Ojai Weed Ordinances Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

The City of Ojai treats weed abatement as one of its highest-priority code enforcement issues. Under Municipal Code Title 4, Chapter 9, overgrown weeds — particularly those that have matured, dried, or gone to seed — are classified as a public nuisance subject to mandatory abatement. The Code Enforcement Division conducts both complaint-driven and proactive inspections beginning in early spring, targeting properties with visible accumulations of dry annual grasses, mustard, filaree, wild oat, and other combustible vegetation. Property owners who receive a notice of violation are given a compliance window of 10 to 30 days. Failure to comply triggers city-contracted abatement at the owner's expense, with all costs plus administrative fees recoverable through a special assessment lien on the property.

Ventura County operates a parallel Weed Abatement Program through the Agricultural Commissioner's Office at (805) 388-4340. This program, authorized under the California Food and Agricultural Code, sends annual abatement notices in spring to owners of parcels harboring hazardous weeds. Ojai properties — particularly those on hillside lots, along creek corridors, or adjacent to the Los Padres National Forest boundary — are frequently identified for abatement. Key invasive species of concern in the Ojai Valley include yellow starthistle, Russian thistle (tumbleweed), black mustard, wild oat, and non-native annual grasses that form dense, highly combustible fuel beds by mid-summer. Property owners who fail to comply with the county notice face contractor abatement plus a 100% administrative penalty surcharge collected through the property tax roll.

The fire dimension of weed abatement in Ojai cannot be overstated. In December 2017, the Thomas Fire — driven by extreme Santa Ana winds exceeding 60 mph — roared through the Ojai Valley, destroying hundreds of structures and forcing the complete evacuation of the city's roughly 7,600 residents. The fire burned over 281,000 acres across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and Ojai was at the epicenter of the initial impact. In the aftermath, both the Ventura County Fire Department and the City of Ojai significantly intensified vegetation management enforcement. VCFD conducts annual defensible space inspections throughout the Ojai area under California Public Resources Code Section 4291, which requires all structures in fire hazard zones to maintain a minimum 100-foot perimeter cleared of combustible vegetation, with Zone 1 (0–30 feet) demanding the most rigorous clearance. Ojai property owners should treat annual pre-season weed abatement as a non-negotiable obligation, completing all clearance before May 1 to stay ahead of both city and county enforcement cycles.

The city also encourages the use of fire-resistant and drought-tolerant native landscaping as a long-term strategy for reducing annual weed growth. The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy and local fire-safe councils provide resources on appropriate native plantings for the Ojai microclimate. Replacing annual weed-prone bare ground with established native ground covers such as California buckwheat, white sage, and native bunch grasses can reduce long-term weed maintenance burdens while improving the property's fire resilience.