The rules ban all plants within a foot of the home and require the first five feet around homes to be free of combustible materials such as firewood, fallen leaves and branches, and mulch or wood chips. They also prohibit wooden sheds in the zone and wooden fences where attached to the house.

The new state requirements apply only to Californians living in fire hazard zones designated by Cal Fire — specifically, State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in local responsibility areas, applying to an estimated 2 million homes. Local areas will supposedly have some flexibility to tailor the regulations to their communities.

In Ventura County, both High Fire Hazard and Very Fire Hazard properties protected by Ventura County Fire are subject to the new Zone 0 regulations. That’s map areas in red and orange.

• PHASE 1 (Implemented within the first 3 years): Includes removing combustible items such as firewood, dead leaves and branches, mulch, and wood chips within 5 feet of the structure. Removing dead and dying plants, trimming trees according to regulations, and implementing or adjusting for allowable vegetation during this time period.

• PHASE 2 (Implemented within 5 years): Local jurisdictions will assign a timeline, within 5 years of the effective date of the regulations, for the creation of an under-eave safety zone for vegetation other than trees, replacing combustible gates, and making any necessary adjustments to sheds and fencing.

• Combustible debris on roofs and rain gutters, dead tree branches, and branches within 10 feet of chimneys would be required to be removed immediately.

• Local fire agencies may authorize alternative practices based on local variations such as geography/topography, fire risk, lot size, response resources, structure composition, or compliance with the CWUI code.

  • These practices must provide substantially similar practical effects to the regulations. For example, some community-specific local alternative options might include an inspector considering the use of fire-safe construction or building materials, an allowance of various vegetation types based on region, or applying logical discretion for unique architecture or design.

  • Local fire agencies must support with a finding that variations are equally effective as regulations and the variations would require approval by the governing body (city council or county board of supervisors, for example).

  • Defensible space standards for Zone 1 (5 to 30 feet from a home) and Zone 2 (30 to 100 feet from a home) are set by the local fire agency in compliance with statute.