Brush Management and Weed Abatement Inspections

• Brush Management
• Canyon Fire Safety
• Erosion Control
• Annual Weed Abatement Vacant Lot Program
• Definitions
• Frequently Asked Questions

"Brush" is the predominant native plant community in the canyons of Southern California. When adjacent to homes, brush management is required to protect the homes from wild fire. Inspections of brush-covered areas adjacent to buildings are performed on a complaint basis only.

Review the following information on canyon fire safety. If merited, contact the Fire Hazard Advisor to make a brush management complaint at (619) 533-4444.

 Brush Management: Doing it Right
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The City of San Diego Fire Safety and Brush Management Guide (PDF: 1.2Mb) summarizes guidelines for brush management in canyon areas. This guide was prepared after the October 2003 Cedar Fire.

The City of San Diego Use of Goats for Brush Management Guide (PDF: 111K) summarizes guidelines for the use of goats to maintain canyon brush.

Further information on the City of San Diego Brush Management Policy and Landscape Standards (PDF: 1.03Mb) was issued in June 2008 and revised in May 2010.

Information on fire resistant plants is available in the "Landscape Technical Manual." Contact City Publications at (619) 446-5200.

Enforcement of brush management is based upon Municipal Code Section 142.0412 - Brush Management.

The following materials will aid property owners with proper erosion control on sites damaged by fire.

• Post-Fire Best Management Practices for Runoff, Erosion and Sediment Control (PDF: 68K)
• Post-Fire Mitigation Tips for Homeowners (PDF: 160K)
• Press Release on City Erosion Control Efforts (PDF: 563K)
• Useful Tips for Cleaning Up Ash and Debris (PDF: 57K)

Weeds are annual grasses that grow in the winter and turn brown in the summer with no watering. The City operates an annual pro-active weed abatement program for vacant lots.

A citizen wishing to make a complaint about a weed abatement problem on property that is not vacant should contact the Fire Hazard Advisor at (619) 533-4444. First see Complaint Inspections for information on what would constitute a weed abatement problem.

Fire Prevention Services, Inc. (FPSI), a city-hired private contractor, runs the pro-active program for privately owned vacant lots. Following the winter rains, FPSI sends a  Request for Weed Abatement Cooperation  form letter to property owners requesting that they voluntarily cut and remove weeds and combustible waste matter from their lots. The request informs the owner(s) that an on-site inspection will be conducted within 30 days.

At the time of the inspection, if a property is in violation of the California Fire Code, a Notice of Violation will be issued by FPSI, acting as the agent for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

When a property with a structure which has been issued a Notice of Violation for weed abatement is not brought into compliance, the property will be abated by a city contractor. The property owner will incur all costs for the Administrative Abatement Procedure (Municipal Code 54.0206).

The following definitions are for terms found in the guides cited above.

Brush/Chaparral
The predominant plant community in the canyons of southern California, comprised of shrubby plants that have adapted to dry summers and moist winters.

Combustible Waste Matter
Includes magazines, books, trimmings from lawns, trees or flower gardens, pasteboard box, rags, paper,straw, sawdust, packing material, shavings, boxes, rubbish and refuse that will ignite through contact with flames of ordinary temperatures.

Discing
To cultivate with an implement (such as a harrow or plow) that turns and loosens the soil with a series of disks.

Environmentally Sensitive Area
Any area in which plant or animal life or their habitats are either rare or especially valuable because of their special nature or role in an ecosystem, and which could be easily disturbed or degraded by human activities and development.

Erosion
Gradual or immediate deterioration of a slopes' form or stability.

Fire Resistant Plants
A plant that is less flammable than another containing the same amount of fuel. This can be a consequence of the live-to-dead fuels ratio, the oil and resin content of the foliage, the percent of fuel moisture, or the age of the plants.

Fuel Breaks
Areas between undisturbed vegetation and structures where selective pruning and thinning is used to reduce the volume of fuel.

Grubbing
Removal of vegetation or destruction by removal of, or disturbance to, the root system by any means including chemical (Note: requires permits from City Development Permit Information, (619) 446-5000).

Pruning
The removal of growth from a plant in order to reduce the fuel load. The material removed may be dead or dying wood, or simply a portion or number of branches of an individual plant.

Thinning
Cutting and removal of vegetation from the land without disturbance to or destruction of the root system and/or soil surface.

Weeds
Annual grasses that grow in the winter and turn brown in the summer with no watering.