Property owners in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) of Yolo County (largely the western foothills around Capay Valley, Esparto, Rumsey, Brooks, Guinda, and the hills above Winters) must maintain 100 feet of defensible space around any structure under California Public Resources Code Section 4291. The space is split into Zone 0 (0-5 ft, ember-resistant), Zone 1 (5-30 ft, lean and clean), and Zone 2 (30-100 ft, reduced fuel). Cal Fire and the local fire protection district inspect for compliance.
Yolo County is largely flat farmland in its eastern half, but the western edge contains substantial chaparral and oak-woodland fire country - the Capay Valley, the Blue Ridge above Winters and Lake Berryessa, and the foothills around Esparto, Guinda, Rumsey, and Brooks. These areas are designated State Responsibility Area (SRA), with Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ) ranging from Moderate to Very High. PRC Section 4291 requires the owner of any building or structure in or adjacent to the SRA to maintain 100 feet of defensible space. Cal Fire's implementation breaks the 100 feet into three zones: Zone 0 (0-5 feet from the structure) must be the most rigorously hardened - no combustible mulch, no flammable plants, ember-resistant surfaces; Zone 1 (5-30 feet) is the 'lean, clean, and green' zone with mowed grass under 4 inches, well-spaced shrubs, and branches at least 6 feet off the ground; Zone 2 (30-100 feet) is the 'reduced fuel' zone with horizontal and vertical spacing between trees and shrubs sufficient to interrupt fire spread. Local fire protection districts (Capay Valley FPD, Esparto FPD, Yocha Dehe FD, Springlake, Madison-Esparto, West Plainfield, Zamora, and others) may impose additional clearance requirements during high fire-weather periods and conduct inspections in coordination with Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit. Yolo County also enforces weed abatement on parcels that pose a fire or nuisance risk under the County Code.
Failure to maintain defensible space under PRC 4291 can result in a Cal Fire Notice of Violation requiring compliance within a stated period. Continued non-compliance can lead to citations of $100 for a first violation, $500 for a second within 12 months, and up to $1,500 for a third, with criminal misdemeanor exposure for willful violations. If a fire originates on a non-compliant parcel, the property owner can be held liable for suppression costs under Health & Safety Code Sec. 13009.
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