Moreno Valley, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)
Key Facts
- Defensible Space
- PRC 4291 requires 100 ft defensible space in VHFHSZ
- Zone 1
- Zone 1: 0-30 ft lean, clean, and green
- Zone 2
- Zone 2: 30-100 ft thinned and separated
- Ember Zone
- AB 38 adds 0-5 ft ember-resistant zone
- Enforcement
- Forced abatement costs become a tax lien
Summary
PRC 4291 requires 100 feet of defensible space around homes in very high fire zones. Riverside County Fire inspects annually; non-compliance can lien.
(a) A person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains a building or structure in the state responsibility area shall at all times do all of the following: (1) (A) Maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, but not beyond the property line, except as provided in subparagraph (B). The amount of fuel modification necessary shall consider the flammability of the structure as affected by building material, building standards, location, and type of vegetation. Fuels shall be maintained and spaced in a condition so that a wildfire would be unlikely to ignite the structure. [...] The intensity of fuels management may vary within the 100-foot perimeter of the structure, with more intense fuel reductions being utilized between 5 and 30 feet around the structure, and an ember-resistant zone being required within 5 feet of the structure, based on regulations promulgated by the board, in consultation with the department, to consider the elimination of materials in the ember-resistant zone that would likely be ignited by embers. [...] For purposes of this subparagraph, "fuel" means any combustible material, including petroleum-based products, cultivated landscape plants, grasses, and weeds, and wildland vegetation. (B) A greater distance than that required under subparagraph (A) may be required by state law, local ordinance, rule, or regulation. Fuel modification beyond the property line may only be required by state law, local ordinance, rule, or regulation in order to maintain 100 feet of defensible space from a structure.
Full Breakdown
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every Moreno Valley home need 100 feet of clearance?
Who inspects for brush clearance?
What happens if I ignore a clearance notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Moreno Valley
California rules heatmap·Compare Moreno Valley to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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Brush Clearance in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle brush clearance.