Pico Rivera, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 8.16.015 defines a vacant lot as any commercial or industrial property that is either undeveloped or has an on-site building or structure that is abandoned, vacant, or un-leased by the owner for more than thirty days. Any such lot fronting a public street must come into compliance with the section within thirty days of becoming vacant. The landscaping requirements under subsection A require a five-foot landscaped setback along any public right-of-way, three inches of mulch on non-landscaped, non-paved areas, and drought-resistant California native groundcover with an operable automatic irrigation system, with a landscape and irrigation plan due within thirty days and full installation within ninety days of plan approval.

The property maintenance requirements under subsection B cap landscaping height at eighteen inches to preserve visibility and security, require dead or dying vegetation and broken irrigation components to be replaced within sixty days of city notification, and require the lot to be kept free of litter, weeds, graffiti and stockpiled materials at all times, with the owner responsible for periodic inspections. Subsection C requires a six-foot decorative perimeter barrier of wrought iron or mini-mesh chain link around the entire lot, which the city may require to be raised to as high as eight feet if warranted for security.

Failure to comply with any of these provisions is a nuisance subject to the administrative citation procedures in Sections 8.16.200 through 8.16.290, and lots that were already vacant when the section was adopted had ninety days from city notification to come into compliance.