Home › Protect your home, lower your premium

Defensible Space: Zones 0, 1 and 2, State Rules and Insurance

Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 14, 2026

What defensible space is

Defensible space is the area around a building where things that can burn have been removed or reduced. California's Board of Forestry and Fire Protection describes it as a buffer that protects homes "from wildfire and wind-blown embers," acts as a barrier "slowing or halting the progress of fire," and "helps keep firefighters safe while defending a structure."

CAL FIRE's advice is to start at the house and work outward, "reaching up to 100 feet or your property line," with the work getting more intense the closer you get to the house.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which runs the Firewise USA program, uses a related idea called the home ignition zone: research has shown that "homes ignite due to the condition of the home and everything around it, up to 200' from the foundation." NFPA splits it into three zones that line up with California's: immediate (0 to 5 feet), intermediate (5 to 30 feet) and extended (30 to 100 feet, "out to 200 feet").

Defensible space is about the land around your house. Changing the house itself (roof, vents, eaves, windows) is called home hardening; see our wildfire home hardening guide. Both matter, and both count toward insurance discounts in California. [1][2][5][12][13]

The three zones: what to do in each

This is CAL FIRE's current guidance, with NFPA's matching advice. Distances are measured from the house and anything attached to it, such as a deck.

Spacing rules. CAL FIRE says to trim tree branches up to at least 6 feet from the ground, and to leave vertical space of three times a shrub's height between the shrub and the lowest tree branch above it: "A 5-foot shrub near a tree needs 15 feet of clearance." Horizontal spacing depends on slope and plant height; steeper slopes need more space.

Zones 1 and 2 are the legal minimum in much of California (see the next section). CAL FIRE notes local rules can be stricter: "some areas like San Diego County require 50 feet of clearance in Zone 1." Check with your local fire department or fire protection district. [1][8][12]

California law: who has to clear, and how far

Two laws set the same basic rule. Public Resources Code 4291 covers buildings in the State Responsibility Area (land where the state, through CAL FIRE, is primarily responsible for wildfire protection). Government Code 51182 covers occupied homes and buildings in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones designated in city and county (local responsibility) areas. To see which applies to your address, see our wildfire risk map guide.

Under PRC 4291, anyone who owns, leases or maintains a building in the State Responsibility Area must "at all times":

• Maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and the front and rear of the structure, "but not beyond the property line." Fuels must be "maintained and spaced in a condition so that a wildfire would be unlikely to ignite the structure." Well-pruned single trees and plants are allowed.
• Remove any part of a tree within 10 feet of a chimney or stovepipe outlet.
• Keep trees, shrubs and plants next to or overhanging the building free of dead or dying wood.
• Keep the roof free of leaves, needles and other plant material.

A few more rules from the statute:

• Local rules can require more. A greater distance "may be required by state law, local ordinance, rule, or regulation."
• Your insurer can require more, but only with backing: an insurer "may require a greater distance" if a fire expert "designated by the director" finds it necessary and "there is no other feasible mitigation measure possible." It still can't go beyond your property line unless law allows it.
• You don't have to clear your neighbor's land. You aren't required to manage fuels on land you have no legal right to manage, and work on adjacent property needs the neighbor's written consent.
• Attached decks count as part of the structure for the ember-resistant zone.

The Board of Forestry's guidance says the rules apply "to 100 feet or the property line, whichever comes first," in the State Responsibility Area and in very high fire hazard severity zones in local areas. [2][3][8][10]

California's Zone 0 rule: status as of Oct. 14, 2026

Since AB 3074 (2020), PRC 4291 has said an ember-resistant zone is required "within 5 feet of the structure, based on regulations promulgated by the board." The statute also says the requirement "shall not take effect for new structures until the board updates the regulations" and its guidance document, and takes effect for existing structures "three years after the effective date for the new structures." So until the Board's regulations take effect, Zone 0 is not legally required.

