) and declares that any condition maintained in violation of the Land Use Ordinances is an unlawful public nuisance (§91302.01). Title 9 violations are 'strict liability offenses' (§91301.00), meaning intent is not required. Enforcement officers include the Planning Director, Building Official, Director of Environmental Health, the Sheriff, and the Director of Public Works. The county can issue notices of violation, conduct an administrative abatement hearing before the Planning Commission, and, where there is an imminent threat to health or safety, summarily abate the nuisance under Government Code §25845. Code Enforcement lists excessive outside storage, substandard buildings, and inoperative vehicles among the common complaints it handles in the unincorporated area.