Nevada County's Hazardous Vegetation Abatement Ordinance extends California Public Resources Code 4291 by requiring 100 feet of defensible space around structures - measured to the property line if needed - and adds vegetation-management requirements along private roads and emergency-access routes. Inspections are conducted by the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services Defensible Space program.
The local ordinance is built on PRC 4291 (Zone 0: 0-5 ft ember-resistant; Zone 1: 5-30 ft lean/clean; Zone 2: 30-100 ft reduced fuel) but goes further than state law. The County requires defensible space to be achieved to the property line when 100 ft of clearance is not available within a single parcel; neighboring owners share equally in the cost of clearance that takes place across the property line. The ordinance also requires hazardous-vegetation maintenance along private roadways in the unincorporated County, which PRC 4291 does not address. Residents in Grass Valley and Nevada City fall under those cities' vegetation-management codes instead; properties in the Truckee Fire Protection District follow TFPD Ordinance 02-2012 with a point-of-sale inspection requirement (TFPD Ordinance 01-2019). Free inspections are available by request through Nevada County OES Defensible Space (530-470-2727).
Failure to comply triggers a notice to abate; if not corrected, the County may abate at the owner's expense, record a lien against the parcel, and assess administrative penalties. CAL FIRE may also issue PRC 4291 citations carrying fines up to $500 per violation, with each day a separate offense.
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See how Grass Valley's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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