Orange County, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

California Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 4291 requires a property owner to maintain defensible space around buildings and structures in or adjacent to mountainous, forest-covered, brush-covered, or grass-covered land. The clearance requirement extends up to 100 feet from each structure (but not beyond the property line). CAL FIRE and the Board of Forestry divide this defensible space into three zones: Zone 0, the 0-to-5-foot 'ember-resistant zone' immediately around the structure, where combustible vegetation, woodchips, bark, and combustible mulch are to be removed; Zone 1, from 5 to 30 feet, where dead plants, grass, and weeds are cleared and tree/shrub spacing is managed; and Zone 2, from 30 to 100 feet, where grass is kept low and ladder fuels are reduced. OCFA, which provides fire protection to all unincorporated Orange County, administers vegetation-management and defensible-space inspections in OC's Fire Hazard Severity Zones, including the high-risk canyon communities of Silverado, Modjeska, and Trabuco. When a property in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is sold, California Civil Code Section 1102.19 requires a Defensible Space Disclosure documenting compliance with PRC 4291 or applicable local vegetation ordinances. OCFA offers an inspection-request map for properties in its mapped high-hazard areas.