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

Defensible space is mandatory in unincorporated Nevada County. California Public Resources Code 4291 requires up to 100 feet of defensible space around buildings (but not beyond the property line), with the most intense fuel reduction closest to the structure. Nevada County adopted Article 7 of the County Code - the Hazardous Vegetation and Combustible Material Abatement Ordinance (Sec. G-IV 7.1 et seq., adopted by Ordinance No. 2463) - which the county says extends and supplements PRC 4291, applying the same treatment requirements to parcels adjacent to improved parcels and along emergency access/evacuation routes. The ordinance declares hazardous vegetation and combustible materials within 100 feet of a structure (or along primary ingress/egress roads) a public nuisance (Sec. G-IV 7.4). Owners must maintain 100 feet of defensible space on each side and front/rear of a structure; keep weeds and grasses cut to 4 inches or lower; remove ladder fuels and dead/dying wood; clear roof and gutters of needles and leaves; and remove tree limbs within 10 feet of a chimney. Along roadways serving as primary ingress/egress, owners must maintain a 10-foot strip beyond the road shoulder cleared to a 15-foot vertical height (Sec. G-IV 7.4.C). Inspections and enforcement are handled by CAL FIRE, local fire districts, and county officials.