Santa Clara County, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Idle and vacant land in the unincorporated area is regulated primarily through two County programs. First, the Weed Abatement Program (authorized by California Health and Safety Code sections 14875-14922) requires owners to clear hazardous vegetation. Parcels one acre or less must be completely abated, parcels over one acre to five acres require a 30-foot clearance around structures and perimeter property lines plus possible cross fuel breaks, and parcels larger than five acres require 30-foot perimeter and structure clearances and cross fuel breaks dividing remaining vegetation into sections no larger than five acres. The compliance deadline for unincorporated County areas is April 1, and standards must be maintained through October 31. Second, the Community Preservation (blight) ordinance, Division B38, treats vacant or abandoned buildings as blight: under Section B38-7 a structure intended for human habitation is generally abandoned when vacant for 180 days or more, and Section B38-9 treats attractive nuisances on property (abandoned wells, shafts, excavation sites, unsecured construction equipment) as blight when accessible to unauthorized persons. Polluted, unmaintained pools or ponds are also blight under B38-11(c). The County does not publish a separate aesthetic mowing standard for empty lots; the enforceable height rule is the 6-inch fire-safety standard.