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The Riverside County Fire Department’s Hazard Reduction Office conducts a fire
prevention program each year to identify vacant properties that are overgrown with weeds, dry
grass, dead groves or other flammable vegetation. Hazard abatement begins by issuing a "Notice to
Abate". This notice is sent to owners of vacant parcels that have a weed problem or if a weed
problem is anticipated in the coming months.
It is important when you receive an abatement notice to respond
immediately by clearing the hazard from your property.
The 2011 "Notices
of Violation and Order to Abate" have begun to be sent
to property
owners. If you receive an abatement notice and do not understand what you need to do, call the
Hazard Reduction Office at (951) 943-0640. They can assist you in making your property fire safe
and will explain what clearing you will need to do.
“
The
County Board of Supervisors adopted a standard 10-hour, four-day workweek effective July 1, 2010.”
The Hazard Reduction office will
be closed every Friday, and normal business hours are Monday through Thursday 7:00 AM to 5:30
PM.
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Property owners who receive a notice should note:
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Abatement is
conducted pursuant to the California Fire Code and implemented under County Ordinance No. 695 and
772. The notice begins with “
Notice
to Abate” to identify the purpose of the letter and includes the timeframe for complying with
the notice, the penalty for noncompliance, and the process to appeal the order.
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The notice also
states that in the event of noncompliance, the county may have an authorized abatement contractor
enter the property and abate the hazardous condition. The cost of the removal shall be levied with
an added administration fee of $126.00 per parcel.
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Finally, the
notice provides the mailing address to submit a written appeal from this order, a telephone number,
if you should have any questions, and special instructions if you have threatened or endangered
species located on the parcel or if the parcel has any unique topographic features.
Hazard Abatement Requirements:
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Parcels with NO
structures: If vacant land containing dead grass, weeds, Russian thistle and/or tumble weeds they
shall be removed in an approved method. The parcel should be cleaned as indicated on the
"Notice to Abate"and the debris properly disposed of by the property owner/contractor.
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Chipping shall not
be more than 3 inches in depth.
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If the hazard is
not removed within THIRTY (30) days from the notice date, the County Fire Chief, or their duly
designated officers may order said vegetation removed by public employees, private contractors, or
other persons, and the cost of said removal shall be levied with an added
ADMINISTRATION FEE of $126.00 per parcel.
If you receive
this abatement notice and do not understand what you need to do, call the Hazard Reduction Office
at (951) 943-0640. They can assist you in making your property fire safe and will explain what
clearing you will need to do. You may also obtain additional information on the requirements by
viewing the Riverside County Fire website
here.
If your parcel has been cleared, you can disregard
the notice.
APPEALS INFORMATION
An APPEAL
of a Hazard abatement order may be made by presenting a WRITTEN APPEAL to:
HAZARD REDUCTION
OFFICE
P.O. Box
2047
Perris
, CA 92570
The appeal must be
made within
FIFTEEN (15) calendar days of the post mark on the notice to abate.
The Hazard Reduction Officer shall set same for
hearing before the board of appeals, and shall notify applicant or owner in writing of the hearing
date.
Multiple Species
Habitat Conservation Plan
On June 17, 2003,
Riverside County adopted a Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP) to conserve 146
listed and sensitive species and their habitats.
The MSHCP is a comprehensive, multi-jurisdictional
effort that includes the County and fourteen (14) cities.
Property owners who notice the existence of rare,
threatened, or endangered plants or wildlife on the property to be cleared shall notify this office
prior to under taking the vegetation clearance.
If you would like to know what type of species or
habitats might be located on your parcel
click here and enter your assessor’s parcel
number or call the Environmental programs department at (951) 955-6892.
Defensible Space (PRC 4291) Public Resources Code
Effective January 1, 2005, if you live in a wildland area in California you need to know
about changes in the following laws. Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law on September 23, 2004,
Senate Bill 1369. This bill amended both Public Resources Code (PRC) 4291 and Government Code (GC)
51182 in the following manner:
View
PRC
4291
and
GC 51182
.
Hazard Abatement Contractors List
Fire
safe landscaping is important!
Click here for more
information
.
Contact
your
closest fire station for
more information.
