The new outdoor space at this Portola Valley home incorporates a heritage oak in the design and includes a deck made of fire-resistant planks. Photo courtesy Jean Bai.
For residents living in areas of high wildfire risk on the Peninsula, landscaping is no longer just about creating a lush, private yard. California is moving to require wildfire-safe landscaping for thousands of homeowners, turning long-standing recommendations for defensible space into rules that will be phased in over the next several years.
The new rules will require some homeowners to remove or manage vegetation and other combustible materials close to their homes, forcing them to rethink how they create privacy and usable outdoor space.
The rules will affect hundreds of homes on the Midpeninsula. More than 130 Palo Alto homes, for example, are in the city’s very-high fire severity zone and Wildland-Urban Interface area. In Los Altos Hills, approximately 507 parcels are in the town’s very-high fire severity zone, according to town documents. In the Woodside Fire Protection District, which serves roughly 25,000 residents of Redwood City’s Emerald Hills, Portola Valley, Woodside and Ladera, about 150 to 200 parcels fall into very-high fire severity zones.
What the Zone 0 rules require
California’s Zone 0 rules establish an ember-resistant area extending 5 feet from a structure. The requirements apply in the State Responsibility Area and in very-high fire hazard severity zones in local responsibility areas.
For existing structures, the requirements are being phased in to give homeowners time to make changes. New construction will have to meet the requirements immediately.
Within the first 5 feet, the rules generally require homeowners to:
- Remove or manage combustible vegetation and materials that could allow windblown embers to ignite a structure.
- Keep the area clear of combustible debris, including accumulated leaves and needles.
- Manage vegetation near potential ember entry points, including windows, doors and vents.
- Use noncombustible materials where vegetation or combustible materials are removed, subject to the rules’ specific requirements and exceptions.
- Follow specific requirements for vegetation that remains in Zone 0, including limits on plant height, spacing and certain types of containers.
Note: The state rules include exceptions and specific requirements for certain vegetation and materials, and different requirements will take effect at different times.
The new requirements focus on Zone 0, the first 5 feet around a home, where homeowners will need to remove or manage combustible vegetation and materials that could allow windblown embers to ignite a structure.
For homeowners in these areas, the changes raise a practical question: How do you make a landscape safer from fire without turning your yard into a barren ring of gravel and concrete?
Rethinking the landscape
Local landscape designers and fire officials say the answer is not necessarily to give up attractive landscaping, privacy or outdoor living. Instead, homeowners can rethink what they plant, where they plant it and which materials they use closest to their homes.
The new Zone 0 requirements, approved by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection in August, apply in the State Responsibility Area, where CAL FIRE has primary responsibility for wildfire protection, and in very-high fire hazard severity zones in local responsibility areas. For existing homes, the requirements will be phased in over three- and five-year periods, while new construction must comply immediately. The defensible space regulations are the first of their kind in the nation
Lisa Parramore, an outdoor-living designer with Harrell Design + Build in Mountain View, has already been helping homeowners in Los Altos Hills, Woodside and Hillsborough prepare for the changes.
Fire-smart case study| Embarcadero Media | designed by Linda TaaffeWhen she talks with homeowners about fire-safe landscaping, she said, the conversation often comes down to finding alternatives to vegetation and other materials that create fire risks while preserving the way people want to use their yards.
That can include finding new ways to create privacy.
“When I was standing at a client’s house recently in Portola Valley, we were looking across the road, and she just looked at a house and said, ‘I couldn’t see that house before,’ but they’ve had to clear the trees around the immediate vicinity of the house, and now she can,” Parramore said. “That’s a tiny loss of privacy.”
Decorative, nonflammable privacy screens can offer one alternative, she said.
The devastating wildfires of recent years served as a wake-up call that fire safety needs to be taken seriously, Parramore said. Insurance companies are taking note, too, with some canceling homeowners’ policies or using drones to inspect properties for branches and foliage touching homes.
What homeowners can do
Parramore said homeowners are asking how they can create more fire-resistant landscapes without giving up privacy, shade or outdoor living space. One approach is to replace vegetation that creates a fire risk with noncombustible features.
