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

Imperial County's weed rule is the Abatement of Weeds and Other Vegetation ordinance, Title 9, Division 18 of the Land Use Ordinance. Section 91801.01 states it is unlawful for the owner or occupant of any land, lot, yard, or tract in an unincorporated area to cause or allow the premises to become overgrown and infested with weeds and other vegetation. 'Weeds and other vegetation' is defined in §91801.00 to include sagebrush, chaparral, or any brush or weeds that grow so large as to become, when dry, a fire menace to adjacent improved property, plus Health and Safety Code weeds (poison oak, poison ivy, plants bearing downy or winged seeds, those that become a fire menace when dry, and those otherwise noxious or dangerous). There is no single numeric height limit. Allowing such growth is a misdemeanor (§91802.00). The nuisance is declared upon the concurrence of any two of four officials: the Fire Marshal, Planning Director, Public Works Director, or Agricultural Commissioner (§91802.01). The owner is mailed certified notice and may appeal to the Board of Supervisors with a $125.00 non-refundable filing fee (§91801.02); seasonal recurrent growth can be abated in later years without a new hearing (§91802.07). If the owner does not clear it, the county may enter and remove the vegetation, and the cost becomes a special assessment and lien on the parcel under Health & Safety Code §14905 et seq.