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SCOPE:
The guideline is necessary to provide fire control point and to create or maintain a defensible space around buildings and property lines. Creating defensible space will help minimize fire damage and provide a fuel break where firefighters can defend against fire.

CODES & STANDARDS:
Weeds, grass, vines and other growth that are capable of endangering property shall be cut down and removed by the owner or occupant of the premises. Vegetation clearance requirements in the wildland-urban interface areas shall be in accordance with the California Fire Code and local ordinances.

GENERAL GUIDELINES:
For properties with annual abatement requirements, a letter will be sent instructing the property owner on how to abate these fire hazards.

WEED ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: 

• Trim trees and shrubs away from building and chimneys. 
  
• Remove dead leaves, branches, and needles from roofs and rain gutters. 
  
• Keep your property free of combustibles, such as dried vegetation and prunings. 
  
• Keep access roads and driveways trimmed to allow for Fire Department access.  Make sure your address is clearly visible from the roadway. 
  
• Any person that owns, leases, or controls any real property that has structures shall maintain a firebreak that is within thirty (30) feet of all structures on said real property. 
• All parcels less than 5 acres in size must have all combustible growth in excess of 4 feet in height cut and removed or disked. 
• Vines within 20 feet of any combustible building or fence shall be cut and removed. 
• Regardless of the abatement method used by the property owner, all properties will be subject to inspections throughout the dry season, as well as notification and abatement proceedings if the property is not maintained in compliance with County requirements.
• Properties must be maintained throughout the entire dry season. 
• Rubbish left, deposited or abandoned on property must be removed. Any dead vegetation and pruning must also be removed. 
• Sidewalks, planter strips, alleys and ditches adjacent to a parcel are the responsibility of the property owner and must be maintained by the property owner to be in compliance. 
• To abate any property that is 5 acres or larger in size, firebreaks may be considered as an alternative to clearing the entire parcel. All combustible growth must be cut and removed from within a minimum of 30 feet from all structures and all access roads on the property. All combustible growth must also be removed from any sidewalks, planter strips, alleys or ditches which are adjacent to the parcel. Additional 30-foot wide cross cut firebreaks must be constructed throughout the remainder of the parcel in order to divide the remaining combustible material into separate sections, no more than 2.5 acres in size.

ABATEMENT:
If the owner/occupant of the property does not abate their property by the compliance date, it will be considered a Nuisance and will an Administrative fine will be applied according to city municipal code 8.30.020 Administrative fines which says:  “Any party to whom an administrative citation is issued shall be responsible for payment of an administrative fine in the amount specifically set forth in the municipal code and/or applicable statute, rule, code or regulation violated or, if no amount provided, in the following amounts: (A) an administrative fine in an amount not to exceed one hundred dollars for the first violation; (B) an administrative fine in an amount not to exceed two hundred dollars for the second violation of the same provision within a twelve-month period commencing on the date of the first violation; and (C) an administrative fine in an amount not to exceed five hundred dollars for the third and any subsequent violation of the same provision within a twelve-month period commencing on the date of the first violation. (Ord. 888 §1(part), 2013)