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

California Public Resources Code 4291 and local fire codes require owners of improved parcels to maintain 100 feet of defensible space around all structures. Placer County's Hazardous Vegetation and Combustible Material Abatement ordinance — Placer County Code Section 9.32, Part 4, effective May 21, 2020 — governs abatement of hazardous vegetation and combustible material on both vacant and improved parcels in the unincorporated county. The ordinance was created to help owners keep 100 feet of cleared space around homes to prevent structure ignition during a wildfire. It extends the duty to owners of unimproved parcels (lots without a dwelling or basic services), requiring them to abate vegetation within 100 feet of a neighboring structure or along roadways the county fire warden determines are essential to safe ingress and egress. The ordinance also authorizes fire officials to require abatement beyond the standard 100-foot distance in extraordinary high-hazard circumstances. Defensible-space standards are most stringent in High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones across the foothills and Tahoe Basin; CAL FIRE guidance at ReadyForWildfire.org details the zone-based clearance methods.