Scottsdale, AZ Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)
Key Facts
- Base firebreak
- 30 feet around structures
- Extended firebreak
- 30 to 100 feet if fire code official orders it
- Chimney tree clearance
- remove limbs within 10 feet of outlet
- Roadway clearance
- 10 feet on each side of hazardous-area roads
- Non-compliance remedy
- city abates and liens the property
Summary
In Scottsdale's hazardous fire areas, anyone owning, leasing, or controlling a building or adjacent land must keep a 30-foot firebreak clear of flammable vegetation around it at all times. The fire code official can widen that zone to 100 feet on extra-hazardous lots, and unresponsive owners face city-ordered clearing billed back as a property lien.
O116.1 General. Persons owning, leasing, controlling, operating or maintaining buildings or structures in, upon or adjoining hazardous fire areas, and persons owning, leasing or controlling land adjacent to such buildings or structures, shall at all times: 1.Maintain an effective firebreak by removing and clearing away flammable vegetation and combustible growth from areas within 30 feet (9144 mm) of such buildings or structures. ... 2.Maintain additional fire protection or firebreak by removing brush, flammable vegetation and combustible growth located from areas within 30 feet to 100 feet (9144 mm to 30 480 mm) from such buildings or structures, when required by fire code official because of extra-hazardous conditions causing a firebreak of only 30 feet (9144 mm) to be insufficient to provide reasonable fire safety. ... 3.Remove portions of trees which extend within 10 feet (3048 mm) of the outlet of a chimney.4.Maintain trees adjacent to or overhanging a building free of deadwood; and5.Maintain the roof of a structure free of leaves, needles, or other dead vegetative growth.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
1 sets the baseline: owners, lessees, and controllers of structures in or adjoining a hazardous fire area, plus owners of adjacent land, must clear flammable vegetation and combustible growth within 30 feet of the building at all times, with an exception for single ornamental trees, shrubs, or ground-cover plants that will not readily carry fire to the structure. 1(2) extends the clearing requirement out to 100 feet. The same section requires removing tree limbs within 10 feet of a chimney outlet, keeping overhanging trees free of deadwood, and keeping roofs clear of leaves, needles, and other dead vegetation; grass under 18 inches tall more than 30 feet out can stay if it is stabilizing soil.
2 gives the executive body authority to direct the fire code official to notify an owner to correct a violation, and if the owner fails to act, the city may perform the clearing itself and place a lien on the property for the cost. 1, lets the fire code official clear flammable vegetation within 10 feet on each side of hazardous-fire-area roadways and private streets used for vehicular traffic, entering private property if necessary, subject to the same single-specimen and cultivated-ground-cover exception.
Violations & Fines
Letting flammable vegetation build up inside the 30-foot firebreak (or the wider 30-to-100-foot zone once the fire code official orders it) triggers a correction notice to the owner under Section O116.2. If the owner does not clear it, the city can do the work and record a lien against the property for the cost of the abatement. Beyond the lien remedy, an uncorrected violation is also a Class 1 misdemeanor under the city's general penalty, Scottsdale Code § 1-8, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much brush clearance does Scottsdale require around a home in a hazardous fire area?
Can the city require clearance beyond 30 feet?
What happens if I ignore a brush clearance notice?
Does Scottsdale clear brush along roads in these areas too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Scottsdale
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Brush Clearance in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle brush clearance.