Winter rains often cause grasses and weeds to grow quickly in the spring. As temperatures rise, vegetation dries out and can become a fire hazard. Overgrown weeds may also attract rodents and create nuisance conditions for neighboring properties.

Property Owner Responsibilities

The Fire Department and the City’s Community Development Code Enforcement Division encourage residents to regularly inspect their property and remove dried or overgrown vegetation that could pose a safety risk and/or become a blight issue. Weeds may be pulled, cut, or mowed. Weed-control sprays can also be applied in early spring to help prevent excessive growth.

As part of the City’s commitment to keeping residents safe, Chapter 8.15 of the City of Santa Clara Health & Safety Code requires the abatement of weeds within the city.

County Weed Abatement Program

The City of Santa Clara participates in the Santa Clara County Weed Abatement Program, administered by the Santa Clara County Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency. County inspectors typically inspect properties in Santa Clara between April 15 and October 31 to verify compliance with weed abatement requirements.

Residents are encouraged to inspect their property ahead of time and remove dry weeds and overgrown vegetation prior to County inspections to avoid additional fees on their property tax bill.

The Santa Clara County Weed Abatement Program website provides additional information about minimum fire safety standards and allows property owners to submit proof of corrective actions online if their property has been identified as out of compliance.

If a Property Is Out of Compliance

Overgrown vegetation may be reported through either the Santa Clara County Weed Abatement Program website or through the City’s MySantaClara webpage.

Properties reported via MySantaClara are inspected by City Code Enforcement and the property owner is notified of their duty to abate the weeds. If properties have three or more violations within a 36-month period, they are referred to the County for remediation and will be added to the County program.

If a property is found to be out of compliance by County inspectors, it is placed on the County’s commencement list at that time. Property owners are notified of the proposed action by letter, and a public hearing is scheduled before the list is finalized by City Council. Once properties are added to this list, they remain in the program for three years, with all associated inspection fees added to the owner’s property tax bill each year.

If the weeds are not cleared by the property owner, the County will arrange for the weeds to be abated by a contractor and the associated costs and fees will be added to the property owner’s tax bill.

See the current fee schedule on the County Weed Abatement Program Website FAQs