{"id":7329,"date":"2026-08-20T20:09:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T20:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329"},"modified":"2026-08-20T20:09:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T20:09:39","slug":"new-california-zone-0-rules-require-fire-safe-buffers-around-high-risk-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329","title":{"rendered":"New California \u2018Zone 0\u2019 rules require fire-safe buffers around high-risk homes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

California homeowners in designated high-risk fire areas will have to clear vegetation and other combustible material from around their homes, then make more extensive landscaping and structural changes over the next five years under regulations approved unanimously Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Read more Anti-transgender protest before Valkyries\u2019 game draws sparse crowd<\/a><\/p>\n

The rules come after years of delay and fractious debates over affordability, landscaping and fire risk. The proposal passed by the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection still needs a state review that officials said would be completed between Sept. 2 and Sept. 7. A five-day public-comment period is to follow before the rules go into effect. <\/p>\n

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council CEO Seth Schalet said the regulations could become effective by the end of September.<\/p>\n

Wildfire experts in recent years have highlighted the dangers of wind-driven embers that can travel great distances and ignite flammable materials on and around homes. State legislators voted for the creation of the regulations more than five years ago as California was reeling from massive wildfires in 2020 that razed thousands of homes and killed 31 people. Lawmakers required the creation of an \u201cember-resistant\u201d area, known as Zone 0, immediately around homes.<\/p>\n

But the rule-making process has been plagued by delays and public uproar over costs of compliance and potential loss of valued landscape vegetation, trees and amenities.<\/p>\n

The proposal passed by the Board of Forestry applies to homeowners living in rural areas under state responsibility, and residents of \u201cvery high fire hazard severity areas\u201d in local-responsibility areas, including much of the Berkeley and Oakland hills.<\/p>\n

\u201cChange is never easy,\u201d board chairman Terry O\u2019Brien said before the vote Wednesday. \u201cMany believe the regulations are too draconian, and others believe that we have not gone far enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fines would start at $100, but local fire agencies are expected to have discretion over penalties.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe emphasis on the part of all the fire professionals will be on education and working with the public to implement the regulations,\u201d O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n

It was not immediately clear what appeal process might apply to fines and authorities\u2019 compliance decisions.<\/p>\n

While the goal of the rules is to reduce fire risk to houses, it\u2019s unclear if compliance will reduce home insurance costs, which have skyrocketed in some areas. Schalet called that \u201cthe $64,000 question.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no unified way that insurance companies deal with this,\u201d Schalet said. \u201cYou may find that you are in full compliance with Zone 0 and an insurance company can still un-renew you or deny you for multiple other reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Officials hope the five-year implementation window helps property owners prepare for the rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is to give homeowners time, resources, and guidance to make changes effectively and affordably,\u201d the board said in a summary of the proposed regulations, which come as climate change has made large wildfires in California more frequent. <\/p>\n

Dave Lefkowith, president of Los Angeles community group the Mandeville Canyon Association, said the regulations would force millions of Californians to pay thousands of dollars each, resulting in billions of dollars in costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cImposing this unsupportable financial burden over 3 to 5 years makes it no more palatable,\u201d Lefkowith said.<\/p>\n

Read more Preseason all-Bay Area News Group high school football 2026: Quarterbacks<\/a><\/p>\n

In the first three years, combustible materials like firewood, dead leaves, branches, mulch and wood chips would have to be cleared 5 feet around homes. Trees would need trimming, gutters would need cleaning, and dead or dying plants would have to be removed.<\/p>\n

Within five years \u2014 with local jurisdictions setting specific timelines \u2014 homeowners would have to clear all vegetation from within a foot of a home, or out to the edge of the drip line under eaves if that\u2019s a greater distance. Plants would also have to be cleared from within 2 feet of windows, doors and vents, and from within 5 feet of attached decks and similar features.<\/p>\n

Outside those buffers, but within the 5 feet, \u201cwell-maintained\u201d herbaceous plants like begonias, bulbs and petunias would be allowed in spaced groupings, along with low ground covers like creeping thyme and mosses. Grass would have to be maintained and mowed. Potted plants would have to be easily moveable, spaced apart, and no taller than 1 1\/2 feet.<\/p>\n

Fences attached to a home would have to include, within five years, a 5-foot section of non-flammable material closest to the home. Sheds and outbuildings within 5 feet would require non-combustible exterior roofs and walls.<\/p>\n

Existing trees could stay in Zone 0, but within three years branches would have to be trimmed to be 5 or more feet above roofs and kept clear of eaves. Limbs would have to be cut from the bottom 6 feet for large trees, or from the lower third of smaller trees, whichever is less. No new trees would be allowed within 5 feet of homes after the regulations became active. Branches within 10 feet of chimneys would have to be removed.<\/p>\n

