This home in Paradise (Butte County), seen in 2024, has no vegetation in the immediate vicinity in the interest of fire safety. California’s Zone 0 rules would sharply limit vegetation around homes in fire-prone areas.
Florence Middleton/For the S.F. Chronicle
After years of delays and pushback, California regulators approved major new rules requiring millions of property owners to limit plants and other flammable materials within 5 feet of homes.
The California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection voted 8-0 to pass the long-awaited rules — called Zone 0 — on Wednesday.
Here is what to know about the new rules.
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What’s in the rules and when would they apply?
The new rules apply immediately to new construction and roll out in two phases across five years for existing homes, while also allowing local jurisdictions to fine-tune the regulations for unique neighborhood factors, including topography and lot size.
Starting three years from the date the new landscaping codes are published — so probably 2029 — property owners would be required to remove materials such as firewood, mulch, wood chips, dead leaves and branches within that 5-foot zone adjacent to structures. They must also remove dead or dying plants, keep roofs and gutters clear of debris and remove branches within 10 feet of chimneys.
The second phase would go into effect within five years and be written in part by local fire departments to reflect the region’s landscapes. It requires homeowners to replace wooden gates and fencing with noncombustible materials within that 5-foot area and creates a safety zone based on the width of a building’s eaves — the part of the roof that juts out from sides of a building — that must be clear of all vegetation other than trees.
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How have the draft rules changed?
The board of forestry has been drafting Zone 0 rules for nearly four years, and earlier drafts were far more strict and required nearly all items — excepting large trees with no low-hanging branches — be removed within that 5-foot buffer. This drew significant pushback from property owners concerned that rules went too far without enough evidence that the changes could stop a wildfire from leaping from home to home.
The board came back last April with regulations that officials said struck a balance between those concerns and wildfire safety practices that allowed more trees and well-maintained, herbaceous plants and flowers outside of that under-eave zone.
Who will the rules apply to?
The rules would not apply to all California properties. Zone 0 defensible space regulations cover homes in two categories of homes, including what’s called “state responsibility areas” where Cal Fire has primary wildfire protection responsibility, plus homes in “very high fire hazard severity zones” as designated by the state and protected by local fire departments.
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In the Bay Area, for example, neighborhoods high in the East Bay hills from Castro Valley to Richmond are part of the very high risk zone, as is most of Sausalito and neighborhoods on the flanks of San Bruno.
Cal Fire estimated the regulations would apply to about 1.75 million homes in California, which represents about 10% of the state’s housing, including multifamily and apartment buildings.
What is the reason for the regulations?
The far-reaching regulations are part of California’s response to the growing number of devastating wildfires over the last decade, which have destroyed tens of thousands of homes, triggered an insurance industry crisis and made housing even more unaffordable in the state.
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What is the exact implementation date?
The first set of rules go into effect three years from the date Zone 0 regulations are published by the secretary of state, which follows a routine review by the California Office of Administrative Law and could happen within 30 days of the vote.
Where can I find more information?
Further details are available at https://bit.ly/ZoneZeroRules.
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