The fire prevention notices give property owners a period of time, typically between 14 and 21 days, to clean up their properties.

After this time, the council tries to make contact with the property owner and if the problem is not rectified, it will clean up the fire hazard.

A bill for the cost of the clearing works is issued and in some cases property owners will receive a fine in the form of a fire prevention infringement notice.

Sustainable environment and infrastructure director Dale Thornton said the council employed an officer who inspected every property in the shire from November each year.

Mr Thornton said 900 notices had been issued since the 2009-10 fire season began, up from 800 during the 2008-09 fire season.

"The reason for this increase is we have a much stronger growth of grass. People are doing the right thing, but more notices are being issued. It's really important people clear up and slash their properties now."

Mr Thornton reminded residents the council had extended its free disposal of green waste service until the end of December.

But one Macedon Ranges property owner believes he was unfairly issued with one of these fire infringement notices in December last year.

Lauriston property owner John Monos said he was asked to pay $375 to cover the council's costs and a further $227 for not clearing a section of grass on his 0.8-hectare (two-acre) block.

He claims he had slashed the grass on the property but left a small section of about three metres by three metres and was shocked to receive the fines.

"The fact is it was the size of a garden bed. There's massive areas that are overgrown and never attended to by the council and they're worried about a tiny garden bed size I didn't cut."

Mr Monos said a nearby road reserve was filled with rubbish, overgrown and a massive fire hazard. "There's a lot more danger out there than my little bit of grass. I bought the council-owned block of land next door to my house about five years ago. I've cut all of my block, got rid of the gorse and done a major tidy-up. I also spent thousands of dollars clearing the gorse up on that block when I bought it because it's such a fire hazard."

Mr Monos believed the fines should be waived.

"I'm not irresponsible, I never have been. They've pursued it as though we've been negligent."

Mr Thornton said the council stood by its action.

"For some unknown reason he left a small area of grass against his house. We made contact and he was not willing to cooperate, so we cleared it for him and fined him."