Los Banos, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual deadline
- April 1st
- Governing section
- § 4-6.23, Title 4 Ch. 6
- Owner response deadline
- March 1st, choose abatement method
- City abatement surcharge
- 20% of cost, +10% if on tax roll
- Lien trigger
- Unpaid 90 days after April 1st
- Tax-roll assessment statute
- Gov. Code § 38773.5
Summary
Los Banos requires every owner of unimproved or improved land to disc, harrow, rototill, or otherwise clear weeds by April 1st each year under Section 4-6.23, or the property is declared a public nuisance and the City abates it at the owner's expense.
§ 4-6.23. Abatement of weeds. ... (a) All owners or lessees of unimproved or improved real property within the City shall comply with the provisions of this chapter by discing, harrowing, rototilling or manual labor on or before April 1st of each year, or by such other date which, on special occasions, may be especially declared by the Council. After said date, all such premises or parcels of real property shall be declared a public nuisance and may therefor be ordered abated as provided in this chapter. ... (d) If the administrative costs and the costs of removal such are charged against the owner of a parcel of unimproved or improved real property within the City pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section are not paid within 90 days after April 1st, such costs shall be assessed against the parcel of land pursuant to the provisions of Section 38773.5 of the Government Code of the State and shall be transmitted to the Tax Collector for collection.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4356507; v3 updated 2025-03-05).
Full Breakdown
23 of the Los Banos Municipal Code requires every owner or lessee of unimproved or improved real property in the City to eliminate fire-hazard weed and rank-growth conditions by discing, harrowing, rototilling, or manual labor on or before April 1st of each year, unless the City Council declares a different date for a given year. The Enforcement Officer sends an annual notice ahead of that deadline, and the property owner or lessee must respond by March 1st indicating whether they will clear the lot themselves, hire the City to do the work on a cash basis, or contract with a private firm.
5 and transmitted to the County Tax Collector with the same priority as other City taxes. A late-season regrowth of seasonal weeds can trigger a second round of the same notice-and-abatement process under subsection (e). 03, which also lists rank growth and combustible-material accumulation on a vacant or improved lot as a public nuisance enforceable through the administrative compliance-order and Hearing Board process. 28 adds a 20% administrative surcharge to the abatement cost, plus an additional 10% (capped at $100) if the assessment goes on the tax roll.
Violations & Fines
A vacant lot not cleared by April 1st is declared an immediate fire hazard and public nuisance and abated by the City at the owner's expense under Section 4-6.23(c); unpaid abatement costs become a property lien under Section 4-6.23(d), and Section 4-6.28 adds a 20% administrative surcharge, plus 10% (up to $100) if placed on the tax roll.
Frequently Asked Questions
By when must I clear weeds on my vacant lot in Los Banos?
What happens if I don't clear my lot by the deadline?
Can I choose who clears the weeds instead of the City doing it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Los Banos
California rules heatmap·Compare Los Banos to another location·View the California property maintenance overview
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