Bellevue, WA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

2 to state that weeds, grass, vines or other growth that is capable of being ignited and endangering property shall be cut down and removed by the owner or occupant on building lots that are either open or contain an occupied or vacant dwelling. The obligation attaches broadly: it reaches vacant, undeveloped parcels as well as lots that already carry a home, whether that home is currently occupied or sitting vacant, so an absentee owner of an empty house cannot rely on nonoccupancy to avoid the duty.

The code frames the trigger as ignitability and hazard to property rather than a fixed height or acreage threshold, giving the fire code official discretion to determine when vegetation on a given lot has become capable of ignition and a danger. A cross-referenced Point of Information directs owners to Public Information Sheet F-14 for additional guidance on what the fire marshal's office looks for and how compliance is typically achieved, though that sheet is administrative guidance rather than the operative legal text. 1 lets the official institute action to restrain, correct or abate the hazard. The amendment was enacted by Ordinance 6782, Sections 1 and 2, in 2024, alongside the rest of the fire code amendments.