2/25/2025 Item #6, 25-1262
Weed Abatement
Program
Fire Department
CITY OF Jenn Panko
Acting Deputy Chief
1852
THE MISSION GIM
February 25, 2025
AGENDA
• Brief History of the Program with County
• City Council's Questions 2-20-2024
• City's Program Improvements for 2025
• Avenues for Assistance
• Recommended Action
City of 2
Santa Clara
2 POST MEETING MATERIAL
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Weed Abatement Program Summary
Since 1976, the City of Santa Clara has partnered with County of Santa Clara to abate weeds within the City of Santa Clara's jurisdiction
• Through systematic vegetation and debris management, the program reduces fire hazards, omotes a healthier environment, enhances the overall visual appeal of neighborhoods ai siness districts, and contributes to a higher quality of life for residents and businesse The Weed Abatement Program is a critical initiative to enhance community safety, business environments, and neighborhood aesthetics by mitigating the risk of fires. owner is cited and referred to the County Weed Abatement Program.
City of
Santa Clara
3 City's 2025 Weed Abatement Program
• Following the concerns raised during the February 20, 2024, City Council meeting, the Fire Department engaged with the Santa Clara County Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency who manages the County Weed Abatement Program to evaluate ways to improve the Weed Abatement Program within the City of Santa Clara.
• The Fire Département had several meetings over the past year to collaborate on what programmatic changes could be made to address residents concerns and achieve the City Councils Pillar to Deliver and Enhance High Quality Efficient Service.
City of
Santa Clara
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2/25/2025 Item #6, 25-1262
City Council Questions (Themes)
2-20-2024 Meeting
• What are the County Fees & Schedule?
• What is the notification and appeal process—Is there a warning period? • Can we change the inspection start date to later than March 1st? • How many vegetation fires do we have in the City each year? • What cities are not in the County Program-How do they manage weeds?
City of
Santa Clara
5 Improvements to City's 2025 Weed
Abatement Program
• New inspection start date in Santa Clara of April 15th to align closer to City Clean-Up Campaign
• Increased Communications: City website, social media, "santaclaraweeds" email • A letter from the Fire Department sent to all properties in Santa Clara that were added to the 2025 County Commencement List with contact information to answer questions or address concerns about the program.
• Increased the "warning period" by the addition of a City inspection of new properties on the List between the end of the inspection period for the season and before the public hearing to confirm non-compliance or compliance.
• A report will be provided to the Council before the public hearing with recommendations for a property's continuation or removal from the list.
City of
Santa Ciara 6
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2/25/2025 Item #6, 25-1262
Avenues for Assistance
• Property owners may reach out to the County of Santa Clara Weed Abatement Program at:
Phone: (408) 282-3145, Email: [email protected] And/or the Santa Clara Fire Department Administration Division at: Phone: (408) 615-4900, Email:
[email protected]
Overgrown vegetation complaints may be filed directly with the County Program:
https://weedabatement.santaclaracounty.gov/report-overgrown-vegetation-fire-hazard Or the City of Santa Clara: https://www.santaclaraca.gov/services/make-a-service- request/submit-a-request-online
• Senior Assist Program in the City of Santa Clara: https://www.santaclarafirefighters.org/in-your- community/our-programs/senior-assist
City of
Santa Clara
Senior Assist Program in Santa Clara
The Senior Assist Program is a volunteer
program that provides service to elderly
members of the community. The focus is
primarily on safety concerns around the
home including accessibility issues and fire
hazards resulting from overgrown vegetation.
For qualifying individuals, a team of workers,
meet at the affected property and spend two
to three hours clearing and removing
vegetation, at no cost to the homeowner. To
qualify for this free service, the candidate will
have a need for assistance and lack the
physical and financial ability to handle the
work on their own.
City of
Santa Clara
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Recommended Action
• Note and file the informational update regarding the County Weed Abatement Program and the changes the Fire Department and Code Enforcement have made to the program; Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment) of Title 14 of the California Code o Regulations.
• Adopt a Resolution declaring weeds to be a public nuisance and setting a hearing date for the City Council to consider public input regarding the proposed destruction and removal of weeds for properties on the 2025 County Commencement List; and
• Set March 25, 2025, as the date for the required Public Hearing.
City of
9 Santa Clara
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CEPA
COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA
CONSUMER AND ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY (CEPA)
WEED ABATEMENT PROGRAM
1. Program Overview
2. Minimum Fire Safety Standards
3. Public Hearings
AGENDA
4. Inspections
5. Weed Abatement Process
6. Program Fees
POST MEETING MATERIAL
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WEED ABATEMENT
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
3 Service request
WEED
ABATEMENT Investigation
PROGRAM Inclusion in program
WORKFLOW
Noticing and commencement hearing
Inspection
A cyclic process starting Correction notice (if out of compliance) from the identification
of a fire hazard, through Abatement (voluntary or through contractor) the assessment of fees.
Assessment of fees
Assessment hearing
Removal from program
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PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF WILDFIRES THROUGH COMPLIANCE AND
ENFORCEMENT
1. Inspecting properties for compliance
with Minimum Fire Safety Standards
2 Portion property owners ampliance
voluntarily
3. Working with a contractor who will
bring the property into compliance if
the property owner fails to abate the
violation on their own property
4. Assessing fees to recover costs of
running the program
5 MINIMUM FIRE SAFETY
STANDARDS
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1. Hazardous vegetation must not exceed 6 inches in
height any time after the compliance deadline.
