Bishop, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Inyo County does not have a stand-alone 'vacant lot' ordinance; vacant parcels are governed by the same refuse, weed, and vehicle nuisance rules as any property. Inyo County Code Chapter 7.60 (Refuse and Weed Abatement, Ordinance 619, 1985) — section 7.60.020 — declares that the uncontrolled growth and/or accumulation of grass, weeds, and refuse constitutes a public nuisance subject to abatement. 'Weeds' under section 7.60.030 includes weeds bearing downy or wingy seeds; sagebrush, chaparral, and other brush that becomes a fire menace; otherwise-noxious weeds and grasses; poison oak and poison ivy that menace the public; and dry grass, stubble, brush, litter, or other flammable material that endangers public safety. Separately, Chapter 10.64 (Abandoned Vehicles) declares the accumulation of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles on private or public property in the unincorporated area to be a public nuisance that reduces property values and promotes blight. The County does not publish a fixed numeric grass-height threshold; abatement turns on whether the growth or accumulation creates a fire hazard or otherwise meets the nuisance definitions.