---
title: California's Zone 0 Rule for the Five Feet Around Your House Is Still Not in Effect
description: What California's Zone 0 draft would make you clear within five feet of your house, the phased deadlines, and why IBHS says to remove every plant.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-10-27T13:17:04.917Z
updated: 2026-10-27T13:17:04.930Z
canonical: https://richdadmagazine.com/article/california-zone-0-rule-still-not-in-effect
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-a-man-in-a-red-jacket-operates-a-leaf-blower-in-an-autumn-ba-9620215.jpg
categories: Home and Garden
content_type: News
region: California
publication: Rich Dad Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

California's Zone 0 rule, which would control what homeowners in the state's wildfire areas can keep within five feet of the house, is still not in effect. The Board of Forestry and Fire Protection [approved the final draft](https://wildfiretaskforce.org/california-board-of-forestry-approves-first-in-the-nation-zone-0-defensible-space-regulations/) on Aug. 19 and on Aug. 28 sent it to the Office of Administrative Law, which has to approve and file the regulations before they can take effect. In September the board pulled the package back.

[MySafe:LA](https://www.wildfirela.org/2026/09/11/zone-0-regulations-withdrawn-from-oal-review-what-happens-next/), a Los Angeles wildfire safety group that assesses homes in the field, reported that information from the board describes the withdrawal as procedural, to deal with technical edits and questions before the package is resubmitted. The board has given no timetable for resubmission and has indicated that another public comment period is likely. On Oct. 23, MySafe:LA reported that state officials were still working to finalize the requirements. The state's Form 399 economic analysis put the average homeowner's cost of compliance at about $960; MySafe:LA believes the average could exceed $2,500 per property.

## Zone 0 Would Cover the Whole State Responsibility Area and Very High Hazard Zones in Local Areas

Under the version the board approved in August, Zone 0 covers the ground within five feet of a home's exterior walls, roof, attached deck, stairs or pergola, or up to the property line if that is closer. It would apply throughout the State Responsibility Area, whatever a parcel's hazard class, and in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones inside Local Responsibility Areas.

Fire agencies in Local Responsibility Areas could pass their own version by ordinance, but only if it has "substantially similar practical effects." They could not suspend or weaken Zone 0, and they could make it stricter.

## Mulch, Firewood and Plants Near Windows and Vents Would Have to Go

The [Sonoma Valley Fire District's summary of the draft](https://www.sonomavalleyfire.org/new-zone-0-wildfire-safety-rules-what-homeowners-need-to-know) lists what could not stay in the five feet around a house: bark, wood chips and other combustible mulch, fallen leaves, needles and debris, firewood, and dead or dying plants. Nothing combustible could be stored beneath a deck, balcony, stairs or pergola.

Plants of any kind would be barred under the eaves, within at least a foot of an exterior wall that has no eave, within two feet of windows, doors and vents, and within five feet of an attached deck, stairs or pergola.

New combustible fences and gates would not be allowed within five feet. A fence or gate attached to the house, or within a foot of it, would need a five-foot noncombustible section starting where it meets the house. A shed smaller than 120 square feet could sit in Zone 0 only if it is made entirely of noncombustible materials. Trees could stay if their owners keep dead branches cut out, live branches at least 10 feet from the chimney and at least five feet above the roof, and no live branches beneath the eaves.

## Lawns, Low Ground Covers and Small Potted Plants Would Still Be Allowed

Outside those plant-free strips, some greenery would be permitted, provided it is well maintained, non-woody and free of dead material. Under the draft, that means lawns and ground covers under three inches tall, and non-woody plants between three and 18 inches tall in patches no larger than one square foot. Plants would need spacing of at least one and a half times the height of the tallest plant. Potted plants up to 18 inches tall would be allowed in noncombustible containers of five gallons or less that are not fixed in place.

## Gutter and Firewood Rules Already Apply, and the New Zone 0 Work Would Phase In Over Three to Five Years

Best Best & Krieger, a law firm advising cities and districts, says keeping roofs and gutters clear, keeping firewood out of Zone 0, removing dead or dying branches and keeping chimney clearance are requirements already found in prior law, and they would apply to existing houses from the day Zone 0 takes effect. Within three years, owners of existing houses would have to remove mulch, wood chips, dead leaves and other combustible materials, take out dead and dying plants, clear the space under decks, stairs and pergolas, and deal with ladder fuels and tree clearances. Plant-free buffers, bringing plantings into line with the allowed standard, and changes to fences, gates and outbuildings would come within about three to five years, on a timeline that local jurisdictions would set.

Under state law, the Zone 0 requirements for new homes would wait until the board updates and posts its fuels-management guidance, which it has up to a year to do. The statutes also start the Zone 0 clock for existing structures three years after the new-structure date, so the law firm tells local agencies to confirm the final filing and the updated guidance before calculating enforceable deadlines. The Sonoma Valley Fire District also notes that the requirements and effective dates in the August version may still change.

## IBHS Says the Whole Five Feet Should Be Free of Plants and Combustibles

The California Fire Chiefs Association's Fire Marshal Section and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) are planning a live-fire demonstration in which two structures will face controlled wildfire conditions side by side. One will have key elements of IBHS's voluntary Wildfire Prepared Home standard, including a five-foot noncombustible zone; the other will have common weak points that give embers, flames and radiant heat a way to ignite the house. The two groups have not said when or where the burn will take place. In earlier full-scale burns, IBHS found that a house is [most vulnerable at its deck and in the first five feet](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/wildfire-testing-deck-joists-zone-0-house-survival) around it.

IBHS supports the board's focus on the first five feet, but its Wildfire Prepared Home standard requires that space to be free of all combustible materials and vegetation, where the board would permit some qualifying, maintained vegetation in parts of Zone 0.

"California's proposed Zone 0 regulation is an important step forward," said Anne Cope, chief engineer at IBHS. "Our research supports keeping the entire first five feet free of combustible materials and vegetation, while also addressing vulnerabilities in the roof, vents, and other building components."

[IBHS says](https://ibhs.org/wildfire/noncombustible-zone0-minimizing-pathways-to-home-ignition/) that "laboratory testing and post-fire investigations have consistently shown that removing all combustible materials from this 5-foot zone is the most effective defensible space action homeowners can take to reduce the risk of home ignition." With no plants, mulch, wood fences or outdoor furniture against the house, "embers have little to ignite," the institute says.

A homeowner who wants to meet the IBHS standard can apply for its Wildfire Prepared Home designation: he does the work himself from the program's checklist, pays a nonrefundable application fee and submits photos, and a third-party evaluator then inspects the house in person.

## FAQ

**Q: How do I check whether my house is covered by Zone 0?**
Look up your address in the state's Fire Hazard Severity Zone lookup tool, which the Sonoma Valley Fire District points homeowners to. In a Local Responsibility Area, only a Very High zone is covered; homes in Moderate or High zones there are not.

**Q: Can I repair my existing wood fence with wood?**
Yes. The draft lets owners repair an existing combustible fence with combustible materials. The ban applies to new combustible fences and gates within five feet of the house.

**Q: Does a neighbor's new ADU make my Zone 0 bigger?**
No. Under the draft, a new structure on a neighboring property, including an accessory dwelling unit, does not expand another owner's defensible space obligation.

**Q: Is there an exemption for a house with a fully noncombustible exterior?**
In a Local Responsibility Area, Government Code section 51183 allows an exemption for a structure with an entirely nonflammable exterior, but the owner has to give written consent to an inspection of the interior.