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

Mariposa County's solid-waste storage standard, Section 8.36.030(A), expressly applies to property whether 'vacant or occupied': the owner is responsible for the safe and sanitary storage of all solid waste generated or accumulated on the parcel, stored so as not to attract vectors or create a nuisance. The County's code-compliance program treats accumulated junk and debris on vacant or unimproved parcels as a 'Junk' violation, and dangerous conditions that attract children, animals, or trespassers as an 'Attractive Nuisance.' Mariposa County does not appear to publish a specific weed- or grass-height standard for vacant lots. Instead, dry vegetation is governed primarily by California Public Resources Code Section 4291, a state law applicable to State Responsibility Area lands that covers most of the county. PRC 4291 requires property owners to maintain at least 100 feet of defensible space around buildings (or to the property line), reducing flammable vegetation in graduated zones, with CAL FIRE as the enforcing authority. Vacant parcels without structures are not subject to the 100-foot defensible-space rule in the same way, but owners can still be cited for junk accumulation, illegal dumping under Section 8.36.060, and recorded notices of non-compliance for unpermitted use.