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

Oxnard Municipal Code Chapter 16 treats overgrown weeds — especially those that are dry, mature, or producing seed — as public nuisances warranting abatement enforcement. Code compliance officers conduct inspections in response to complaints and also perform proactive sweeps in spring months before fire season begins. Property owners who receive a weed abatement notice must clear all targeted vegetation by the compliance deadline; the typical correction period for a first violation is 10 to 30 days. If the property owner fails to act, the City may hire a contractor to perform mowing or discing at the property and assess all costs — including administrative overhead — against the property owner, recoverable via a special tax assessment lien filed with the County Assessor.

Ventura County operates a parallel Weed Abatement Program administered by the County Agricultural Commissioner's Office (805-388-4340). Under this program, which derives authority from the California Food and Agricultural Code, the County notifies owners of parcels containing hazardous weeds in the spring of each year. Oxnard parcels — particularly those on the urban fringe bordering the agricultural plain east and north of the city — frequently appear on county abatement lists. Noxious weed species of particular concern in Ventura County include yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis), Russian thistle (Salsola tragus, commonly called tumbleweed), filaree, mustard, and castor bean, all of which are capable of spreading to neighboring agricultural fields and degrading crop yields. Property owners in Oxnard who have large lots, vacant lots, or parcels adjacent to agricultural operations should treat weed management as an annual regulatory obligation, not just an aesthetic matter.

The fire risk dimension of weed abatement in Oxnard is significant. Ventura County is one of California's most fire-prone counties, and Oxnard itself experienced the effects of the Thomas Fire (December 2017) and other major wind-driven fires that swept through the county. Dried annual grasses and weed fields serve as continuous fuel for fire spread. The Ventura County Fire Department coordinates with both the City and the Agricultural Commissioner to encourage early-season weed clearance. Oxnard property owners in or near designated Fire Hazard Severity Zones — which include portions of the city's hillside neighborhoods and areas adjacent to agricultural open space — are subject to California PRC Section 4291 defensible space requirements on top of local weed abatement rules. These defensible space standards require that combustible vegetation be cleared within 100 feet of any habitable structure, with Zone 1 (0–30 feet) requiring removal of all dead plant material and Zone 2 (30–100 feet) requiring clearance to reduce fire intensity.