Keep your property lean and green to help protect your family and home 

Creating defensible space is essential to improve your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire. It’s the buffer you create between a building on your property and the grass, trees, shrubs, or any wildland area that surround it. This space is needed to slow or stop the spread of wildfire and it protects your home from catching fire—either from direct flame contact or radiant heat. Defensible space is also important for the protection of the firefighters defending your home.

Defensible Space Zones  

Zone Zero: Make the First Five Feet Closest to your Home Ember-Resistant 

• Use hardscape like gravel, pavers, or concrete. No combustible bark or mulch.
• Remove all dead and dying plants, weeds, and debris (leaves, needles, etc.) from your roof, gutter, deck, porch, stairways, and under any areas of your home. 
• Remove all branches within 10 feet of any chimney or stovepipe outlet. 
• Limit combustible items (like outdoor furniture and planters) on top of decks. 
• Relocate firewood and lumber to Zone 2. 
• Replace combustible fencing, gates, and arbors attached to the home with noncombustible alternatives. 
• Consider relocating garbage and recycling containers outside this zone. 
• Consider relocating boats, RVs, vehicles, and other combustible items outside this zone. 

 Zone One: Keep it Lean, Clean & Green Within 30 Feet 

• Remove all dead plants, grass, and weeds. 
• Remove dead or dry leaves and pine needles. 
• Trim trees regularly to keep branches a minimum of 10 feet from other trees. 
• Create a separation between trees, shrubs, and items that could catch fire, such as patio furniture, wood piles, swing sets, etc. 

Zone Two: Reduce Fuels Within 100 Feet of Your Home 

Continue reducing potential fuel within 100 feet or the property line. 100 feet of defensible space is required by law. Public Resources Code (PRC) 4291 

• Cut or mow annual grass down to a maximum height of four inches. 
• Create horizontal space between shrubs and trees. (See diagram) 
• Create vertical space between grass, shrubs and trees. (See diagram) 
• Remove fallen leaves, needles, twigs, bark, cones, and small branches. However, they may be permitted to a depth of three inches. 
• Keep 10 feet of clearance around exposed wood piles, down to bare mineral soil, in all directions. 
• Clear areas around outbuildings and propane tanks. Keep 10 feet of clearance to bare mineral soil and no flammable vegetation for an additional 10 feet around their exterior.

Request a Defensible Space Survey

Each year, Wildland Specialists with Montecito Fire Protection District conduct approximately 200 Defensible Space Surveys with private property owners.

Our Wildland Specialists can help you harden your home now, before a fire starts by recommending ember-resistant building materials and proper landscaping techniques.

The surveys focus on vegetated or landscaped zones around structures, the structures themselves, access to the property and the existing topography in the area. 

The Wildland Specialist will walk the entire property with the homeowner, document the entire inspection, and provide the homeowner with a Defensible Space Survey Report documenting follow-up work if needed to achieve a defensible space for their home.

To schedule a complimentary Defensible Space Survey, please contact fill out the contact form below.