Defensible space

Vegetation management out to 100 feet around the home.

Your mitigation work may qualify you for wildfire discounts on your premium, but they aren't applied automatically. See How to Get Your Discounts

Where it fits

This is one of the 12 measures in California's Safer from Wildfires regulation, 10 CCR 2644.9, under the immediate surroundings category, which covers the ground and plants around the building.

Fire safe landscaping, in plain terms

When homeowners search for fire safe landscaping, defensible space is usually what they mean. It starts with the landscaping next to the house: the five feet closest to your walls, called Zone 0, kept free of flammable plants, mulch, and stored items. From there, the plants and ground cover farther out are thinned, spaced, and pruned so fire cannot climb from the ground into the trees or across to the building.

Fire safe plants still burn, so the measure is about placement and upkeep more than plant choice: low, well-watered, widely spaced plants near the structure, and no dense shrubs under windows or against siding. A contractor who does this work will clear, thin, and regrade what is already there before talking about what to replant.

What it may be worth

Completing this measure may qualify you for a discount on the wildfire portion of your policy. The CA FAIR Plan schedule caps at 16.4% off the wildfire portion of a Dwelling Fire policy for all 12 measures combined, and your carrier sets the actual number. Ask your carrier what documentation they want before the work starts, and keep dated photos and invoices.

Who does the work

Licensed California contractors and suppliers handle this. Search by ZIP to see who serves your area.

Your mitigation work may qualify you for wildfire discounts on your premium, but they aren't applied automatically. See How to Get Your Discounts

Wondering how a carrier will treat this once it is done? Talk to a licensed California agent.