Santa Maria, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

California Public Resources Code section 4291 requires owners of property in or adjoining a State Responsibility Area (SRA) or designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone in a Local Responsibility Area (LRA) to maintain defensible space of at least 100 feet from each structure or to the property line. Santa Maria is an incorporated city, so its territory is an LRA - PRC 4291 applies only to parcels CAL FIRE has mapped within a Moderate, High, or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone in the LRA. CAL FIRE released updated LRA FHSZ maps in 2025; the Office of the State Fire Marshal hosts an address-search viewer for property owners to verify their zone. Within designated zones, Zone 0 (0-5 feet) must be 'ember-resistant' with no combustibles touching the structure, Zone 1 (5-30 feet) is 'lean, clean and green,' and Zone 2 (30-100 feet) is 'reduced fuel.' For most Santa Maria parcels in the urban core, no PRC 4291 clearance is required, but the Fire Chief retains nuisance authority under Santa Maria Municipal Code section 9-28.040 to order weed abatement when vegetation creates a fire hazard.