A defensible space is the buffer you create between a building on your property and the grass, trees, shrubs, or any wildland areas that surround it. 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. A proper defensible space also provides emergency responders with a safe working area to defend your home.

A CAL FIRE infographic depicting a home's defensible space zones.

Zone 0: Ember-Resistant Zone

'Zone 0' extends five feet from buildings, decks, and other structures. This ember-resistant zone is designed to keep fire or embers from igniting materials that can spread the fire to your home and includes the area under and around all attached decks. This zone is the most important defensible space zone.

• Use hardscape materials. Use materials like gravel, pavers, concrete and other non-combustible mulch materials around your home. Don't use combustible materials like bark or mulch.
• Remove dead vegetation. Clean up dying weeds, grass, plants, shrubs, trees, branches and vegetative debris like leaves, needles, cones, and bark. Don't forget to check roofs, gutters, decks, porches and stairways.
• Keep branches away from chimneys. Remove any branches within 10 feet of chimneys or stovepipe outlets.
• Limit plant types in this area. Make sure plants in this zone are low growing, non-woody, properly watered, and well maintained.
• Limit combustible items on top of decks. Examples include outdoor furniture, planters, and firewood.
• Relocate firewood and lumber to 'Zone 2.'
• Replace combustible fencing, gates and arbors. Make sure these are attached to your home with non-combustible alternatives
• Relocate garbage and recycling containers outside this zone.
• Relocate boats, RVs and vehicles outside this zone.

Zone 1: Lean, Clean & Green Zone

'Zone 1' extends 30 feet from buildings, decks, and other structures, or to your property line—whichever is closer.

• Remove all dead plants and vegetation. This includes removing dead or dry leaves from your yard, roof and rain gutters.
• Remove branches that hang over your roof. This includes keeping dead branches at least 10 feet away from your chimney.
• Trim trees regularly. Keep branches 10 feet from other trees.
• Relocate firewood and lumber to 'Zone 2.'
• Remove or prune flammable plants near windows.
• Remove flammable materials from under structures. Keep vegetation and items that could catch fire from around and under decks, balconies and stairs.
• Create a separation between trees, shrubs, and items that could catch fire. This includes patio furniture, wood piles, and swing sets.

Zone 2: Reduce Fuel Zone

'Zone 2' extends from 30 feet to 100 feet out from buildings, decks, and other structures, or to your property line—whichever is closer.

• Cut the grass around your home regularly. Cut or mow annual grass down to a maximum height of four inches.
• Create horizontal spacing between shrubs and trees.*
• Create vertical spacing between grass, shrubs and trees.**
• Remove fallen vegetation. This includes leaves, needles, twigs, bark, cones, and small branches.
• Maintain clearance around outbuildings and liquid propane gas storage tanks. They should have at least 10 feet of clearance to bare mineral soil and there should be no flammable vegetation for an additional 10 feet around their exteriors.
• Add clearance around wood piles. All exposed wood piles should have a minimum of 10 feet of clearance, down to bare mineral soil, in all directions.

Plant and Tree Spacing

The spacing between grass, shrubs and trees is important in reducing the spread of wildfire. The spacing needed is determined by the type and size of brush and trees, as well as the slope of the land. For example, a property on a steep slope with larger vegetation requires greater spacing between trees and shrubs than a level property that has small, sparse vegetation.

Horizontal Spacing*

• Horizontal spacing depends on the slope of the land and the height of the shrubs or trees. Check the chart below to determine spacing distance.

A CAL FIRE infographic depicting the minimum required vertical clearance around a property.

Vertical Spacing**

• Remove all tree branches at least six feet from the ground.
• Allow extra vertical space between shrubs and trees. Lack of vertical space can allow a fire to move from the ground to the brush to the treetops like a ladder.
• To determine the proper vertical spacing between shrubs and the lowest branches of trees, use the formula below.

A CAL FIRE infographic depicting the minimum required horizontal clearance around a property.