El Dorado County, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

700, part of the Solid Waste Management chapter's enforcement article, splits vacant-lot accumulation into two distinct prohibitions. Paragraph A bans throwing, dumping, scattering, discarding, placing or depositing litter or solid waste in any manner or amount on any highway, road, right-of-way, or public or private property, except in lawfully provided containers or areas. Paragraph B separately targets passive accumulation: the existence or buildup, without County authorization, of litter, trash, scrap materials, junk parts, garbage or refuse on private property is prohibited when that refuse is visible to occupants of an adjacent or nearby parcel or to users of a right-of-way, and it is specifically unlawful to let wastepaper, litter, or combustible or flammable waste materials or rubbish of any kind remain in any court, yard, vacant lot, or open space.

Because paragraph B keys off visibility to neighbors or passersby, an owner of an unimproved or vacant parcel cannot let trash or combustible debris pile up simply because no one lives on the lot; the standard is whether the condition is visible from adjoining property or the road. 02) pursue nuisance abatement, with costs borne jointly and severally by the property owner and the person who created the condition, and allows summary abatement without waiting when the waste threatens imminent danger to public health, safety, welfare or the environment.