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Zone 0: Protect the First Five Feet Around Your Home
California’s Zone 0 regulations are still in development:
California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection issued a news release on April 17, 2026, regarding a new proposed draft of the Zone 0 regulations. The information below summarizes the Board of Forestry’s April 2026 draft proposal. Requirements may change before the regulations are adopted. Fire Safe Marin will update this page as the state rulemaking process continues.
What is Zone 0?
The first five feet around your home, known as Zone 0, can make a major difference during a wildfire. Zone 0 includes everything from 0 to 5 feet out from a building’s exterior walls, deck, fences or attached structures. Self-supporting features located within one foot of the main structure would generally be treated as “attached structures.”
Agencies such as CAL FIRE sometimes refer to it as the “ember-resistant zone” because this is where wind-blown embers most often land during a wildfire and where a home is most likely to ignite if combustible material is present. Wind-blown embers can collect against walls, beneath eaves and decks, in gutters, and among combustible landscaping or stored materials. Reducing fuel in this area helps interrupt the path embers and flames may take to your home.
Fire Safe Marin is in support of the proposed regulations.
While state regulations are still in development, Fire Safe Marin remains committed to sharing science-based best practices and the actions most beneficial to public safety. We strongly recommend that residents follow Zone 0 guidelines now to help protect themselves, their homes, and their neighborhoods.
Who Would Be Included Under the Proposed Regulations?
The proposed regulations would apply to properties located in:
- State Responsibility Areas
- “Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones” within the Local Responsibility Areas
Many unincorporated areas of Marin are within State Responsibility Areas, while incorporated cities and towns are generally Local Responsibility Areas. In Local Responsibility Areas, the proposed Zone 0 requirements would apply only within mapped Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
Whether a specific Marin property would be covered depends on its mapped designation. Property owners should check the state’s current fire-hazard and responsibility-area maps or contact their local fire agency:
How the Proposed Rules Would Work
The April 2026 draft divides Zone 0 into two areas:
- An immediate vegetation-free safety zone beside the building and its most vulnerable features.
- A surrounding low-combustibility area where limited, well-maintained vegetation may be allowed.
This approach differs from earlier proposals that would have restricted nearly all plants throughout the entire five feet.
Keep Combustible Materials Out of Zone 0
Throughout Zone 0, the draft would prohibit combustible materials such as:
- Fallen leaves, needles, twigs, and debris
- Bark, wood chips, and other combustible mulch
- Firewood and stored lumber
- Dead or dying vegetation
- Other materials that could ignite and spread flames
Roofs and rain gutters would also need to remain clear of combustible debris. Areas beneath decks, balconies, pergolas, and stairs would need to be kept free of vegetation and combustible items.
Gravel, rock, pavers, concrete, and similar noncombustible materials are practical options for landscaping near a structure.
Create a Vegetation-Free Safety Zone
The draft would require no plants or vegetation:
- Beneath eaves
- Within at least one foot of an exterior wall
- Between the wall and the outer edge of the eave when the eave extends farther than one foot
- Within two feet of windows, doors, and vents
- Within five feet of attached decks, stairs, and pergolas
For example, a home with a two-foot roof overhang would generally need a two-foot vegetation-free area beneath that eave. Homes with shallower eaves would still need a minimum one-foot buffer. The buffer would not extend beyond the five-foot boundary of Zone 0.
What Plants May Be Allowed?
The draft does not prohibit all plants throughout Zone 0. Outside the required vegetation-free buffers, limited, well-maintained non-woody vegetation may be allowed.
- Lawns and ground covers: Maintained below 3 inches and free of dead or dying material.
- Small plants and flowers: Small plants and flowers: Between 3 and 18 inches tall, grouped in areas no larger than one square foot and separated by at least 1.5 times the height of the tallest plant. Examples may include certain bulbs, annual flowers, low-growing herbaceous plants, and non-thatching succulents.
- Potted plants: No more than 18 inches tall, placed in movable, noncombustible containers of five gallons or less, and separated by at least 1.5 times the height of the plants.
All allowed vegetation would need to remain outside the required buffers around walls, eaves, windows, doors, vents, decks, stairs, and pergolas.
Trees May Remain in Zone 0
Trees would be allowed within Zone 0 when properly maintained and separated from vulnerable parts of the building.
Under the proposed regulations in the April 2026 draft:
- Dead and dying branches must be removed.
- Ladder fuels must be removed from the lower six feet of a large tree or the lower one-third of a smaller tree, whichever is less.
- Live branches must remain at least 10 feet from chimneys and stovepipe outlets.
- Branches must remain at least five feet above roofs and one foot from exterior walls.
- Live branches may not extend beneath eaves.
A defensible-space inspector may also evaluate whether an individual tree presents a significant risk of transmitting fire to the structure.
Fences, Gates, and Outbuildings
Wood fences and gates can carry fire directly to a home. The proposed regulations would require:
- A five-foot noncombustible section where a fence or gate attaches to—or comes within one foot of—a structure
- No new combustible fences or gates within Zone 0
- No combustible fence or gate attached directly to a structure
Repairs to existing combustible fences could continue to use combustible replacement materials. A metal gate or noncombustible fence section can help break the connection between a burning fence and the home.
Under the draft rule text, sheds and other qualifying outbuildings would not be permitted within Zone 0 unless constructed entirely from noncombustible materials.
When Would the Requirements Take Effect?
The regulations have not yet been adopted, so there is currently no effective date and no compliance countdown has begun.
Under the current proposal:
New Buildings and Structures
New buildings and structures would need to meet all Zone 0 requirements once the regulations take effect.
Existing Buildings and Structures
Existing properties would have a phased compliance period:
- Within the first three years: Remove combustible debris, mulch, wood chips, firewood, and similar materials; clear roofs and gutters; remove combustible items beneath decks and stairs; and complete required tree maintenance.
- Within three to five years: Complete the vegetation-free safety buffers and required changes involving plants, fences, gates, sheds, and outbuildings. The specific schedule would be established by the responsible fire authority.
The proposed approach emphasizes education, assistance, and measurable progress over time.
Could Local Requirements Be Different?
In Local Responsibility Areas, the draft would allow local fire agencies to authorize alternative practices based on conditions such as topography, lot size, building density, vegetation, local fire risk, emergency-response resources, and fire-resistant construction.
Alternative practices would need to provide substantially similar fire-safety benefits. Local jurisdictions may also adopt standards that are more protective than the state minimum.
Marin residents should following guidance from their local fire department or fire district. Fire Safe Marin will continue to provide high-quality, science-driven information, educational materials, resources and tips to help residents maximize their wildfire preparedness.
Start Improving Zone 0 Now
You do not need to wait for the regulations to be finalized to begin reducing wildfire risk:
- Clear leaves, needles, and debris from the ground, roof, gutters, and areas beneath decks.
- Move firewood, lumber, and combustible storage away from the home.
- Replace bark or wood-chip mulch nearest the structure with gravel, rock, pavers, or another noncombustible material.
- Remove dead branches and ladder fuels from trees.
- Keep plants away from walls, windows, vents, doors, decks, and areas beneath eaves.
- Begin planning for a noncombustible fence or gate connection where fencing meets the home.
Learn More
- California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Zone 0 Regulatory Committee (includes materials from public workshops)
- Summary of April 2026 Draft Zone 0 Regulations
- Fire Safe Marin’s guidance and information about Defensible Space and the 5 Zones
- CAL FIRE’s Defensible Space information
- CAL FIRE’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps
Webpage Last Updated: July 2026
