Wildfire protection
Illustration: how cleared, well-kept defensible space can protect a hillside home when a wildfire burns the slope around it.
Defensible space and home hardening for Marin homes. California expects homeowners in fire hazard areas to keep the ground around their houses lean and clear, and Marin's wildfire prevention inspectors check it. We clear, thin and rebuild to the state and county rules, working with our partner Joe Elliott of Elliott Land Management, and we can work straight from your fire department's inspection report.
Typical: clearing and thinning to 100 feet, an ember-resistant first five feet, ember-resistant vents, and the fixes from a fire inspection report.
What California and Marin ask of homeowners
100 feet of defensible space
California law requires owners of homes in State Responsibility Areas, which cover most of unincorporated Marin, and in locally mapped Very High fire hazard zones to keep 100 feet of defensible space around the house, though not beyond the property line. Fuel reduction is most intense in the first 30 feet.
The first five feet ("Zone 0")
State law calls for an ember-resistant zone within five feet of the house. The Board of Forestry is still finalizing those rules: they are not in force yet, and the final schedule for existing homes is not set. Marin County Fire and Fire Safe Marin already recommend keeping the first five feet free of anything that can burn.
Selling your home
Since July 1, 2021, a seller in a High or Very High fire hazard zone must give the buyer documentation that the property meets the defensible space rules. Without it, the buyer must agree in writing to get it within one year of closing.
Building or remodeling
New homes and major remodels in high fire hazard areas are built to the state's wildland-urban interface standards: fire-resistant roofing and siding, ember-resistant vents and more. For 2025 the state moved these rules from the Building Code into its own Wildland-Urban Interface Code.
Dates to know
- All year, every year. Where the 100-foot rule applies, the law says defensible space must be kept "at all times", so clearing is yearly upkeep, not a one-time job.
- Since July 1, 2021. Selling in a High or Very High fire hazard zone means giving the buyer defensible space documentation, or a written agreement that the buyer gets it within one year of closing.
- Zone 0: no start date yet. The Board of Forestry withdrew its emergency Zone 0 rules from state review on September 8, 2026, and had not sent them back when we checked on October 21, 2026.
- Once a year, Firewise neighborhoods. Firewise USA sites renew with the NFPA each year by reporting their work, including volunteer hours and vegetation removed.
Why now
A five-foot rule is on the way.
The state has been drafting its Zone 0 rules since the Governor ordered them in 2025. No start date is set yet. Clearing the first five feet now is what Marin fire agencies already recommend, and it gets the work done on your schedule.
Selling within the next few years?
In a High or Very High zone, the seller owes the buyer defensible space documentation. Fixing the list before the inspection is easier than during escrow.
The wet season is the easy season.
Clearing, limbing and hardening done in winter and spring is finished before the grass dries out.
The three zones around your house
Zone 0, 0 to 5 feet
Nothing that burns: no plants, bark mulch, firewood or piles of leaves against the house. Stone or gravel instead of wood mulch, and clean roofs and gutters.
Zone 1, 5 to 30 feet
Lean, clean and green: dead plants and dry grass removed, shrubs and trees spaced apart, branches trimmed up off the ground and back from the roof and chimney.
Zone 2, 30 to 100 feet
Less fuel: grass cut short, brush thinned, and room between trees and shrubs so a fire cannot climb or spread.
Zones as CAL FIRE and Marin County Fire describe them. Your fire agency's inspection report is what counts for your property.
What we do
- Working through the list on your fire department or Marin Wildfire inspection report, item by item
- Clearing, thinning and hauling away brush, dead plants and dry grass
- Limbing trees up from the ground and back from the roof and chimney
- Hardscape for the first five feet: bark mulch and plantings against the house replaced with stone, gravel or pavers
- Landscape beyond the first five feet: plants spaced apart and kept low, as the county's zone guidance describes
- Swapping wood gates and fence sections that touch the house for non-combustible ones
- Decks repaired or rebuilt with fire-resistant materials
- Home hardening: ember-resistant vents, gutter work, and siding and windows rebuilt with fire-resistant materials
- Firewise work for neighborhoods: the clearing and hauling on your Firewise USA site's action plan
- Yearly upkeep, so the clearance does not grow back
We plan and run the job with Joe Elliott of Elliott Land Management, our partner for hardscape, landscape, drainage, retaining walls, decks and Firewise work.
Water is the other half of a Marin hillside. See stormwater drainage.
Free help from Marin agencies
- Free home evaluations. The Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority and local fire departments offer free defensible space and home hardening evaluations, with a written report of what to fix.
- Chipper Days. Marin Wildfire runs free curbside chipping of cut vegetation; sign up online first.
- Firewise USA neighborhoods. Fire Safe Marin counts about 93 Firewise USA sites in the county. Neighbors assess their risk together, keep an action plan, and each year put in the equivalent of one volunteer hour per home.
Questions
Is "Zone 0" the law yet?
Not yet. State law calls for it, but the Board of Forestry's rules for the first five feet are still being finalized and have no start date. Clearing the first five feet is still what Marin's fire agencies recommend today, and it is the cheapest place to start.
Can you work from my inspection report?
Yes. Send us your fire department inspection or Marin Wildfire evaluation report and we will price the work item by item.
Does the 100-foot rule apply to my house?
It depends on where you live. Look up your address on CAL FIRE's fire hazard severity zone map, or ask your fire agency. Marin County advises every homeowner to keep 100 feet of defensible space either way.
I am selling my house. Can you help?
Yes. If your home is in a High or Very High zone, the seller owes the buyer defensible space documentation, usually from an inspection by your fire agency. If it is not ready by closing, the buyer can agree in writing to get it within a year. We can do the clearing and fixes before the inspection.
Sources
- Public Resources Code 4291 (defensible space in State Responsibility Areas)
- Government Code 51182 (Very High fire hazard zones in cities and towns)
- Fire Safe Marin: Zone 0 regulations in Marin
- Board of Forestry: Defensible space Zones 0, 1 and 2 (Zone 0 rule status)
- CAL FIRE: Defensible space zones
- Civil Code 1102.19 (defensible space documents at sale)
- CAL FIRE: Fire hazard severity zones and map
- Building Standards Commission: 2025 code changes (wildland-urban interface rules moved to their own code)
- Marin County Fire: Create defensible space on your property
- Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority: Defensible space evaluations
- Fire Safe Marin: Firewise USA in Marin
- NFPA: Become a Firewise USA site (yearly renewal)
- Office of Administrative Law: Recent actions on emergency regulations (Zone 0 withdrawn September 8, 2026)
General information, checked in October 2026, not legal advice. Rules depend on your address and change over time; your fire agency has the final word on your property.
What clients say
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