Berkeley, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)
Key Facts
- Defensible space
- 100 feet (PRC 4291)
- Zone 0
- 0-5 feet ember-resistant
- Inspections
- Annual, starting April
- Non-compliance
- Abatement billed to owner
- Applies to
- All VHFHSZ parcels
Summary
Properties in the Berkeley Hills VHFHSZ must maintain 100 feet of defensible space per PRC 4291. Berkeley Fire runs annual inspections and non-compliance triggers abatement at owner cost.
(a) A person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains a building or structure in the state responsibility area shall at all times do all of the following: (1) (A) Maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, but not beyond the property line, except as provided in subparagraph (B). The amount of fuel modification necessary shall consider the flammability of the structure as affected by building material, building standards, location, and type of vegetation. Fuels shall be maintained and spaced in a condition so that a wildfire would be unlikely to ignite the structure. This subparagraph does not apply to single specimens of trees or other vegetation that are well-pruned and maintained so as to effectively manage fuels and not form a means of rapidly transmitting fire from other nearby vegetation to a structure or from a structure to other nearby vegetation or to interrupt the advance of embers toward a structure. The intensity of fuels management may vary within the 100-foot perimeter of the structure, with more intense fuel reductions being utilized between 5 and 30 feet around the structure, and an ember-resistant zone being required within 5 feet of the structure, based on regulations promulgated by the board, in consultation with the department, to consider the elimination of materials in the ember-resistant zone that would likely be ignited by embers. (2) Remove that portion of a tree that extends within 10 feet of the outlet of a chimney or stovepipe. (3) Maintain a tree, shrub, or other plant adjacent to or overhanging a building free of dead or dying wood. (4) Maintain the roof of a structure free of leaves, needles, or other vegetative materials.
Full Breakdown
Berkeley rigorously enforces California Public Resources Code Section 4291, requiring 100 feet of defensible space around every structure in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Zone 0 (0-5 feet) must be ember-resistant with no combustible material against the home, Zone 1 (5-30 feet) requires lean, clean and green landscaping with trimmed trees and no ladder fuels, and Zone 2 (30-100 feet) requires reduced fuels with grass under 4 inches and 10-foot spacing between shrub clusters. The Berkeley Fire Department Vegetation Management Unit conducts annual inspections beginning in April under BMC Chapter 19.48 and issues Notices to Abate. Owners have 30 days to comply or BFD contracts abatement and bills the property, typically 2,000 to 10,000 dollars plus administrative fees. Chipper days and curbside pickup assist residents. Post-fire, AB 3074 added the Zone 0 ember-resistant requirement phased in statewide. Contact BFD at (510) 981-2489.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my lot is less than 100 feet from the neighbor?
Can I keep my mature oak trees?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Berkeley
California rules heatmap·Compare Berkeley to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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Brush Clearance in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle brush clearance.