2. Maintain grasses and weeds below 6 inches for 10 feet horizontally on both sides of all roadways, including
driveways and access routes. Roads and driveways
must maintain a clearance of 10' W by 13'6" H for all
vegetation.
SAFETY STANDARDS 3. Clear flammable vegetation a minimum of 30 feet WE INSPECT ALL around any structure, occupied or not. Ornamental PROPERTIES FOR vegetation should be kept clear of dead material. Some conditions, such as slopes, may require up to a 100-
foot clearance.
4. Parcels one acre or less shall be completely abated.
Parcels over one acre up to five acres require 30-foot
clearance around structures and perimeter property
lines. Additional 30-foot cross fuel breaks may also be required.
5. Parcels larger than five acres require 30-foot clearance around structures and perimeter property lines in
addition to 30-foot cross fuel breaks as needed to
separate the remaining vegetation into sections no
larger than five acres.
6. Keep property clear of accumulation of combustible
debris, such as trash, wood, and dead vegetation.
SAFETY STANDARDS
Stacked firewood and neatly piled yard waste is not
WE INSPECT ALL considered to be combustible debris.
PROPERTIES FOR
7. Keep vegetation cleared from under the eaves of
(CONT.)
houses.
8. Trim tree branches to at least 10 feet away from
chimneys. Trim tree branches up from the ground to
provide at least 6 feet of vertical clearance.
9. Clear leaves, pine needles and debris from roof and
gutters.
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PUBLIC HEARINGS
9 It is each jurisdiction's responsibility
to pass a resolution and to schedule
and hold public hearings.
TWO OPPORTUNITIES
FOR PROPERTY Our staff will represent the County
OWNERS TO during the hearings and answer
CHALLENGE THEIR questions or respond to owners.
STANDING IN OUR
PROGRAM
The jurisdiction's board or council
will make the final decision on all
challenges based on the hearing.
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Commencement hearings in each
jurisdiction take place in the
beginning of each calendar year
after a resolution is passed declaring
weeds, brush, and debris a public
nuisance on certain properties.
FIRST OPPORTUNITY
TO BE HEARD
Owners can challenge their inclusion
in the program. They cannot
challenge fees during this hearing.
11 Assessment hearings in each
jurisdiction take place in the
later summer months of each
year.
SECOND
OPPORTUNITY TO BE
HEARD Owners can challenge the fees
being assessed on their
property tax bill. They cannot
challenge their inclusion in the
program during this hearing.
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INSPECTIONS
13 Inspections begin after the compliance
deadline in each jurisdiction (ranging from
March 1 to May 15)
Inspections typically will conclude on October
TIMING AND METHOD 31 at the latest, unless fire season is extended.
OF INSPECTIONS
Inspections are done from a public right of
way. Photos are taken of the property from
the roadway or a public place. We do not
enter private property without consent for our
inspections.
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Properties will remain on the
program until they demonstrate
three consecutive years of voluntary
compliance (compliant at the time of
the initial annual inspection)
REMOVAL FROM THE
PROGRAM
Properties where building and/or
landscape is sufficient to remove the
risk of fire will be removed from the
program. Properties with sufficient
building and landscape will not be
charged an inspection fee.
15 WEED ABATEMENT
PROCESS
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Properties that fail inspection are
sent a notice stating that they are
out of compliance.
CORRECTING
VIOLATIONS The property has 15 days to comply.
THROUGH After 15 days the County may have
VOLUNTARY the contractor complete the
COMPLIANCE OR abatement work on the property.
WITH A CONTRACTOR
A consent form is sent to developed
parcels to request consent for the
contractor to abate the violation on
the property.
17 If consent is given on developed properties,
the contractor will abate the violations on
the property.
If consent is not given, the County will seek
a warrant to abate the violation with the
contractor. A warrant fee will be assessed.
CONSENT AND
WARRANTS If the contractor arrives at a property which
has already been abated by the owner, they
will not do any work on the property.
A work order fee will still be assessed for
the property if a work order was generated.
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THE CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO TAKE BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS
OF THE PROPERTY TO PROVE THAT WORK WAS NEEDED AND
PERFORMED.
19 PROGRAM FEES
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2/25/2025 Item #6, 25-1262
Fee description Fee dollar amount
2025
WEED ABATEMENT FEES
Inspection $105
Work Order Processing $597
Fees are determined Administrative Fee (only
each year based on applies when contractor $961
overall program costs abates the property)
and the number of
Contractors Costs TBD
properties in the
program. We are a 100%
cost recovery program. Warrant Fee $1,323
21 Fees are added as a special
assessment on the property
tax bill, if approved by the
jurisdiction's board or
FEES MAY BE council.
CONTESTED BY
PROPERTY OWNERS The assessment hearing is
an opportunity for the
property owner to contest
any fees they are being
assessed.
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CONTACT
Garik losilevsky
Weed Abatement Manager
408-282-3186
[email protected]
weedabatement.santaclaracounty.gov
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