Where it stands:

• The Board of Forestry adopted its Zone 0 regulations on Aug. 19, 2026.
• They went to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL), which must approve state regulations, as emergency file 2026-0828-03E. OAL's list of recent actions on emergency regulations shows that file as "Withdrawn, September 8, 2026."
• As of Oct. 14, 2026, no Zone 0 file appears on OAL's lists of regular or emergency regulations under review.
• The Board's own page still says it continues "to work with the Office of Administrative Law on a final review" and will update the page "when the California Secretary of State publishes the final regulation."
• CAL FIRE's page says Zone 0 is "not legally required yet."

Bottom line: the Zone 0 rule is not in effect and has no effective date as of Oct. 14, 2026. Check the Board of Forestry's Zone 0 page for updates.

What the adopted version would require. The Board's draft guidance (marked to be "officially published on the future effective date") lists, for the first 5 feet: no combustible mulch, no firewood storage, no vegetation under eaves, none within 2 feet of windows, doors or vents, none within 5 feet of attached decks, stairs or pergolas, and no combustible fences or gates attached to the house. Low non-woody plants (under 3 inches, like lawn) and small groupings or pots of plants up to 18 inches would be allowed farther out in the 5 feet. It would apply right away to new building permits. For existing homes, the guidance describes Phase 1 "within the first 3 years" and Phase 2 "within 5 years, with the exact timeline to be decided by the local jurisdiction." That is longer than the statute's three years for existing structures; if the rule takes effect, confirm your deadline with your local fire agency.

Our home hardening guide has the full Zone 0 item list and how it compares with the IBHS standard. [1][2][3][4][9][14][15]

Inspections and enforcement in California

CAL FIRE says it and its partners "conduct defensible space inspections in State Responsibility Area (SRA) where CAL FIRE has primary responsibility for wildfire protection." In local responsibility areas, local fire authorities handle enforcement, according to the Board of Forestry. CAL FIRE's defensible space page also takes requests for a real estate defensible space inspection and links to county programs (Los Angeles, Marin, Orange County, Santa Barbara and Ventura).

If a property doesn't meet the standard, PRC 4291 lets the State Fire Marshal authorize removal of the vegetation and make the cost "a lien upon the building, structure, or grounds."

For Zone 0, once it takes effect, the Board says CAL FIRE's inspectors in the State Responsibility Area will help homeowners "prioritize actions over three years," and that inspections "aim to confirm good-faith progress toward compliance." [2][3][8]

Selling a home in California: defensible space documentation

Since July 1, 2021, Civil Code 1102.19 has applied to home sales in a high or very high fire hazard severity zone. The seller must give the buyer documentation that the property complies with PRC 4291 or the local vegetation management ordinance:

• If your city or county has an ordinance requiring that documentation, give the buyer a copy and tell them which local agency they can get a copy from.
• If it doesn't, but an agency or qualified nonprofit offers inspections there, give the buyer documentation obtained in the six months before you entered into the sale.
• If you don't have documentation, you and the buyer must sign a written agreement that the buyer will get it. Where there's no local ordinance but inspections are available, the buyer must get it "within one year of the date of the close of escrow."

The agreement doesn't stop state or local agencies from enforcing defensible space rules. To get an inspection, start with your local fire department or CAL FIRE's real estate inspection request. [8][11]

How defensible space affects your insurance

California. Under the state's "Safer from Wildfires" regulation, 10 CCR 2644.9) (in effect since Oct. 14, 2022), an insurer that prices for wildfire risk may not use a rating plan "that does not take into account and reflect" a list of mitigation steps. Four of them are about the space around your house:

• clearing vegetation and debris from under decks;
• clearing vegetation, debris, mulch and movable combustible items within 5 feet of the building;
• using only noncombustible materials, including fences and gates, within 5 feet; and
• no combustible sheds or outbuildings within 30 feet (or as much of that area as you control).

