Create defensible space around your home
Defensible space is a layout around your house, not a countywide checklist. Treat Zone 1 as the area within 30 feet, or to a closer property line. The first five feet is Zone 0 ember-resistant guidance. Zone 2 runs 30 to 100 feet, or to a closer property line. Confirm current requirements for your parcel with the fire authority. Do that before you clear native vegetation or large trees.
What you'll learn
- How Zone 1 (within 30 feet, or to the property line) and Zone 2 (30 to 100 feet, or to the property line) are described
- What the ember-resistant first five feet is, and to confirm current requirements with the fire authority
- How to confirm the parcel's fire authority, and how County PDS-800 native-vegetation rules can still apply
- Which roof and gutter clearing a homeowner can do, and which canopy work belongs with a licensed crew
Step by step
- Confirm the address with the local fire authority or CAL FIRE. State Responsibility Area and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone rules do not apply to every San Diego County parcel.
- Clear dead leaves, needles, and debris from the first few feet beside the house, where embers land. Limit roof and gutter cleanup to what you can reach from the ground, or hire qualified roof and gutter help. Do not climb onto the roof.
- In Zone 1 (within 30 feet, or to your property line if it is closer), remove dead material and keep shrubs from forming a continuous fuel path into tree canopies.
- In Zone 2 (30 to 100 feet, or to your property line if it is closer), reduce grass and dead fuel on your own land. Do not clear a neighbor's lot or an open-space easement on a guess.
- Leave climbing, large-tree pruning, and removal to a licensed independent tree crew. City of San Diego street trees go through the City after inspection, not a private cut. Report City-maintained trees through Get It Done.
Clearing does not guarantee a house will survive a wildfire. Confirm the parcel's fire authority and the current written clearance they require. County native-vegetation clearing (PDS-800) can still apply, including easement limits, even when fire staff want defensible space.
Further reading
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