Paso Robles City Fire crew members completed their first day of a two-day weed abatement inspection on Monday. According to Battalion Chief Paul Patti, eight of 12 zones were completed on the first day. The areas the three crew trucks did not inspect will be inspected from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The 12 zones include 12,000 parcels consisting of both commercial and residential properties. Every property not owned by the city is inspected.
Minimum clearances for residential areas are 50 feet from the property line, 100 feet from around the home, and 10 feet away from the driveway on both sides.
For properties larger than 10 acres, fire breaks between vegetation are required. Fire breaks are spaces between brush that can slow the spread of fire.
According to Patti, without the city’s weed abatement ordinance, the city would have no control over overgrown vegetation.
“Just even a couple of years ago, our first round of inspections of the 12,000 properties we had just short of 1,100 that received a notice in the mail. Last year, we had just over 700 that received it, so we had a drop of about 400," Patti said. "This year, we're hoping for even better compliance on the first round.”
The list of properties in violation will be given to the city council. An abatement hearing will follow in which the city notifies property owners that a contractor has been hired to clear brush from their property. The property owner will face a fine.
“If you're looking at a typical single-family residence that has a weed issue and they've not been in compliance, it's going to be around $1,000 to $1,200 when it's all said and done,” Patti said.
That money then goes into the city's general fund.
Property owners in Paso Robles have until June 3 to comply. Weed abatement done by the city is conducted after a hearing on June 17.
