Anaheim, CA Environmental Rules: Defensible Space (2026)

The State Board of Forestry directs CAL FIRE to map moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones, and Anaheim adopted that map at Section 16.40.020, subjecting every parcel inside it to Government Code Sections 51175 through 51188, Health and Safety Code Sections 13108.5, 13143.2 and 13143.5, and Public Resources Code Sections 4201-4204. Section 16.08.020(.150) separately designates all Anaheim land east of the Costa Mesa Freeway (SR-55) and south of the Riverside Freeway (SR-91) as a "Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Area," and Section 16.08.020(.160) adds Fire Code Section 307.7, requiring that new landscaping be selected to reduce non-fire-resistant vegetation near structures and be maintained as it matures, consistent with Anaheim Fire & Rescue's Brush Clearance and Vegetative Growth Guideline.

The Building Official, Code Enforcement Officers, and the Fire Chief share enforcement authority under Section 16.40.080. A property owner who believes equivalent or alternative fire protection measures make the state defensible-space requirements of Government Code Section 51182 unnecessary may petition the City Council for exclusion from the zone under Sections 16.40.040 and 16.40.050, supported by substantial evidence in the record; the Fire Chief may likewise recommend adding excluded or new areas back into the zone under Section 16.40.060.