Provo, UT Environmental Rules: Defensible Space (2026)

Inside the CH Overlay Zone, defensible space is not optional landscaping advice; it is built into the tree and vegetation protection rules. 160(1)(d) requires that any trees removed to meet the Utah Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Code's defensible-space requirements be documented in an approved fire protection plan, and that plan has to be submitted to the Development Services Director along with the development plans before the removal happens. 160(3)(c) generally requires disturbed hillside areas to be revegetated with native or water-wise species, but it carves out a five-foot-wide perimeter around every structure and any planting bed within thirty feet of the main building where non-native or non-water-wise plants are still allowed.

That carve-out lines up with defensible-space zoning used in wildfire mitigation, keeping the immediate structure buffer flexible while the rest of the disturbed hillside reverts to fire-resistant native cover. The revegetation, tree reestablishment, and land reclamation plan required for the buffer area must be stamped by a licensed engineer and landscape architect, must note compliance with the WUI Code's Vegetation Clearance Guidelines, and must confirm every replacement tree comes from the Utah Fire Resistive Species list.