Ordinance Amendment No. 695.4 (Requiring the Abatement of Hazardous Vegetation) / Environmental Assessment No. 42117

Ordinance Amendment No. 695.4 (Requiring the Abatement of Hazardous Vegetation) / Environmental Assessment No. 42117

The project is an amendment to Riverside County's Ordinance No. 695 (Ordinance Amendment No. 695.4) requiring the abatement of hazardous vegetation to set forth the authority of the Fire Chief of the County of Riverside and to clarify the procedural steps of the abatement process and failure to comply. The project also incorporates current abatement practices through development of a Field Training Manual Decision Making Guidelines to assist Riverside County Fire Department, Hazardous Reduction Office staff when conducting abatement pursuant to Ordinance No. 695. The Hazardous Reduction Office conducts annual field inspections of unimproved lands throughout the unincorporated area of the County, including areas designated as State Responsibility Areas, municipalities and other incorporated areas or service districts that contract with the County for fire services. The purpose of the annual inspections is to identify hazardous vegetation or combustible material on properties which pose a hazard or potential hazard to the safety of the landowners, residents in the vicinity, users of public highways and to the public in general. As a result of these site specific inspections, property owners of targeted parcels will receive a Notice to Abate which will indicate the method and amount of clearance required for compliance. The abatement program specifically deals with the removal of rubbish, litter or combustible material of any kind as well as clearance of seasonal and recurrent weeds, stubble, brush, dry leaves, tumbleweeds or other rank growth which is flammable and endangers the public safety by creating a fire hazard and is, therefore, deemed a public nuisance. Clearance of said vegetation or material should be limited as to what is considered necessary to establish sufficient defensible space, 100 ft from structures on adjoining area and provide fire protection to a community. Both the County's authority to require abatement of a public nuisance as well as to establish administrative abatement proceedings is pursuant to California Government Code Section 25845 and California Health and Safety Code Section 14930.

Riverside

Riverside

Countywide, Unincorporated

Cal Fire, California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Transportation, District 8 (DOT), California Highway Patrol, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Colorado River Basin Region 7 (RWQCB), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Region 9 (RWQCB), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Santa Ana Region 8 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Department of Fish and Wildlife, Region 6, Office of Emergency Services, California, Office of Historic Preservation, Resources Agency

Other (weed abatement)

Ordinance Amendment

Air Quality, Biological Resources, Geology/Soils, Noise, mandatory findings of significance