Department of Transportation.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to acquire real property for future highway purposes. Existing law requires structures maintained or allowed to remain on property that has been acquired for future highway needs to be maintained in conformance with applicable city or county building and safety ordinances. This bill would specify that safety ordinances, for the purposes of the provision described above, include an ordinance requiring a property owner to abate weeds. The bill would require the department to comply with a notice of weed abatement issued by a city or county fire department or fire chief, or their designee, pursuant to a safety ordinance to property owned by the department within 60 days of the notice. The bill would entitle a city or county to reimbursement for actions taken by the city or county to abate weeds that the department fails to abate 60 days after receipt of the notice of weed abatement if the city or county makes specified findings at a regularly scheduled public hearing.