Chino Hills, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Coverage
- applies to vacant property by name
- Unsecured building
- CHMC § 8.12.020(4)
- Partial-construction trigger
- no work for 6+ months
- Notice period
- 7 to 30 days to correct
- Enforcing officer
- Director of Community Development
Summary
Chino Hills' nuisance code covers vacant land the same as occupied property: the chapter applies expressly to "vacant" parcels, and leaving a vacant or abandoned building unsecured, with open doors or windows, is its own listed violation.
It is unlawful and it is declared to be a public nuisance for any person owning, leasing, occupying, or having charge of any residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, business park, office, educational, religious, vacant, or other property within the city, to maintain such property in such a manner that any of the following conditions are found to exist on such property: ... 4.The failure to secure and maintain against public access all doorways, windows, and other openings into vacant or abandoned buildings or structures;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
020's opening clause reaches vacant land by name: it is a public nuisance for "any person owning, leasing, occupying, or having charge of any residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, business park, office, educational, religious, vacant, or other property within the city, to maintain such property" in any of the forty-five listed conditions. 020(4) designates "the failure to secure and maintain against public access all doorways, windows, and other openings into vacant or abandoned buildings or structures" as its own nuisance, independent of the building's physical condition.
020(9) and (20), apply equally to unimproved and vacant parcels since the opening clause draws no distinction between improved and unimproved land. 050 if the owner does not respond.
Violations & Fines
Failure to secure a vacant structure or clear a vacant lot after notice lets the city proceed to a § 8.12.050 hearing and abate the condition directly, billing the owner and recording a lien if unpaid. The condition is also a misdemeanor under Chapter 1.36, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in county jail; notice by mail is sufficient even if the owner never receives it (§ 8.12.030(C)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the nuisance code apply to a vacant lot with no building on it?
What if I own a vacant house that's been sitting unsecured?
How does the city notify an out-of-town owner of a vacant lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chino Hills
California rules heatmap·Compare Chino Hills to another location·View the California property maintenance overview
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Vacant Lot Maintenance in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle vacant lot maintenance.