Norwalk, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing statute
- Cal. Public Resources Code § 4291
- Applies to
- Structures in State Responsibility Areas
- Defensible space required
- 100 feet from the structure
- Chimney clearance
- Remove tree limbs within 10 ft
- Roof duty
- Free of leaves, needles, debris
- Enforcement tool
- Removal order plus property lien
Summary
California Public Resources Code Section 4291 requires anyone who owns or controls a building in a State Responsibility Area to trim vegetation into a 100-foot defensible space, cut back tree limbs within 10 feet of a chimney, and keep overhanging trees and roofs free of dead wood and debris. It is the statewide fuel-clearance law Norwalk properties in mapped wildland areas must follow.
(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... Fuels shall be maintained and spaced in a condition so that a wildfire would be unlikely to ignite the structure... For purposes of this subparagraph, "fuel" means any combustible material, including petroleum-based products, cultivated landscape plants, grasses, and weeds, and wildland vegetation. (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. (b) A person is not required under this section to manage fuels on land if that person does not have the legal right to manage fuels, nor is a person required to enter upon or to alter property owned by any other person without the consent of the owner.
Full Breakdown
Section 4291 sits in the Public Resources Code chapter governing mountainous, forest-, brush- and grass-covered lands, and it applies to a person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains a building or structure within a State Responsibility Area. The core duty in subdivision (a)(1)(A) is to maintain 100 feet of defensible space around the structure, not extending past the property line, with fuel modification intensity varying by distance: heavier clearance is required between 5 and 30 feet from the structure, and an ember-resistant zone applies within 5 feet, under standards the State Board of Forestry sets.
The statute defines fuel broadly to include cultivated landscape plants, grasses, weeds and wildland vegetation, but exempts single, well-pruned specimen trees that do not transmit fire between vegetation and the structure. Beyond the 100-foot perimeter duty, subdivision (a)(2) requires removing any part of a tree within 10 feet of a chimney or stovepipe outlet, subdivision (a)(3) requires keeping trees, shrubs or plants adjacent to or overhanging a building free of dead or dying wood, and subdivision (a)(4) requires keeping the roof free of leaves, needles or other vegetative debris.
Subdivision (b) exempts a person from managing fuels on land they have no legal right to alter or enter without the owner's consent. New construction and rebuilds in covered areas must obtain a local building official's certification of compliance with applicable state and local building standards before and after construction. The State Fire Marshal may exempt fire-resistant structures by regulation under subdivision (c), and may itself order noncompliant vegetation removed and lien the property for the cost under subdivision (d).
Violations & Fines
The State Fire Marshal or local fire agency may order removal of vegetation not meeting Section 4291's standards and can make the cost of that removal a lien against the property under subdivision (d), following the same lien procedure available to a legislative body under Government Code Section 51186. The statute directs the State Fire Marshal to make reasonable efforts to notify affected residents of amended requirements before imposing penalties for noncompliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does California's 100-foot defensible space law apply everywhere in Norwalk?
How close to my chimney do tree limbs have to be cleared under state law?
Am I required to clear vegetation on my neighbor's property under this law?
What happens if I don't clear vegetation as required by Section 4291?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Norwalk
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