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Dana Point council approves 2025 weed-abatement program targeting 135 properties
Summary
The City Council approved a staff-recommended weed-abatement program for 2025 that identifies 135 private properties for potential abatement, increases the list by 20 from last year, and sets a May 1 compliance deadline before city-contracted abatement and tax liens.
The Dana Point City Council on Feb. 18 approved the 2025 weed-abatement program, a yearly effort by the city's code enforcement team to remove hazardous vegetation from private properties under California Government Code sections 39560–39588.
The program this year identifies 135 properties for inclusion — 20 more than last year — and directs property owners to remove overgrown weeds by May 1, 2025. City staff said properties that remain noncompliant after reinspection in April will receive a final notice and the city will contract to abate the vegetation in June; the city will then place a tax lien on the property for the cost of abatement.
The item matters because the city and Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) coordinate the effort to reduce wildfire risk and public-safety hazards. Ray, a code-enforcement staff member who presented the report, said the program is intended to address “overgrown weeds” that can create fire hazards and described the multi-step notification and abatement process.
Ray told the council, “We have identified 135 properties that are going to be placed on this year's weed abatement list,” and said the program is the code enforcement division's 34th year running the effort. He said notices advise owners to remove vegetation by May 1, that properties are reinspected in April, and that the city will hire a third-party contractor in June to abate remaining weeds and then place tax liens for the work.
Councilmember Vilar pressed staff on the threshold used to add properties to the list, asking how the city measures overgrowth. Ray said the municipal code sets a threshold at “anything over 6 inches,” but staff also consider property layout and size and may seek OCFA input for properties inside fire-hazard zones. Ray added that properties consistently monitored for vegetation problems are handled through a year-round enforcement list and that staff achieve compliance in about 90% of those cases.
OCFA involvement was described as an important coordination step: staff said OCFA had scheduled inspections of 25 properties and that city staff met with OCFA to align inspection lists and safety-zone boundaries. Council questions also covered whether specific parcels (including a graded lot near a proposed hotel site) were on this year's list; staff said that parcel was not currently on the list because it has active plans and showed limited vegetation at present.
Councilmember Federico moved to adopt the staff-recommended 2025 weed-abatement program. The motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.
The council did not adopt changes to the municipal code in this item; the vote authorized staff to proceed with the 2025 abatement schedule and enforcement steps described above. Owners of properties placed on the list will receive formal notices and may ultimately face city-contracted abatement and a tax lien if they do not comply.
