Where we work: all nine Bay Area counties

California rules that apply everywhere we work

• Defensible space. State law requires 100 feet of defensible space around homes in the State’s own responsibility areas and in the very high fire hazard zones that cities designate; your town’s fire agency says which rule applies to your address. Grass must be trimmed. (Public Resources Code 4291; Government Code 51182.)
• Zone 0, the first five feet. The State’s Board of Forestry has adopted a rule for the first five feet around a home; it is not in force yet, and no start date has been set. When it is, it will say what may and may not sit in that strip, with exceptions for low plants, lawns and small pots. We will update this page.
• Selling a home in a fire zone. The State’s sale rule, Civil Code 1102.19, asks the seller to give the buyer documentation on defensible-space compliance where it applies; many fire districts run an inspection for it.
• Your fire hazard zone. The State Fire Marshal’s map lookup shows your zone; your city may keep its own map. The official zone lookup.
• Insurance. The Board of Forestry’s own brochure says homes in a listed Fire Risk Reduction Community “may see a discount on insurance costs”. The State’s “Safer from Wildfires” insurance rules require insurers to take such a community into account in their rating plans. No amount is promised here.