Butte County Code Chapter 38A (Fire Prevention and Protection) and California Public Resources Code §4291 require property owners in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) to maintain 100 feet of defensible space around any structure. Enforcement was substantially tightened after the 2018 Camp Fire.
Chapter 38A incorporates and supplements California PRC §4291. Defensible space is structured in zones: Zone 0 — the first 5 feet around the structure — must be a noncombustible ember-resistant zone under Butte County rules, free of vegetation, woodchips, and combustible items. Zone 1 (5–30 feet) requires lean, clean, and green landscaping with separated shrubs and clearance under trees. Zone 2 (30–100 feet) is a Reduced Fuel Zone requiring tree limbs trimmed up at least 6 feet from the ground, dead vegetation removed, and brush spaced. Section 38A-8 also requires firebreaks on properties where a fire hazard exists. CAL FIRE / Butte County Fire conducts annual defensible space inspections (often pre-construction inspections for real-estate transactions on request). Chapter 53 (Camp Fire Recovery) layers additional ignition-resistant construction standards on rebuilds inside the Camp Fire footprint.
Chapter 38A Article V (Abatement, Enforcement, Cost Accounting and Recovery) authorizes a warning of noncompliance under §38A-19, followed by administrative abatement at the owner's cost if not corrected. Fines and lien recovery for abatement costs apply.
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