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

Defensible space and brush clearance in unincorporated Shasta County are governed by Shasta County Code Chapter 8.10 (Defensible Space for Fire Protection and Prevention), amended by Ordinance No. SCC 2025-03 (adopted September 23, 2025) under Health & Safety Code sections 14930-14931. The chapter declares the accumulation of combustible material on private property in the unincorporated areas a fire hazard and public nuisance, and applies to anyone who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains an 'urban parcel' within the unincorporated county. Section 8.10.040 sets the core requirement: a responsible party must maintain defensible space of up to thirty feet from the property line when fuel on the parcel endangers or encroaches on the 100-foot defensible space of any improvement on an adjacent property, and the fire warden may require a greater distance (up to 100 feet) when needed - consistent with California Public Resources Code Section 4291. Any urban parcel two acres or less must have its entire area treated for hazardous vegetation. Vegetation standards include cutting tree stumps no higher than eight inches above ground and keeping weeds and annual grasses no taller than four inches, using methods (mowing, cutting, grazing, trimming) that minimize surface disturbance and prevent erosion. Utility generators and petroleum-product storage must keep a firebreak of at least ten feet in all directions. This supplements the state PRC 4291 defensible-space requirement for structures in the State Responsibility Area. Free defensible-space assistance is available to qualifying owners through the Western Shasta Resource Conservation District, with CAL FIRE and Shasta County Fire.