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

Defensible space is the buffer of cleared, maintained vegetation between a structure and the wildland fuels around it. In unincorporated Ventura County, the VCFPD enforces clearance requirements drawn from California Public Resources Code §4291 and Government Code §51182, requiring property owners to keep their parcels free of fire hazards and nuisance vegetation year-round. The standard is 100 ft of clearance around structures (or to the property line if closer), and the county notes its requirements are more restrictive than state law, with inspectors evaluating the full 100-ft zone around all structures. Specific maintenance standards include trimming tree branches back 3 ft from the roof and eaves and 10 ft from a chimney or stovepipe; limbing up trees within 100 ft of the home 6 ft off the ground (or one-third the tree height, whichever is less); cutting grasses to a maximum 3-inch stubble; and removing dead vegetation and attached climbing vegetation such as ivy. ('Zone Zero,' the 0–5 ft ember-resistant zone, is under state review and is not yet required or enforced.) Under VCFPD Ordinance 34, Section 617 (effective January 1, 2026), sellers of residential property in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone within VCFPD boundaries must obtain a defensible-space inspection and provide the buyer documentation of compliance. Inspections are scheduled within about 7–10 days, currently carry no inspection fee, and corrections must be completed within 30 days of notice or before escrow closes, whichever comes first.