Madera County, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

Brush clearance is a serious obligation in Madera County's foothills and mountains, much of which is State Responsibility Area protected by CAL FIRE. Under California Public Resources Code section 4291, a person who owns, leases, controls, operates or maintains a building in, upon or adjoining land covered with flammable material must maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, but not beyond the property line. CAL FIRE structures this as zones: an ember-resistant Zone 0 (0-5 feet) where ignitable materials should be eliminated, an intensive fuel-reduction zone (5-30 feet), and a fuel-management zone (30-100 feet) where vegetation is maintained and spaced so a wildfire is unlikely to ignite the structure. Greater distances may be required by law, local ordinance or insurers, and well-maintained individual trees need not be removed. Separately, Madera County addresses overgrown and flammable vegetation as a public nuisance through its Weed Abatement chapter, county code Title 7 (Health and Safety), Chapter 7.26, which provides for declaring weed/vegetation nuisances and county abatement, with costs recoverable against the property. Cleared vegetation does not have to be burned; chipping, mulching, composting or hauling are acceptable disposal methods under air-district guidance.