"What is different in 2026 is that California's latest round of laws is not only about tightening standards. Some of it is designed to protect working farms from problems they cannot control, especially abandoned vineyards and orchards that can turn into pest factories. That issue has been growing across wine country as market conditions leave some acreage idle or poorly maintained."
"A new law that took effect Jan. 1, Assembly Bill 732, is intended to change that dynamic. It gives county agricultural commissioners stronger enforcement tools when an abandoned orchard or vineyard becomes a public nuisance because of pests or disease. The shift is practical: instead of relying mainly on slow, expensive abatement processes, counties can now apply clear, escalating penalties to landowners who refuse to address a documented pest hazard."
California's 2026 laws introduce protections for working farms by addressing abandoned vineyards and orchards that create pest and disease hazards. Abandoned or poorly maintained acreage in Sonoma County can become habitat for pests and fungal pathogens, increasing monitoring, spraying, and control costs for neighboring growers. Assembly Bill 732, effective Jan. 1, grants county agricultural commissioners stronger enforcement authority and allows clear, escalating penalties for landowners when abandoned orchards or vineyards become public nuisances due to pests or disease. The law aims to move counties beyond slow abatement processes and support growers threatened by nearby neglected properties.
Read at www.pressdemocrat.com
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