On Thursday, August 19, the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection approved the final draft of Zone 0 defensible space regulations, which was directed by legislation including Assembly Bill 3074 (2020), Senate Bill 504 (2024), Assembly Bill 1455 (2025), and Governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order N-18-25 in 2025.
The approved policy includes a phased-in implementation approach that prioritizes education and outreach over a 5-year period. While Zone 0 requirements will apply to new construction upon adoption of the regulation, existing homes and structures can implement actions in phases over time within different areas of Zone 0:
PHASE 1 (Implemented within the first 3 years): Includes removing combustible items such as firewood, dead leaves and branches, mulch, and wood chips within 5 feet of the structure. Cleaning gutters, removing dead and dying plants, trimming trees according to regulations, and implementing or adjusting for allowable vegetation during this period.
PHASE 2 (Implemented within 5 years): Local jurisdictions will assign a timeline, within 5 years of the effective date of the regulations, for the creation of an under-eave safety zone, replacing combustible gates, and making any necessary adjustments to sheds and fencing.
The policy applies to homes only in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Local Responsibility Areas (LRA).
At a high level, the policy involves two distinct areas within the first five feet of a structure:
- A low-combustibility zone extending out from an area immediately next to the home, or the area under eaves, to the remaining portion of the five feet that comprises Zone 0—or roughly an area of four feet depending on a structure’s eave size.
- A non-combustible immediate “safety zone” directly next to the home and under eaves. This zone width flexes with the width of the eave. For example, if the structure has one-foot eaves, the safety zone is one foot in width. If the structure has two-foot eaves, the safety zone is two feet in width.
Before becoming law, the adopted regulation package will be submitted to the Office of Administrative Law for review before being officially approved and published by the California Secretary of State. During this review, a five-day public comment period will be provided. Information on the final rule package can be accessed HERE.
A summary sheet and final draft regulation including example images is available HERE. An explainer video outlining the final adopted regulation is available HERE.
For additional information, contact RCRC Senior Policy Advocate Staci Heaton.