Gila County has NO mandatory brush-clearance or vegetation-clearing ordinance — clearing 100 ft of defensible space around your home is voluntary under Arizona DFFM Firewise guidance. Open burning requires an ADEQ permit (ARS §49-501). Payson and other incorporated cities have their own Firewise codes that do NOT apply in unincorporated Gila County.
Gila County's Board of Supervisors has not enacted a mandatory weed-abatement, brush-clearance, or vegetation-clearing ordinance for unincorporated areas. This puts it in the same regulatory gap as Apache and Navajo counties — despite high wildfire risk in Pine, Strawberry, Payson-area, Tonto Basin, and Globe-area communities. The Arizona Department of Forestry & Fire Management's Firewise program recommends maintaining a 30-foot Zone 1 (irrigated, lean, clean, and green) plus a 30–100 foot Zone 2 of thinned, ladder-fuel-reduced vegetation around every home. The Tonto National Forest, which covers most of Gila County, enforces federal fire restrictions including bans on open flame and chainsaw use during Stage I and Stage II periods. Open burning anywhere in Gila County requires an Open Burn Permit from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality under ARS §49-501. Some HOAs and the Pine-Strawberry, Tonto Basin, and Hellsgate Fire Districts have voluntary brush-clearance programs and chipping events.
No county penalty for failing to clear vegetation since there is no county ordinance. ADEQ Open Burn Permit violations carry civil penalties up to $300/day under ARS §49-501. Causing a wildfire by negligence can trigger civil liability for full firefighter suppression costs.
See how Gila County's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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