Moreno Valley, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

PRC 4291 applies to improved parcels in state-responsibility areas and very high fire hazard severity zones (VHFHSZ), which in Moreno Valley include the Box Springs Mountain foothills and the eastern Badlands edge. Owners must create two zones of defensible space. Zone 1 (0-30 feet from any structure) must be lean, clean, and green: no dead plants, no flammable mulch against the wall, grass kept under 3 inches, tree canopies at least 10 feet from the chimney, no firewood or combustibles within 30 feet of the home. Zone 2 (30-100 feet) must be thinned: tree canopies separated horizontally, ladder fuels removed, dead and dying vegetation cut. AB 38 (effective since 2021) adds a 0-5 foot ember-resistant zone that prohibits combustible material against the house; this rule is phased in through Cal Fire and the State Fire Marshal but is already best practice. Riverside County Fire, which provides fire service to Moreno Valley, conducts annual inspections typically starting April-May. A first notice gives 30 days to comply. Continued non-compliance triggers a forced abatement where a contractor clears the property at the owner's expense, with the cost added to the property tax roll as a lien. Homes that sell in a VHFHSZ must also disclose defensible space status under AB 38 escrow requirements.