Brentwood, California officials are fed up with the uptick in home cultivation violations and did something about it.
On July 12, the Brentwood City Council intensified the rules on the home cultivation of cannabis—taking the rules beyond the legal six-plant limit inside a personal residence. Administrative citations may be issued—per plant—for any plants that are grown beyond the legal limit.
The measure was approved by the Brentwood City Council by a 4-0 vote, with Vice Mayor Johnny Rodriguez absent.
Residents should be careful about considering how many plants to grow at home. A $100 citation will be issued for the first violation, $200 for the second violation, and $500 for the third and subsequent violation. What it means is that now each plant will be considered a separate violation.
According to Code Enforcement Supervisor Roberta Portillo-Bienemann, the city has seen an uptick in cannabis cultivation violations. The new rules would give code enforcement agents additional tools to fight illegal home cultivation, putting a bit more pressure on residents who are considering defying the rules.
Typical illegal grow operations have up to 10 violations, Portillo-Bienemann said, but the new rules would add more violations, depending on the number of plants that are found by code enforcement.
Portillo-Bienemann said it usually gives the offender five to seven days to appeal the citation, however the city could issue fines per plant, per day.
“In order to give an individual their due process, right, and their ability to appeal that citation, if they choose to do so, we issue the administrative fines on a weekly basis,” she told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. “It is hoped these revisions will increase the city’s code enforcement capabilities