Sierra County, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Sierra County does not publish a stand-alone 'vacant lot' ordinance, but vacant and undeveloped parcels in the unincorporated area are reached through several Sierra County Code provisions. Section 8.04.740 (Prohibited dumping) makes it unlawful to throw or deposit litter on any open or vacant property, or any private property within the County, and separately makes it unlawful to bury any solid waste on any property within Sierra County (except at a duly licensed or permitted landfill). The same section prohibits depositing waste outside the metal bins at the Alleghany, Ramshorn, Sierra City, and Sattley transfer stations and bars dumping of hazardous wastes, liquids, automobiles and auto bodies, and animal carcasses at transfer stations. Where conditions on a vacant lot become detrimental to health or safety, the County can declare and abate a public nuisance under Chapter 8.20, recovering costs by lien. Owners of vacant parcels remain responsible for keeping the premises free of litter and solid waste under section 8.04.050. Because Sierra County is high-elevation, fire-prone terrain, vacant-lot vegetation may also trigger fire-hazard/defensible-space obligations under California state law and CAL FIRE State Responsibility Area rules rather than a County grass-height ordinance.