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

Shasta County does not appear to set a single numeric grass height (such as a 6- or 12-inch limit) for unincorporated parcels; instead, vegetation is regulated through fire-hazard and nuisance authority. Under the County's defensible-space provisions, a responsible party must maintain defensible space of up to thirty (30) feet from the property line when accumulated fuel on the parcel endangers or encroaches on the 100-foot defensible space around improvements on an adjacent property. The Fire Warden may require a distance greater than 30 feet, but not to exceed 100 feet, when necessary to protect adjacent improvements, consistent with California Public Resources Code 4291. Any 'Urban Parcel' that is two (2) acres or less must have its entire area cleared, and all initial project clearing is to be done between November 1 and May 1. Separately, overgrown vegetation that creates an unhealthy or unsightly condition can be addressed under the general nuisance provisions of Title 8, Chapter 8.28 of the County Code. Because no specific statewide weed-height limit exists, the operative obligations are fire-driven. Property owners in the wildland-urban interface should treat these defensible-space distances as the governing standard and clear within the November-to-May window. These rules apply only to unincorporated Shasta County, separate from city codes.