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Are the insurer lists stricter than the state draft in the first 5 feet?
Yes. IBHS Essential asks for a noncombustible zone: bare mineral soil and noncombustible ground cover. The FAIR Plan asks for the zone to be cleared. The state draft would still let some low plants stay. If your goal is insurance, the stricter list is the safer target.
The state Zone 0 rule is not law yet. Insurers and IBHS already use their own lists.
What to check
Start with what both lists agree on: mulch, firewood, debris, shrubs and anything stored under decks.
Then look at what the draft allows but IBHS does not: low plants and a short lawn. The FAIR Plan also asks for noncombustible fences and gates within 5 feet.
Ask your insurer which standard it uses.
Check each item on the is it allowed pages.
What each list says
The lists do not always agree. Here is what each one says about this.
- IBHS Essential
The zone runs 5 feet from the walls and from the outermost deck or overhead posts, up to the sky. It must be noncombustible. Vegetation, trees, limbs and vines in or over it come out, down to bare mineral soil. Wood and rubber mulch and exposed weed cloth come out. Gravel, pavers, decomposed granite and concrete are fine (section 2.2.1).
Combustible fences, gates and retaining walls in the zone are replaced. No vehicles. Most combustible items are removed, with a few listed exceptions. Movable items go indoors or 30 feet away during Red Flag Warnings or long absences.
- State discount list
A 5-foot ember-resistant zone around the structure.
- FAIR Plan
Vegetation, debris, mulch and other combustible materials cleared within 5 feet. Only noncombustible materials in improvements within 5 feet, including fences and gates.
- State draft
No bark mulch, firewood or debris that burns. Plant-free strips along the walls. Low, well-kept non-woody plants can stay elsewhere in the 5 feet. A combustible fence can stay if the last 5 feet at the house does not burn.
- Where the state draft allows more than IBHS, such as a short lawn or a low planting, an insurer that uses IBHS could still ask for it to go.
Sources
- IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home Technical Standard (2025 edition)
- Safer from Wildfires regulation: frequently asked questions, California Department of Insurance, September 2026
- Discounts for dwelling fire and commercial policies, California FAIR Plan, November 15, 2025
- Notice of proposed emergency action: Zone 0 defensible space, Board of Forestry, August 20, 2026