Title 10 Regulation of Activities

Division I. Penal Code

Chapter 10.08 Offenses Against Public Health

Article I. In General

1. Owners and occupants of property within the City must remove or destroy all grass, weeds, shrubs, bushes, trees, and vegetation growing or which has grown and died and all debris which are a fire hazard or a menace to the public health, safety, or welfare.
    

2. In considering whether such condition is to be declared a nuisance, the fire official, code enforcement officer, or other authorized officer considers whether the:

   1. situation is present during the dry season, May 1st through November 30th;

   2. lack of rain for ten continuous days has negatively affected soil moisture content;

   3. average air temperature has been above seventy degrees Fahrenheit for ten continuous days;

   4. length of the grass or other vegetative material, whether standing or matted, is ten inches or more; and

   5. vegetation is within ten feet of a combustible fence or other structure.
       

3. The City may cause the removal or destruction of such vegetation and debris by notice of violation and, as appropriate in each case:

   1. issuance of a class 1 civil infraction for the violation; or

   2. direct action by City forces or contract, the cost of which will be billed to the owners of the property or as a utility service to the property. Fees for fire hazard abatement are contained in SMC 8.02.0616.
       
4. For large parcels of land exceeding ten thousand square feet, abatement may be by a fuel break of at least ten feet adjacent to any abutting property.

Date Passed: Monday, March 15, 2010

Effective Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010

ORD C34574 Section 1