Citizen Complaint Inspections

Complaint inspections are done when a citizen is concerned about a potential fire hazard. Complaints can be related to buildings or brush management/weed abatement. Only complaints within the City of San Diego are inspected. For areas outside of the City, contact the jurisdiction of the address in question.

Complaints Related to Brush Management or Weed Abatement

A complaint about a fire hazard created by brush should be directed to the Fire Hazard Advisor at 619-533-4444.

See Brush Management/Weed Abatement for a description of "brush" and A City of San Diego Guide to Fire Safety and Brush Management for Private Property for brush management requirements.

A complaint about a fire hazard created by weeds should also be directed to the Fire Hazard Advisor at 619-533-4444.

Weeds are an issue when they create the following problems:

• fire hazards to structures;
• visual hazards to motor traffic, bicyclists or pedestrians;
• physical hazards to motor traffic, bicyclists or pedestrians;
• an impediment in the right-of-way; or
• an impediment to drainage.

Complaints Related to Buildings

Complaints related to buildings or building access should be referred to the Fire Hazard Advisor at 619-533-4411 or be submitted through the Fire Department Customer Complaint Page (For complaints related to brush or weeds, please see above for more information).

If a complaint involves conditions inside individual "dwelling units," it should be directed to Code Enforcement at 619-236-5500, unless the complaint is related to fire protection (i.e. smoke detectors, malfunctioning alarm system, etc.). A "dwelling unit" is a building or portion thereof which contains living facilities (i.e. provisions for sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation). A dwelling unit could be a single family home, an apartment in an apartment building, a condominium in a larger residential building, etc.

Complaints concerning "combustible waste matter" should meet the legal definition found in the California Fire Code. Combustible waste matter: "includes magazines; books; trimmings from lawns, trees or flower gardens; pasteboard boxes; rags; paper; straw; sawdust; packing material; shavings; boxes; rubbish; and refuse that will ignite through contact with flames of ordinary temperature."