California Adopts Weaker Home Protection Rules as Wildfires Grow

• California has adopted new wildfire-defense regulations requiring homeowners in high-risk areas to clear vegetation within five feet of their homes.
• The rules are less stringent than initially proposed, allowing lawns, flowers, and maintained trees within the five-foot zone.
• The regulations will apply immediately to new construction and be phased in for existing structures.
• The new rules are intended to reduce residential structure loss and strengthen community wildfire resilience.
• More than 57,000 homes and buildings have been destroyed in California in the last decade.

California regulators have approved new, albeit less stringent, rules designed to protect homes from wildfires by requiring homeowners in high-risk areas to establish an ember-resistant perimeter. The regulations, mandated by a 2020 state law, require residents to clear vegetation and combustible materials within five feet of their dwellings, an area known as Zone Zero. This measure aims to nearly double a home's chance of survival during a wildfire, according to scientific recommendations.

The California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection's vote on Wednesday followed years of debate and delays. The initial proposals were more restrictive, aiming to limit all vegetation within five feet of a house, with exceptions for well-maintained trees. However, this faced pushback from communities concerned about the loss of greenery and maintenance costs.

The final compromise allows lawns, flowers, and non-woody plants up to 18 inches tall, provided they are not directly under the roofline. Branches of trees must be trimmed five feet away from a structure. These rules will be implemented immediately for new construction and phased in for existing homes, impacting approximately 2 million residences in wildfire-prone zones.

State officials stated that the rules acknowledge the increasing severity of wildfires, partly attributed to climate change. Over the past decade, more than 57,000 homes and buildings in California have been destroyed. The regulations are part of a broader wildfire resilience strategy to reduce fire spread and protect structures by minimizing easily ignitable materials in the critical five-foot zone where wind-blown embers can accumulate and ignite buildings.