Fresno, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- FMC § 10-605(d), (i)
- Overgrown threshold
- over 12 in. onto street/sidewalk
- Combined-violation threshold
- over 6 in. onto right of way
- Enforcement authority
- Code Enforcement Director, right of entry
- Appeal path
- Chapter 1, Article 4
- Emergency action
- summary abatement, Section 10-609
Summary
Fresno Municipal Code § 10-605 declares overgrown weeds, dry grass, sagebrush, tumbleweed, and neglected yard landscaping a public nuisance on any lot, vacant or occupied. Code Enforcement can order an owner to clear the growth, and unabated lots face a notice and order, administrative citation, or summary abatement at the owner's expense.
The City Council, by adoption of this ordinance declares, the keeping, maintaining or depositing of any of the following to be a public nuisance: ... (d) The following weeds: (1) Weeds which bear seeds of a downy or wingy nature. (2) Sagebrush, chaparral, and any other brush or weeds which attain such large growth as to become, when dry, a menace to adjacent property. (3) Weeds which are otherwise noxious or dangerous. (4) Puncture vines and tumbleweed. (5) Poison oak and poison ivy when the conditions of growth are such as to constitute a menace to the public health. (6) Dry grass and grass likely to become dry, stubble, brush, litter or other flammable material which endangers the public safety creating a fire hazard... (i) Yard landscaping that has become so overgrown or uncontrolled as to create a fire hazard, obstruction to traffic or otherwise a blight to the neighborhood.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 54).
Full Breakdown
Section 10-605(d) lists the specific vegetation the City Council has declared a nuisance: weeds bearing downy or wingy seeds, sagebrush, chaparral or brush that becomes a menace when dry, puncture vines and tumbleweed, poison oak or ivy that threatens public health, and dry grass, stubble or brush that creates a fire hazard under the Uniform Fire Code as adopted in Chapter 10, Article 5. Subsection (i) separately bans yard landscaping so overgrown or uncontrolled it becomes a fire hazard, a traffic obstruction, or a blight.
Section 10-603(j) quantifies "overgrown" as growth exceeding twelve inches that extends onto a public street, curb, gutter, or sidewalk, or exceeding six inches onto the right of way when combined with another violation under the article. 59 if entry is refused. A vacant-lot weed violation is not a stand-alone infraction; it flows into the abatement machinery of the whole article, including Section 10-608's notice-and-order process and Section 10-616 administrative abatement.
Violations & Fines
The Director issues a notice and order under Section 10-608 citing the code sections violated and setting a reasonable time to abate. Recipients may appeal under Chapter 1, Article 4. If the deadline passes uncorrected, the city may administratively abate the weeds and recover its costs under Chapter 1, Article 5, issue an administrative citation under Section 10-610, or pursue both. Where overgrowth is imminently dangerous, Section 10-609 lets the Director summarily abate without prior notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a vacant lot in Fresno have to be kept weed-free?
How overgrown does grass have to be before it's a violation?
Can the city clear my lot without warning me first?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno
California rules heatmap·Compare Fresno to another location·View the California property maintenance overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Vacant Lot Maintenance in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Fresno County handle vacant lot maintenance.