Fresno, CA Environmental Rules: Defensible Space (2026)

Section 10-1510 applies to two categories of land: parcels between the midpoint of the San Joaquin River and the southerly bluff edge along Highways 99 and 41, and parcels within the Bluff Preservation Overlay District that abut the bluff edge. From April 15 through September 30 each year, owners, lessees, or occupants must maintain a "firebreak" -- defined as an area within thirty feet of an occupied dwelling or structure cleared of dangerous accumulations of flammable vegetation -- though single well-pruned, well-spaced, live specimen trees may be kept, and grass four inches or shorter may remain if needed to prevent erosion.

The rule doesn't force removal of endangered, rare, or threatened plant species within that thirty-foot zone. Section 10-1510(d) separately makes it unlawful and a public nuisance to maintain a dangerous accumulation of flammable vegetation within thirty feet of an occupied dwelling, to keep brush or other flammable material within ten feet of a propane tank, or to let dry grass, dead trees, weeds, brush, leaves, or needles accumulate next to a dwelling so as to create a fire hazard. No one has to clear vegetation they lack the legal right to touch, and the requirement doesn't apply to land managed as habitat for endangered or threatened species, natural wildlife habitat, environmentally sensitive open space, scenic lands, or cultivated agricultural or grazing land. Enforcement runs through Chapter 10, Article 6's public nuisance abatement procedure, the same notice-and-order and administrative-citation machinery used for vacant-lot weed violations.