Santa Barbara County, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

California Public Resources Code Section 4291 requires any person who owns, leases, controls, or operates a building or structure in, upon, or adjoining mountainous, forest-, brush-, or grass-covered land in a State Responsibility Area (SRA), or any land designated as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) in a Local Responsibility Area, to maintain a defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, but not to exceed the property line. Santa Barbara County has adopted this standard through County Code Chapter 15 (Fire Prevention) and the County's locally amended California Fire Code, and enforces it through the Santa Barbara County Fire Department's Defensible Space Inspection Program (Wildland Fire Section). The 100-foot defensible space is implemented in two zones: Zone 1 (Lean, Clean, and Green) covers the first 30 feet around the structure and requires removal of all dead plants, grass, weeds, and combustible litter; trimming of trees to keep branches 10 feet from chimneys and other trees; spacing of shrubs and trees; removal of leaves and pine needles from roofs and gutters; and 10-foot horizontal clearance around propane tanks and ground-mounted equipment. Zone 2 (Reduce Fuel) covers from 30 feet to 100 feet and requires grass mowed to 4 inches or shorter, removal of dead plant and tree material, and horizontal/vertical spacing of trees and shrubs (10-15 feet between specimens depending on slope). In areas of severe topography, the County Fire Department's Defensible Space Standard (Standard 6) extends the requirement: on slopes greater than 30 percent in High Fire Hazard Areas, brush clearance may be required to 200 feet (30-40 percent slope) and 250 to 300 feet (41-60 percent slope), to or to the property line, whichever is closer. The County also enforces structure-hardening provisions in Chapter 7A of the California Building Code (Materials and Construction Methods for Exterior Wildfire Exposure) for new construction in WUI areas. AB 38 (Government Code Section 51182) requires that, on or after July 1, 2021, any seller of real property in a High, Very High, or County-defined Fire Hazard Severity Zone provide the buyer with documentation of a compliant defensible-space inspection. The Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council operates assistance programs that help senior, disabled, and low-income property owners meet defensible-space requirements.