A fifth is whether your property complies with PRC 4291 "and any applicable local ordinances, governing defensible space." The rest are building and community steps; our home hardening guide covers them, how big the discounts are, and how to appeal your wildfire risk score.

The California FAIR Plan lists the same five "Immediate Surroundings" discounts for its Dwelling Fire policies, including compliance "with state and local ordinances regarding defensible space, such as California Public Resources Code Section 4291" (applicable as of Nov. 15, 2025; subject to change).

The Board of Forestry warns that state rules are a minimum and that "insurers use their own proprietary models to evaluate risk and set their own fuel management requirements." It notes some insurers require the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home Essential designation, which is "more restrictive regarding trees and vegetation in Zone Zero," and suggests that "sharing photos and information about your approach to fuel management may help" when shopping for insurance.

The IBHS standard requires a "0–5 FT. Noncombustible Zone" with all vegetation removed down to bare mineral soil ("No exceptions—even if irrigated or labeled fire-resistant"), defensible space out to 30 feet or the property line, grass under 4 inches, firewood at least 30 feet from the home, and no more than 3 detached structures within 30 feet.

Colorado. A 2025 law (HB25-1182, effective July 1, 2026) requires insurers that use wildfire or catastrophe models to account for property mitigation "such as establishing defensible space." If their models don't, "the insurer shall provide discounts" to policyholders who can show the work was done, and insurers must post the available discounts and amounts on their websites. See homeowners insurance in Colorado.

Oregon. Senate Bill 82 (2023) defines wildfire risk mitigation to include "establishing defensible space." Homeowner insurers must post "whether and how" mitigation affects their underwriting and rates, and reflect it in their underwriting guidelines and rate plans. See homeowners insurance in Oregon.

Utah. A 2025 law (H.B. 48) doesn't require insurers to give a mitigation discount. Since Jan. 1, 2026, if an insurer cancels or nonrenews a wildland-urban interface property because of wildfire risk, its notice must give the facts behind the decision "with reasonable precision." If it raises your premium by more than 20% for that reason, it must give you the facts when you ask. Starting Jan. 1, 2028, the state forestry division must keep a database insurers can use to see how a high-risk property is classified after a state or county evaluation. See homeowners insurance in Utah.

No law guarantees that clearing defensible space will lower your premium or keep your policy. Ask your insurer or agent what it requires and what it credits. If you've been dropped, see what to do after a nonrenewal. [2][5][6][7][16][17][18][19][20][21]

Other states' defensible space rules

Outside California, defensible space is mostly set by local governments, not one statewide rule.

Oregon. Oregon law used to require the State Fire Marshal to set minimum defensible space requirements for wildland-urban interface lands on a statewide wildfire hazard map, under the 2021 law known as Senate Bill 762. A 2025 law, Senate Bill 83, changed that: the Fire Marshal now makes a model code that local governments can choose to adopt, and "may not require a local government to adopt the model code." The Fire Marshal's model defensible space code says adoption "is voluntary" and that enforcement and appeals are handled locally. Where it's adopted, it calls for:

• a noncombustible space "not less than 5 feet in width" around buildings and decks (gravel, concrete or bare dirt are allowed); and
• fuel modification out to 30 feet in moderate-hazard areas, 50 feet in high-hazard areas and 100 feet in extreme-hazard areas, as the local government sets them, not past your property line.

Ask your city, county or fire district whether it has adopted the code. See homeowners insurance in Oregon.

Utah. H.B. 48 (2025) requires counties and municipalities to adopt the state's wildland urban interface building code standards, and has a state or county coordinator evaluate high-risk wildland-urban interface properties on a triage scale. Owners of those properties pay a county fee, set by the state forestry division based on the structure's square footage, which the division may tier by the property's classification. See homeowners insurance in Utah.

Everywhere else, check with your local fire department or county. For the official wildfire hazard maps that decide where these rules apply, see our wildfire risk map guide. [19][21][22][23]

Questions people ask