Defensible space is the buffer you create between a building on your property and the grass, trees, shrubs, or any wildland area that surround it, and is essential in improving your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire. This space is needed to slow or stop the spread of wildfire and it helps protect your home from catching fire—either from embers, direct flame contact or radiant heat.  Defensible space is also important for the protection of the firefighters defending your home.

DEFENSIBLE SPACE IS DIVIDED INTO 3 ZONES:

Zone 0 "Immediate Zone" 0–5 feet from buildings, structures, decks, stairs or from attachments to building or structure.

This area is an Ember Resistant Zone and functions to reduce the potential that embers landing near a building will ignite fuels and expose the area around a home to a direct flame.

• Replace mulch, bark, rubber bark, and or compost with noncombustible materials such as rock, stone pavers, cement, bare earth, gravel or sand.
• Remove leaves, needles, or other dead vegetation growth from all roofs and gutters.
• Remove tree limbs that extend into this area.
• Remove vegetation and items that could ignite from around and under decks.
• Remove combustible plants and combustible materials/items.
• Remove wood fencing or gates.

Zone 1 "Intermediate Zone" 5-50 feet from buildings, structures, decks, stairs or from attachments to building or structure.

This area requires the greatest reduction of flammable vegetation and consists of low growing fire-resistant plants.

• Vegetation is low growing 6" to a maximum of 18" in height.
• Remove dead vegetation and dead trees, mow, remove weeds, prune lower limbs.
• Trim tree limbs at least 10 feet from chimneys, remove dead branches hanging over buildings and roofs.
• Weeds and annual grasses maintained to a height not to exceed 6 inches.
• Reduce the amount of fuel around the structures by separating the space between fuels, and or reshaping the retained fuels by trimming.

Zone 2 "extended zone" 50–100 feet from buildings, structures, decks, stairs or from attachments to building or structure.

• When tree is over 18 feet in height remove lower limbs to create SIX feet of vertical clearance above ground.
• When tree is less than 18 feet in height – remove lowest limbs that are 1/3 of tree height.
• Plants/shrubs shall be limbed up off ground, so the lowest branches are 1/3 height of plant/shrub.
• Create ten-foot separation between tree canopies and remove dead limbs.
• Reduce the natural vegetation by 50% of the square footage within this area.
• Weeds and annual grasses maintained to a height not to exceed 4 inches.
• Remove all dead and dying vegetation.