Ventura, CA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Municipal Code § 8.10.130(B)
- Enforcing agency
- Community Development code enforcement division
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under § 8.10.150
- Cost recovery
- Nuisance abatement lien recorded with county recorder
- Repeat violation
- Treble abatement costs within two years (§ 8.10.4120)
- Appeal window
- 90 days to challenge hearing officer decision
Summary
In the City of Ventura, an owner or anyone in charge of real property, including a vacant lot, commits a public nuisance under Municipal Code Section 8.10.130 by letting vegetation overgrow or debris accumulate into a fire or health hazard, or a condition likely to harbor rats or other vermin. Community Development's code enforcement division orders abatement through a hearing officer, and the city records a lien for unpaid cleanup costs against the parcel.
It is declared a public nuisance for any person owning, leasing, occupying or having charge or possession of any real property in this city to do any of the following: ... B. ... To maintain or fail to maintain the property so as to allow the overgrowth of vegetation or the accumulation of debris so as to constitute a fire or health hazard, be likely to harbor rats or other vermin, be dangerous to the public health, safety or welfare.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-008, passed May 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
10, Article 1, Nuisance Conditions Generally. Subsection B makes it a nuisance to maintain or fail to maintain property so it allows overgrowth of vegetation or an accumulation of debris that becomes a fire or health hazard, is likely to harbor rats or other vermin, or is dangerous to public health, safety or welfare. The same section separately reaches abandoned or vacant structures left accessible to unauthorized persons (subsection E), accumulated refuse, rubbish, garbage or animal excrement visible from the public right-of-way (subsection H), and stored junk, lumber or packing boxes visible from the street or adjoining parcels (subsection K).
430. 460 whether the nuisance exists and sets a deadline and method for abatement. 4110, or as a special assessment added to the property tax bill. 4120. 150.
Violations & Fines
Violating Section 8.10.130 by letting weeds, debris or junk accumulate on a lot is a misdemeanor under Section 8.10.150. The city opens enforcement with a mailed and posted notice of hearing rather than a citation. If an owner fails to abate after the hearing officer's decision, Community Development or its contractors clear the property and bill the owner; unpaid costs become a recorded nuisance abatement lien against the parcel under Section 8.10.4110, collectible as a special assessment on the tax roll, with treble costs possible on a repeat violation within two years under Section 8.10.4120.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ventura require me to mow weeds on a vacant lot I own?
What happens if I do not clean up my lot after a nuisance notice?
Can I be prosecuted criminally for a vacant lot nuisance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura
California rules heatmap·Compare Ventura to another location·View the California property maintenance overview
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Vacant Lot Maintenance in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle vacant lot maintenance.