Folsom, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Who must comply
- Nonresident vacant-lot owners
- Required step
- Appoint a resident agent
- Notice period
- 10 days to correct
- Unpaid cleanup bill
- 30 days before other remedies
- First-offense fine
- Up to $50
Summary
Folsom requires every nonresident owner of a vacant lot to appoint a resident agent responsible for keeping it free of litter, and the city can clean an unmaintained lot itself and bill the owner under Municipal Code Section 8.34.028.
D. It shall be the duty of every nonresident owner of a vacant lot or other vacant property to appoint a resident agent who shall have responsibility for keeping that lot or other property free of litter. E. If, after reasonable warning, an owner, agent, occupant or lessee fails to remove litter from any private property, the city code enforcement department is authorized to serve written notice to the owner or his appointed agent that if the condition is not corrected within ten days, the property will be cleaned by the city and the owner or his appointed agent billed for the cost thereof.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 1369, passed April 28, 2026).
Full Breakdown
028(D) puts the duty directly on nonresident vacant-lot owners: they must appoint a resident agent who takes on responsibility for keeping the lot or other vacant property free of litter, closing the gap where an absentee owner might otherwise have no one locally accountable. 028(A), which covers owners, agents, occupants or lessees of any exterior private property, and reaches not just loose litter but debris trapped at fence and wall bases, planted areas, borders and embankments. Subsection (B) extends the duty to sidewalks and the street-facing strips in front of a property, and subsection (C) bars sweeping litter off a sidewalk into the street; sweepings must go into a household or commercial solid waste container instead.
028(E) lets code enforcement serve written notice giving ten days to correct the condition; if it isn't corrected, the city cleans the property itself and bills the owner or agent, and if that bill goes unpaid for thirty days the city can pursue any other legal remedy available. 030.
Violations & Fines
Unless a specific penalty applies elsewhere, a Chapter 8.34 violation is an infraction under Section 8.34.040: up to $50 for a first violation, up to $100 for a second within a year, and up to $250 for each additional violation within a year, with each day a stationary violation continues counted as a separate offense (except while a correction period is running). The city can also recover cleanup costs directly by billing the owner or agent under Section 8.34.028(E), separate from any infraction fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a local contact for a vacant lot I own in Folsom if I live elsewhere?
What happens if a vacant lot in Folsom isn't kept clean?
Does keeping a Folsom lot clean include the sidewalk in front of it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Folsom
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Vacant Lot Maintenance in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sacramento County handle vacant lot maintenance.