San Rafael, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

12, adopted by Ordinance 1856 in 2007 and amended by Ordinance 1988 in 2021, set citywide vegetation management standards effective August 1, 2021 inside the mapped Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) and by April 1, 2022 for the rest of the city. 030 defines defensible space as the 100-foot ring around any inhabited structure, garage, workshop or pool house; where a lot line sits closer than 100 feet, the neighboring parcel must complete the remaining footage. Within that ring the code layers three zones. From 30 to 100 feet (subsection A), owners must raise tree crowns to remove growth under 3 inches in diameter up to 5 feet high, cut dry grass to 3 inches, chip or remove dead wood under 3 inches, space combustible shrubs by two to six times their height depending on slope, and clear branches overhanging roadways to 13 feet 6 inches.

From 5 to 30 feet (subsection B), owners must thin vegetation into an effective firebreak, keep chimneys clear for 10 feet, stack woodpiles at least 10 feet from structures, and remove junipers, bamboo, acacia and Italian cypress outright. Inside 5 feet of the structure (subsection C), roofs, gutters, decks and stairways must stay free of leaf litter, nearby vegetation must be irrigated and trimmed off the walls, and vines, ivy and single specimen trees are allowed only if well maintained. Subsection D lets the fire chief grant single-specimen exemptions, including for erosion control.

035 exempts compliance that would destroy a protected bird nest or disturb an active raptor nest or threatened species; both require a written request to the fire chief, whose determination is final. 040 where the two conflict.