Lancaster, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

55, adopted by Ordinance No. 1133 on June 24, 2025, applies to any property that is substantially vacant (fewer than twenty-five percent of units occupied), unoccupied, or abandoned for more than forty-five days where no active building permit work has occurred or been inspected in the prior ninety days. 020 requires the owner, possessor, or controller to register the property on a city form, pay administration and monitoring fees set by council resolution, and submit a letter of agency authorizing the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Lancaster Station, or Lancaster Police Department to remove trespassers.

A vacant property mitigation plan approved by the chief of police must also be filed. General maintenance duties include keeping the lot cleaned, watered, and weeded; removing dead or dying plant material; capping groundcover at six inches and bushes or shrubs at thirty-six inches for a clear sightline from the public right-of-way; removing trash, debris, and inoperable vehicles; posting "No Trespassing" signage; draining or filling any swimming pool; and installing motion-activated security lighting and additional locks when the chief determines they are necessary. Buildings must be secured with sheeting material at least one-quarter inch thick or CDX plywood, used only for ninety days while repairs are made.

City staff inspect registered properties, and the owner pays the rental inspection fee for each visit; the chief may increase inspection frequency where the property draws trespassers or poses a hazard. 040 lets the chief waive or modify any standard case by case, weighing the property's history of unlawful activity, its condition, and the owner's cooperation.