Scottsdale, AZ Environmental Rules: Defensible Space (2026)

NAOS is normally required to stay permanently preserved in its natural, self-sustaining condition under Sec. 1, and clearing, pruning, raking or landscaping inside NAOS is otherwise prohibited under Sec. 3. 6 carves out a defensible-space exception specifically for homes in Wildland/Urban Interface and Intermix areas, as those areas are defined in Sec. 100: within 30 feet of a habitable structure, a property owner may remove flash fuels, expressly including invasive annual grasses, to provide fire safety around the dwelling. The exception is bounded, though; the removal cannot result in the destruction of native plants as defined in the footnote to this section, which cross-references Article V, Protection of Native Plants, Sections 46-105 through 46-120 of the Scottsdale Revised Code.

Dead or dying native plants within NAOS must otherwise be left in place under Sec. 7 to preserve wildlife habitat, underscoring that the 30-foot defensible-space clearing is an exception to a generally protective NAOS regime rather than a broad grant to clear vegetation near a home.