Decorative metal privacy screens, for example, can provide separation from neighboring properties without relying on dense vegetation. Hardscape such as gravel, stone and concrete can also be used strategically around the home.
How to create a fire-smart Zone 0
From ground cover to privacy screens, homeowners have options for making the first 5 feet around a home more fire-resistant.
- Keep some greenery: Potted plants can bring foliage closer to the house if they meet the state’s requirements for containers, size and placement.
- Choose noncombustible ground cover: Replace wood chips, bark and dried mulch with gravel, decorative rock, pavers, decomposed granite or bare earth.
- Rethink fencing: If fencing needs to be removed from the first 5 feet, a metal screen or partition can provide privacy without combustible material.
- Prune vegetation: Trim low branches and shrubs so vegetation doesn’t touch siding, sit beneath windows or extend under roof overhangs.
- Clear under decks: Remove leaves, debris and stored items from beneath elevated decks, porches and exterior stairs.
- Protect vents: Install ember-resistant vents or cover existing vents with 1/8-inch metal wire mesh.
Potted plants can provide another way to keep some greenery close to the house. The new rules allow certain potted plants within the 5-foot zone, provided they meet requirements for the type and size of container, plant height and placement.
Parramore said the goal isn’t necessarily to remove all landscaping, but to be more selective about what remains closest to the house. Plants that are particularly flammable or that can accumulate dry leaves and other debris may need to be removed or relocated, while trees and other plants farther from the structure can remain.
In May, Parramore’s company held a workshop on hillside living that included examples of home-hardening projects in Portola Valley and Los Altos Hills. She said fire-hardening solutions are available at different price points and don’t always require homeowners to replace everything at once.
Fire safety isn’t just a concern for homeowners in the highest-risk zones, said Brett Poole, co-founder of BRP Enterprises, which offers home-hardening services to homeowners in the Bay Area. Poole, a former firefighter, cautioned homeowners against assuming they don’t need to take fire precautions simply because they don’t live in very-high fire severity zones.
“It really should pertain to all homes because even if there’s a residential fire in the neighborhood, sparks from that neighborhood house that’s on fire can come and do the same thing, whether it’s a wildfire or not,” Poole said.
How local officials are implementing the rules
Seth Schalet, CEO of Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, which supports the Santa Clara Fire Department, is fielding questions from residents, including whether the state or county will help pay for Zone 0 changes. The fire council is seeking grants that could help homeowners cover some of the costs, he said.
“Anytime you ask a homeowner to endure regulated changes, and there’s a cost to that, people that are on fixed income or that are lower income, they may have challenges paying for it,” he said. “The first thing to remember is you don’t have to do this all at once. It (Zone 0) will have a significant impact when it’s implemented at scale.
“We don’t need a half a dozen homes to do this. We don’t need 20 homes to do this. We need as many homes as possible throughout a community to do this. … A lot of people don’t think we live in high-risk areas, but the truth is there are parts of Santa Clara County that are very-high risk. … Take precautions now, and rest easy at night.”
The Palo Alto Fire Department already conducts annual defensible-space inspections, manages hazardous fuels and clears vegetation along evacuation corridors, including Page Mill Road and Arastradero Road, according to acting Fire Marshal David Villarreal.
More than 130 Palo Alto homes are in the very-high fire severity zone and Wildland-Urban Interface area, primarily in the Palo Alto Hills and near Foothills Nature Preserve and Pearson-Arastradero Preserve, Villarreal said. The city also has building codes for new construction and significant remodels in the foothills.
The Woodside Fire Protection District has already implemented Zone 0 rules for its residents. Its 2024 ordinance applies to all home types, including those outside very-high fire severity zones. About 150 to 200 parcels in the district are in very-high fire severity zones, according to Fire Marshal Kim Giuliacci.
Giuliacci recommends homeowners start with vegetation, particularly more flammable plants such as rosemary, bamboo and acacia. The district has been inspecting Woodside homes for compliance and plans to begin inspections in Portola Valley in early 2027, according to the town of Portola Valley website.
“We educate people that fire season is year-round,” Giuliacci said. “Some of our most destructive fires have happened outside of the fire season months.”
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