Victorville, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)
Key Facts
- State authority
- CA H and S 14875-14922 and PRC 4291
- Defensible space
- 100 feet near VHFHSZ
- Tumbleweeds
- Specifically cited as fuel
- Abatement fees
- Billed to owner plus admin cost
- Enforcement
- Code Enforcement (760) 955-5104
Summary
Victorville requires owners to keep lots free of dry weeds, brush, tumbleweeds, and rubbish under VMC nuisance rules and CA H and S 14875. High Desert parcels near hills require 100-foot defensible space under PRC 4291.
(a) A person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains a building or structure in the state responsibility area shall at all times do all of the following:
(1) (A) Maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, but not beyond the property line, except as provided in subparagraph (B). The amount of fuel modification necessary shall consider the flammability of the structure as affected by building material, building standards, location, and type of vegetation. Fuels shall be maintained and spaced in a condition so that a wildfire would be unlikely to ignite the structure. This subparagraph does not apply to single specimens of trees or other vegetation that are well-pruned and maintained so as to effectively manage fuels and not form a means of rapidly transmitting fire from other nearby vegetation to a structure or from a structure to other nearby vegetation or to interrupt the advance of embers toward a structure. The intensity of fuels management may vary within the 100-foot perimeter of the structure, with more intense fuel reductions being utilized between 5 and 30 feet around the structure, and an ember-resistant zone being required within 5 feet of the structure, based on regulations promulgated by the board, in consultation with the department, to consider the elimination of materials in the ember-resistant zone that would likely be ignited by embers.
(2) Remove that portion of a tree that extends within 10 feet of the outlet of a chimney or stovepipe.
(3) Maintain a tree, shrub, or other plant adjacent to or overhanging a building free of dead or dying wood.
(4) Maintain the roof of a structure free of leaves, needles, or other vegetative materials.
Full Breakdown
Victorville Municipal Code public nuisance chapters, together with California Health and Safety Code 14875 through 14922 and the California Fire Code as adopted through VMC Title 15, require owners of occupied and vacant parcels to keep property free of dry weeds, grass over a set height, dead brush, tumbleweeds, rubbish, and other fire fuel. Tumbleweeds (Russian thistle) are a specific High Desert hazard: they dry, break off, and roll into yards and against structures, creating a continuous fuel bed. Victorville Code Enforcement conducts annual weed abatement inspections each spring with notices typically issued in April and May and a 15 to 30 day compliance window.
On the east and north foothill fringe where properties border San Bernardino County Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones mapped by CAL FIRE, California Public Resources Code 4291 applies: owners must maintain 100 feet of defensible space with a 30-foot lean, clean, and green zone immediately around structures and an outer 70-foot reduced-fuel zone. 5.
Violations & Fines
Notice to abate with a 15 to 30 day compliance deadline, followed by city contractor abatement billed to the owner plus administrative fees, recorded as a lien on the tax roll if unpaid. Repeat violators face escalating citations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need 100-foot defensible space in Victorville?
Who handles tumbleweeds that blow in from a neighbor's vacant lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Victorville
California rules heatmap·Compare Victorville to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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Brush Clearance in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle brush clearance.