Stanislaus County, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 16.55.070, Stanislaus County Fire Code
- Plowed option
- Minimum 3-foot-wide plowed boundary strip
- Cleared option
- Minimum 6-foot-wide cleared boundary strip
- Highway adjoiner
- May clear the near half of the highway instead
- Applies to
- Standing wheat, oats, barley, hay, or similar vegetation
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000/6 months, or $250-$500 infraction
Summary
In unincorporated Stanislaus County, anyone who occupies or controls land with standing wheat, oats, barley, hay or other vegetation that has turned flammable must maintain a boundary fire break under Section 16.55.070: a plowed strip at least three feet wide, or a cleared strip at least six feet wide, along every line where the property adjoins similarly flammable land.
Every person...having control of any land within the county outside of incorporated cities and towns, upon which there has been sown, or is standing, growing, or grown, any wheat, oats, barley, hay or other vegetation of any kind whatsoever, which...has become inflammable and in such a condition as to be easily set on fire...shall maintain on every portion of the boundary of the land where the land adjoins other land upon which there is standing, growing, or being any wheat, oats, barley, hay or other vegetation...an effective fire protection or fire break, to be made by plowing along the boundary a strip of the land not less than three feet in width, or by the removal of all inflammable matter from a strip of the land not less than six feet in width along the boundary...; provided that when the land adjoins a highway, the fire break may be made by removing all inflammable matter from the half of the highway next to the land.
Full Breakdown
070 of the Stanislaus County Code, titled 'Fire breaks,' requires anyone possessing, occupying or controlling land outside incorporated cities and towns, where wheat, oats, barley, hay or other vegetation has been sown or is standing, growing or grown and has become inflammable, to maintain an effective fire break along every boundary that adjoins similarly flammable land. The break can be made either by plowing a strip not less than three feet wide along the boundary, or, if made some other way, by removing all inflammable matter from a strip not less than six feet wide.
Where the parcel adjoins a public highway instead of another flammable parcel, the landowner may instead clear inflammable matter from the half of the highway nearest their land. The duty runs at all times during the season when the crop or hay is inflammable and easily set on fire, meaning it applies through the dry summer and harvest months rather than year-round. 090 (requiring spark arrestors on gas or diesel harvesting machinery), together forming the county's standing set of agricultural fire-prevention duties for cropland in the unincorporated area.
Because the obligation is written to landowners and occupants of cropland rather than to residential parcels, it functions as the closest analog Stanislaus County's code offers to a brush-clearance mandate for rural property, though it is triggered by standing grain and hay rather than wildland brush.
Violations & Fines
Fire-break violations fall under the general Chapter 16.55 penalty in Section 16.55.040(B): a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and up to six months in county jail, or, at the district attorney's discretion, an infraction carrying up to $250 for a first conviction and up to $500 for any later conviction within a year. The county fire warden may enter the property under Section 16.55.260 to check whether the required plowed or cleared strip is in place.
Frequently Asked Questions
How wide does a fire break have to be on farmland in unincorporated Stanislaus County?
Does the fire-break rule apply if my field borders a public road instead of another farm?
When during the year is the fire-break requirement in effect?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stanislaus County
California rules heatmap·Compare Stanislaus County to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.