Yuba County, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)
Key Facts
- Inner clearance
- 30 feet, all flammable vegetation
- Outer clearance
- 100 feet, thinned brush
- Applies in
- Fire Hazard Severity Zones, SRA
- Excludes
- Marysville, Wheatland, staffed fire depts.
- Authority
- Pub. Resources Code § 4291
Summary
Unincorporated Yuba County property owners in Fire Hazard Severity Zones must clear a 30-foot firebreak around buildings and remove burnable vegetation out to 100 feet under Chapter 7.45, enforced by County Code Enforcement.
Maintain around and adjacent to the building or structure a firebreak made by removing and clearing away, for a distance of not less than 30 feet on each side of the building or structure, or to the property line, whichever is nearer, all flammable vegetation or other combustible growth.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 6).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 7.45, Firebreak Maintenance (implementing Public Resources Code § 4291), requires anyone who owns or controls a building on mountainous, forest-, brush-, or grass-covered land within a Fire Hazard Severity Zone in a State Responsibility Area to clear all flammable vegetation for 30 feet around the structure and thin additional brush out to 100 feet, remove tree limbs within ten feet of chimneys, and keep roofs free of dead leaves and needles. Incorporated Marysville and Wheatland are excluded, as are areas served by full-time paid fire departments. Complaints route through the local Volunteer Fire District before County Code Enforcement opens an abatement case.
Violations & Fines
Failure to maintain the required firebreak triggers a complaint to the Volunteer Fire District, then a County Code Enforcement abatement action; penalties follow Title VII Chapter 7.36's general enforcement and abatement procedures.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must I clear brush from my house in unincorporated Yuba County?
Does the firebreak rule apply inside Marysville or Wheatland?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yuba County
California rules heatmap·Compare Yuba County to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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