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

The City of Tustin addresses vacant property through its property maintenance and nuisance provisions in the Tustin City Code, enforced by the Code Enforcement Division, rather than through Orange County. The City Code declares unsafe sites, buildings, structures, or equipment to be public nuisances subject to abatement by repair, rehabilitation, removal, or demolition, and it specifically provides that 'a vacant structure that is not secured against entry shall be deemed unsafe.' That means an open or unsecured vacant building can be ordered secured or abated at the owner's expense. Vacant lots and undeveloped parcels are otherwise governed by the City's general property maintenance standards, which Tustin sets by having adopted the International Property Maintenance Code, plus the City's nuisance abatement authority covering accumulated debris, rubbish, and overgrown vegetation. The City has not published a separate, numeric vacant-lot maintenance ordinance (for example a specific grass height or fencing rule for empty parcels) that could be verified from a primary source; complaints about a neglected vacant lot are handled as property maintenance or nuisance matters. Owners of vacant property should keep parcels free of debris, weeds, and unsecured structures, and should respond to any Code Enforcement notice. Report a problem vacant property to Tustin Code Enforcement at 714-573-3135 (north of I-5) or 714-573-3134 (south of I-5).