Brush Clearance
Fire Regulations
Requirements to clear dry vegetation around your property for wildfire prevention, including deadlines and the distance you need to maintain.
How Brush Clearance Rules Differ by Place
Lake Elsinore, CA: Lake Elsinore Brush Clearance Firebreak Rule
Heavy RestrictionsIn the City of Lake Elsinore, owners of buildings in or adjoining a Fire Hazard Severity Zone must maintain a 100-foot firebreak by removing combustible material, and any improved…
Clayton County, GA: Clayton County Summer Yard Debris Burn Ban
Heavy RestrictionsClayton County is one of 54 Georgia counties under the state Summer Open Burn Ban, which runs from May 1 to September 30 each year. Georgia EPD prohibits citizens and businesses from…
Modesto, CA: fire/brush-clearance
Few RestrictionsModesto sits on the Central Valley floor outside CAL FIRE's State Responsibility Area and is not mapped as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, so the wildland-urban-interface…
Boston, MA: Boston Brush Clearance & Vegetation Management
Few RestrictionsBoston may require vegetation management for fire safety. MA does not have a statewide defensible space mandate. Local property maintenance applies.
Chelsea, MA: Chelsea Brush Clearance & Vegetation Management
Few RestrictionsChelsea may require vegetation management for fire safety. MA does not have a statewide defensible space mandate. Local property maintenance applies.
Coconino County, AZ: Coconino County Brush Clearance Fire Rules
Some RestrictionsCoconino County requires every subdivision and development with a landscape plan inside the Wildland/Urban Interface to clear brush in three zones around structures. Zone 1, the ten…
Brush Clearance Rules by State
Statewide law governs this topic in many states. Each entry links to that state's full page.
California
Heavy RestrictionsCalifornia requires property owners in fire hazard zones to maintain 100 feet of defensible space around structures, applying uniformly across State and Local Responsibility Areas.
Georgia
Heavy RestrictionsSince July 1, 2021, Georgia no longer requires a Forestry Commission permit or notification to burn hand-piled natural vegetation where it was cut, though statewide safety rules, local…
Kentucky
Some RestrictionsKentucky law restricts brush and natural debris burning under KRS 149.400, allowing only natural plant matter to be burned and prohibiting daytime burns near woodland during forest…
Maine
Few RestrictionsMaine has no statewide defensible-space brush-clearance distance requirement comparable to California PRC § 4291; clearance is voluntary under the FireWise program except WITHIN the…
Cities & Counties with Brush Clearance Rules
294 locations
Arizona
California
Massachusetts
Nebraska
New York
Other Fire Regulations Topics
Fire Pits & Backyard Fires
Rules for fire pits, chimineas, and recreational backyard fires, setback distances from structures, size and fuel limits, attendance requirements, and burn-ban days.
Fireworks
Which types of consumer fireworks are legal, when they can be used, and the fines for setting off illegal fireworks.
Outdoor Burning
Rules for open flames outdoors including bonfires, yard waste burning, and cooking fires. Some cities ban all outdoor burning year-round.
Wildfire Zones
Special building and landscaping requirements for properties located in designated wildfire hazard areas or fire severity zones.
Smoke Detectors
Requirements for smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in homes, including how many you need and where they must be installed.
Propane Storage
Limits on size and location of residential propane tanks, including setback distances from buildings, property lines, and ignition sources.