La Habra, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 8.16.060 defines a vacant lot as any property that is either undeveloped or has an on-site building or structure that has been abandoned, vacant, or un-leased by the owner for more than sixty days. Once a lot meets that definition, the owner has sixty days to bring it into compliance with the section's maintenance standards, and existing landscaping and any structures on an improved-but-vacant lot must be kept in good condition at all times under subsection A(4). The director of community and economic development has discretion to require the lot be secured with a fence to prevent illegal dumping or otherwise protect public health, safety or welfare; that fence must be wrought iron, must allow clear visibility of the entire lot unless the director grants written permission otherwise, may use an alternate material only if the director approves it for the property's specific conditions, cannot exceed six feet in height, and cannot encroach into the public right-of-way.

Separately, subsection A(3) bars any on-site fencing or view-obscuring perimeter barrier on a vacant lot that blocks vehicular or pedestrian visibility of the public right-of-way or interferes with its use, as determined by the director of public works, and requires that director's approval of any vacant-lot fencing design before installation. A vacant lot that is not maintained under these standards is declared a nuisance and abated under the rest of Chapter 8.16.