Contra Costa County, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)
Key Facts
- Clearance distance
- 100 feet (PRC 4291)
- Zone 0 ember zone
- 0 to 5 ft non-combustible (AB 3074)
- Grass height in Zone 2
- Max 4 inches
- Inspection
- Annual by ConFire in WUI/VHFHSZ
- Non-compliance
- Abatement, lien, $100 to $500 penalties
Summary
Properties in State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones across unincorporated Contra Costa must maintain 100 feet of defensible space under Public Resources Code 4291. ConFire conducts annual inspections in the WUI, and non-compliance can trigger abatement, liens, and fines starting at $100 and escalating to misdemeanor charges.
(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. This subparagraph does not apply to single specimens of trees or other vegetation that are well-pruned and maintained so as to effectively manage fuels and not form a means of rapidly transmitting fire from other nearby vegetation to a structure or from a structure to other nearby vegetation or to interrupt the advance of embers toward a 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.
(2) Remove that portion of a tree that extends within 10 feet of the outlet of a chimney or stovepipe.
(3) Maintain a tree, shrub, or other plant adjacent to or overhanging a building free of dead or dying wood.
(4) Maintain the roof of a structure free of leaves, needles, or other vegetative materials.
Full Breakdown
Public Resources Code 4291 and California Government Code 51182 require any person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains an occupied dwelling or structure in or adjacent to an SRA or VHFHSZ to maintain 100 feet of defensible space. Zone 0 (ember-resistant zone, 0–5 feet from structures) is now required under AB 3074 and regulations adopted by the State Board of Forestry: no combustible mulch, plants, fences, or stored items touching the home. Zone 1 (5–30 feet) requires lean, clean, and green: remove dead vegetation, space shrubs, trim tree limbs 10 feet from chimneys and 6 feet from the ground.
Zone 2 (30–100 feet) requires reduced fuel: grass cut to 4 inches, horizontal and vertical shrub spacing, dead material removed. ConFire conducts mandatory annual exterior hazard inspections in designated hazardous fire areas covering Mount Diablo foothills, Lamorinda ridgelines, Morgan Territory, and the Kensington/El Sobrante hills. Non-compliance notices give 30 days to correct; failure to comply leads to contractor abatement with costs placed as a lien on the property plus administrative penalties of $100 to $500. Violations during fire season may be prosecuted as misdemeanors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PRC 4291 apply to renters?
Are oak trees protected when I clear defensible space?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Contra Costa County
California rules heatmap·Compare Contra Costa County to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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