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

Redding regulates vacant land and vacant buildings under Chapter 1.15 of the Municipal Code. A vacant lot must be kept free of accumulated trash and debris, abandoned vehicles, tall weeds and grasses, and dead vegetation (including trees, leaves, fruit, cuttings, clippings, trunks, and stumps), and vegetation must not be allowed to touch any existing structure's roof or grow into the public right-of-way. Vacant buildings must be secured against unauthorized entry; an unsecured vacant structure is a per-se nuisance condition that Code Enforcement abates on an expedited timeline because of fire and trespass risk. California Government Code §38773 provides parallel statewide authority for any city to declare weeds on private property a public nuisance and abate them at the owner's expense, with costs recoverable as a special tax-roll assessment. In August 2025 the Shasta County Board of Supervisors adopted a new defensible-space ordinance requiring parcels under two acres to be fully cleared and parcels between two and ten acres to maintain a 30-foot perimeter clearance (weeds and grasses cut to four inches; tree stumps to eight inches). That ordinance applies only in the unincorporated areas of Shasta County and does not bind parcels inside Redding, Anderson, or Shasta Lake city limits; Redding parcels remain governed by Chapter 1.15 and Gov. Code §38773.