Local fire agencies could make exceptions based on factors including fire risk, fire-response resources, evacuation routes, and fire-hardening of homes, but variations would require approval by city councils or county supervisors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve built in flexibility so that local experts can tailor solutions unique to their individual communities while maintaining meaningful fire safety standards,\u201d O\u2019Brien said in a statement after the vote.<\/p>\n

Homes built after the regulations go into effect would have to comply immediately.<\/p>\n

Todd Lando, president of Fire Safe Marin and a battalion chief in the Central Marin Fire Department, told the board before the vote that he had wanted regulations banning all combustible material within 5 feet of homes. But he supported the board\u2019s proposal. Rules need to be passed now for Zone 0 areas because of fire risk to California communities, he said.<\/p>\n

For local fire inspectors enforcing the regulations, \u201ca clean Zone 0 is a five-minute inspection,\u201d Lando said. However, allowing some flammable material in the zone means inspectors have to make judgment calls, and \u201cevery judgment call is a dispute waiting to happen and every dispute lessens compliance and increases risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

The regulations would put a heavy burden on fire agencies already charged with regularly inspecting properties in fire-risk areas, Schalet said. \u201cHow are they going to get the manpower for this?\u201d Schalet said.<\/p>\n

Calling in to the board\u2019s meeting, Steve Hawks, senior director for wildfire at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, a research group funded by the property insurance industry, said the proposed rules were \u201cmeaningful progress toward reducing home ignition risk.\u201d But, he added, \u201cHomeowners and local jurisdictions should be encouraged to go further.\u201d<\/p>\n

The board\u2019s vote came six years after California enacted Assembly Bill 3074 to create a Zone 0, with rules supposed to come by 2023. In early 2025, Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to delays by ordering the board to produce proposed rules by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cResearch continues to demonstrate that during a wildfire, homes and buildings are extremely vulnerable to the embers that accumulate within the first 5 feet,\u201d California State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said in a statement Wednesday. \u201cWe all have a role to play in protecting lives, homes, and the firefighters who rush in to defend them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more 3 Bay Area high schools make California\u2019s top 10 in U.S. News rankings<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

State legislators voted to create the regulations more than five years ago as California was reeling from massive wildfires in 2020 that razed thousands of homes and killed 31 people, requiring an “ember-resistant” zone, known as Zone 0, near homes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNew California \u2018Zone 0\u2019 rules require fire-safe buffers around high-risk homes - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New California \u2018Zone 0\u2019 rules require fire-safe buffers around high-risk homes - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"State legislators voted to create the regulations more than five years ago as California was reeling from massive wildfires in 2020 that razed thousands of homes and killed 31 people, requiring an "ember-resistant" zone, known as Zone 0, near homes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-20T20:09:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"New California \u2018Zone 0\u2019 rules require fire-safe buffers around high-risk homes\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-20T20:09:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329\"},\"wordCount\":1197,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/fb46556ba0ad1c70106b2c1e42c3e344.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329\",\"name\":\"New California \u2018Zone 0\u2019 rules require fire-safe buffers around high-risk homes - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/fb46556ba0ad1c70106b2c1e42c3e344.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-20T20:09:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/fb46556ba0ad1c70106b2c1e42c3e344.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/fb46556ba0ad1c70106b2c1e42c3e344.webp\",\"width\":1569,\"height\":1046},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7329#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"New California \u2018Zone 0\u2019 rules require fire-safe buffers around high-risk homes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New California \u2018Zone 0\u2019 rules require fire-safe buffers around high-risk homes - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"New California \u2018Zone 0\u2019 rules require fire-safe buffers around high-risk homes - Next City Digest","og_description":"State legislators voted to create the regulations more than five years ago as California was reeling from massive wildfires in 2020 that razed thousands of homes and killed 31 people, requiring an \"ember-resistant\" zone, known as Zone 0, near homes.","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-08-20T20:09:39+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"New California \u2018Zone 0\u2019 rules require fire-safe buffers around high-risk homes","datePublished":"2026-08-20T20:09:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329"},"wordCount":1197,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fb46556ba0ad1c70106b2c1e42c3e344.webp","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329","name":"New California \u2018Zone 0\u2019 rules require fire-safe buffers around high-risk homes - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fb46556ba0ad1c70106b2c1e42c3e344.webp","datePublished":"2026-08-20T20:09:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fb46556ba0ad1c70106b2c1e42c3e344.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fb46556ba0ad1c70106b2c1e42c3e344.webp","width":1569,"height":1046},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7329#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"New California \u2018Zone 0\u2019 rules require fire-safe buffers around high-risk homes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7329\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}