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

Kings County Code Chapter 10, Article II (Sections 10-35 through 10-45) governs abatement of weeds and flammable waste materials. Section 10-35 makes it unlawful for any owner or person in control of real property in the unincorporated area to keep or accumulate flammable waste material so as to constitute a fire hazard to nearby property. Section 10-37 defines 'flammable waste material' to include dry grass, weeds, stubble, brush, rank growths, wood, leaves, wastepaper, boxes, shavings, rubbish, and litter, but it excludes vegetation on grain, grazing, or forest land. Under Section 10-38, when the county fire chief finds dangerous flammable waste material on a property, the chief must give notice to remove it; Section 10-39 sets the manner of notice and Section 10-40 allows an appeal. Section 10-41 makes noncompliance with the notice unlawful, and Sections 10-42 through 10-44 authorize the county to clean the premises itself and assess the costs against the property. Because most of Kings County is flat Central Valley agricultural land at low wildfire risk, the county's standards focus on weed and rubbish abatement rather than the 100-foot defensible-space clearing required in high fire-hazard zones.