Home / The rules

What the Zone 0 draft requires

Within 5 feet of a home, nothing that burns easily: no bark mulch, no firewood, no dead plants, and only low, well-kept, non-woody plants away from the walls.

Words on this site, in plain English

Zone 0

The 5 feet around a house, also called the ember-resistant zone.

Noncombustible

Does not burn. Metal, stone, concrete, brick and gravel.

Non-woody plant

A plant with soft green stems, like grasses, most flowers and succulents.

Woody plant

A plant with stiff, bark-covered stems, like roses, juniper and most shrubs.

Ladder fuels

Low branches and plants that let a ground fire climb into a tree.

State Responsibility Area

Mostly rural land where CAL FIRE, not a city, is responsible for wildfire.

Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone

The highest of three fire hazard ratings the State Fire Marshal maps.

Where it applies

• In State Responsibility Areas: every building and structure, whatever its fire hazard rating.
• In cities and other local areas: occupied buildings in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
• Zone 0 is measured 5 feet out from the walls, attached decks, stairs and pergolas. If the property line is closer, it stops there.

What has to go

• Combustible mulch, including bark and wood chips. Temporary erosion control during construction is the only exception.
• Leaves, needles and other small debris that burn, including on roofs and in gutters.
• Firewood.
• Anything stored under decks, balconies, pergolas and stairs, and any plants growing there.

Plant-free strips

Nothing can grow:

• under the eaves
• within 1 foot of the walls
• within 2 feet of windows, doors, posts and vents
• within 5 feet of attached decks, stairs and pergolas

What can stay

Outside the plant-free strips:

• Well-kept, non-woody plants under 3 inches tall, like a short lawn.
• Non-woody plants 3 to 18 inches tall, with no dead material, in plantings under 1 square foot, spaced at least 1.5 times the height of the tallest plant.
• Non-woody plants under 18 inches in noncombustible pots under 5 gallons, spaced the same way.

Trees

• No dead or dying branches.
• Live branches at least 10 feet from chimneys and stovepipe outlets.
• No branches under the eaves, and at least 1 foot from walls with no eave.
• Live branches at least 5 feet above the roof.
• Ladder fuels removed: the lower 6 feet or lower third of the tree, whichever is less.

Fences, gates and sheds

• Combustible fences and gates cannot attach to the house. Where they meet it, the last 5 feet must not burn.
• No new combustible fences or gates in Zone 0 once the rule takes effect. Repairs can use noncombustible materials.
• Sheds and other outbuildings can stay in Zone 0 only if they are entirely noncombustible.

Deadlines for existing homes

1. Right away

   Firewood out of the first 5 feet. No dead branches over the house. Live branches 10 feet from chimneys and stovepipes, and none under the eaves. Most of this is already state law.

2. Within 3 years

   No bark mulch, leaves, needles or other debris that burns. Nothing stored under decks or stairs. Ladder fuels trimmed from trees. Live branches kept 1 foot from walls and 5 feet above the roof.

3. Within 3 years, or up to 5 if your local fire agency sets the schedule

   Plant-free strips along the walls, windows, doors and vents. Only low non-woody plants elsewhere in the 5 feet. A noncombustible section where fences and gates meet the house. Sheds in the zone must be noncombustible.

Based on the August 2026 draft. New homes follow a separate timeline.

Sources

• Notice of proposed emergency action: Zone 0 defensible space, California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, August 20, 2026
• California Board of Forestry adopts emergency Zone 0 regulations under AB 3074, Best Best & Krieger (law firm), September 2026 (not an official source)