Lassen County, CA Property Maintenance: Weeds & Overgrown Grass (2026)

Lassen County does not publish a specific lawn-height or weed-height number for the unincorporated area in the sources we reviewed, so no grass-height figure is stated here. Vegetation control is instead reached two ways. First, County Code Section 1.18.020 declares a public nuisance to include any accumulation that 'would materially hamper and interfere with the prevention or suppression of fire upon the premises,' which captures dry weeds, brush, and combustible debris that create fire risk. Second, the County's fire-hazard provisions in County Code Chapter 9.16 (Fire Hazards) were amended by Ordinance 2020-03 and address fire-hazardous conditions in this wildfire-prone region. Because much of Lassen County lies in State Responsibility Area, defensible-space clearance is also driven by state law (Public Resources Code Section 4291), which CAL FIRE administers and which requires clearing flammable vegetation around structures. Enforcement of County nuisance abatement runs through the Director of Planning and Building Services and Code Enforcement, with the same Chapter 1.18 remedies, administrative penalties up to $1,000 per day and tax-roll cost-recovery liens, available. Residents should confirm exact clearance distances with CAL FIRE and the local fire authority. These County provisions apply only in the unincorporated area; the City of Susanville sets its own standards.