Imperial County, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited
- Trash, rubbish, garbage, refuse buildup
- Trigger
- Could support disease-carrying vermin
- Applies to
- Any private property, unincorporated county
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor or infraction
- Code location
- Title 9, Division 5, Ch. 1
Summary
Imperial County bans letting trash, garbage, or refuse accumulate on private property, including vacant lots, if it could support disease-carrying vermin, punishable as a misdemeanor or infraction.
Every person who causes or permits to be accumulated on private property any trash, rubbish, garbage, swill, cans, bottles, paper, ashes, refuse, which may support any verminous vectors of public health is guilty of a misdemeanor and/or infraction.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 62 - 9-25).
Full Breakdown
Title 9's general zoning provisions (Division 5, Chapter 1) make it unlawful for anyone to cause or permit trash, rubbish, garbage, cans, bottles, or other refuse to accumulate on private property in the unincorporated county whenever the buildup could support vermin harmful to public health. The rule applies countywide across zoning districts, including undeveloped and vacant parcels, and is enforced separately from the county's weed-abatement nuisance process in Division 18.
Violations & Fines
Accumulating trash or refuse that could harbor vermin is a misdemeanor or infraction, prosecuted like any other Title 9 violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Imperial County regulate trash on vacant lots?
Is this the same as the county's weed ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Imperial County
California rules heatmap·Compare Imperial County to another location·View the California property maintenance overview
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