Weed Abatement

The City of Hanford requires all weed abatement to be completed by June 1st. If not completed, you will be in noncompliance and subject to a misdemeanor citation and cleanup fees.

June first is the due date for weed abatement in the City in order to avoid a citation.

Weed Abatement

Heavy rains in the winter and spring caused more weeds than in previous years.  Those weeds have turned and are a major fire threat to our community.  Fire personnel have been driving the city for the last few weeks to identify properties that have a dangerous weed and dead growth problem.  This week letters are going out to the owners of those dangerous properties to get them to make them more fire safe.  

  • Keep stacked lumber, wood, or combustibles at least 3 feet from your neighbor's fences, and do not stack higher than 3 feet.
  • Remove dead bushes and dead trees and limbs.
  • Mow overgrown lawns.
  • Remove excess trash, wood, mattresses, and other combustibles from the property.
  • Clear empty lots to no more than 4 inches high.
  • Clear dead leaves, weeds, and brush from your property.

If you see a property that is out of compliance please email our Community Risk Reduction division at fireprevention@hanford.city. 


California Fire Code

304.1.2 Vegetation.  Weeds, grass, vines, or other growth that is capable of being ignited and endangering property, shall be cut down and removed by the owner or occupant of the premises.  Vegetation clearance requirements in urban-wildland interface areas shall be in accordance with Chapter 49.

[California Code of Regulations, Title 19, Division 1, §3.07(b)] Clearances.

(b)  Ground Clearance.  The space surrounding every building or structure shall be  maintained  in  accordance with the following: Any  person  that  owns,  leases,  controls,  operates,  or maintains any building or structure in, upon, or adjoining  any  mountainous  area  or  forest-covered  lands, brush-covered  lands,  or  grass-covered  lands,  or  any land which is covered with flammable material, shall at all times do all of the following:

(1)  Maintain around and adjacent to such building or structure a firebreak made by removing and clearing away, for a distance of not less than 30 feet on each side thereof or to the property line, which-ever is nearer, all flammable vegetation or other combustible growth.  This section does not apply to single specimens of trees, ornamental shrubbery, or similar plants which are used as ground cover if they do not form a means of rapidly transmitting fire from the native growth to any building or structure.

(2) Maintain around and adjacent to any such building or structure additional fire protection or fire-break made by removing all bush,   flammable vegetation,  or combustible growth which is located from 30 feet to 100 feet from such building or structure or to the property line, whichever is nearer, as may be required by the enforcing agency if he finds that,  because of extra hazardous conditions,  a  fire-break of only 30 feet around such building or structure is not sufficient to provide reasonable fire safety.  Grass and other vegetation located more than 30 feet from such building or structure and less than 18 inches in height above the ground may be maintained where necessary to stabilize the soil and prevent erosion.

(3)  Remove that portion of any tree which extends within 10 feet of the outlet of any chimney or stovepipe.

(4)  Cut and remove all dead or dying portions of trees located adjacent to or overhanging any building.

(5) Maintain the roof of any structure free of leaves, needles, or other dead vegetative growth.

(6) Provide and maintain at all times a screen over the outlet of every chimney or stovepipe that is attached to any fireplace, stove, or other devices that burns any solid or liquid fuel.  The screen shall be constructed of nonflammable material with openings of not more than 1/2 inch in size.

(7)  Vegetation around all applicable buildings and structures shall be maintained in accordance with the following laws and regulations:

(A) Public Resources Code Section 4291.

(B)  California Code of Regulations Title 14 - Natural Resources, Division 1.5 - Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, “General Guideline to Create Defensible Space.”

(C) California Government Code Section 51182.

(D) California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 9.