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Backyard with gravel strip, spaced shrubs and trees limbed up — defensible space
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Defensible Space in California: What It Includes, Laws & Costs (2026)

755 contractors 58 counties

Do you need a licensed contractor for this?

It depends

Hand clearing of brush, grass and ladder-fuel shrubs needs no license.

Ask for a license (C‑49, C‑27) when the job includes removing trees, pruning trees 15 ft or taller, stump grinding, or grading with a dozer/tractor (A, C‑12, C‑27).

Details and sources

This is a hint for when to ask, not legal advice.

B&P Code §7026.1 · CSLB license classifications

Pick your county

  1. Los Angeles101
  2. Nevada82
  3. Sonoma68
  4. Placer57
  5. El Dorado55
  6. Marin50
  7. San Diego45
  8. Butte42
  9. Contra Costa32
San Bernardino County · 16 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 93% of US countiesInyo County · 2 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 74% of US countiesKern County · 9 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 95% of US countiesRiverside County · 30 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesSiskiyou County · 8 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 98% of US countiesFresno County · 4 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 91% of US countiesTulare County · 4 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 95% of US countiesLassen County · 5 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 97% of US countiesImperial County · 4 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 37% of US countiesSan Diego County · 45 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesModoc County · 3 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 91% of US countiesLos Angeles County · 101 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesShasta County · 31 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesHumboldt County · 13 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 84% of US countiesMendocino County · 24 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 95% of US countiesSan Luis Obispo County · 11 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 98% of US countiesMonterey County · 15 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesTrinity County · 4 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesMono County · 3 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 92% of US countiesTehama County · 19 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesSanta Barbara County · 17 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 97% of US countiesPlumas County · 9 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 98% of US countiesTuolumne County · 19 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesMadera County · 5 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 94% of US countiesMerced County · 4 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 88% of US countiesVentura County · 17 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 96% of US countiesEl Dorado County · 55 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesButte County · 42 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 95% of US countiesSonoma County · 68 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 89% of US countiesStanislaus County · 6 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 92% of US countiesPlacer County · 57 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 98% of US countiesMariposa County · 4 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 98% of US countiesSan Joaquin County · 4 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 84% of US countiesKings County · 1 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 77% of US countiesSan Benito County · 3 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesLake County · 10 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesGlenn County · 6 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 96% of US countiesSanta Clara County · 26 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 97% of US countiesColusa County · 2 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 98% of US countiesCalaveras County · 20 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesDel Norte County · 1 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 95% of US countiesYolo County · 4 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 92% of US countiesSacramento County · 18 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 77% of US countiesNevada County · 82 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesSierra County · 5 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesSolano County · 4 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 87% of US countiesOrange County · 25 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesNapa County · 28 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 95% of US countiesContra Costa County · 32 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 92% of US countiesAlameda County · 24 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 97% of US countiesAlpine County · 3 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 95% of US countiesYuba County · 6 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 99% of US countiesSutter County · 4 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 79% of US countiesAmador County · 15 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 98% of US countiesMarin County · 50 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 87% of US countiesSan Mateo County · 13 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 72% of US countiesSanta Cruz County · 23 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 79% of US countiesSan Francisco County · 3 defensible space contractors · wildfire risk to homes higher than 54% of US counties
Wildfire risk to homesvs. other CA counties · USDA Forest Service
  1. Lower
  3. Moderate
  5. Highest
Number on a county — defensible space contractors listed there
All 58 counties

What the work includes

Side view of a house with defensible space: a bare gravel strip against the wall, a green lawn with a tree trimmed back from the roof and chimney and two spaced low shrubs, mowed dry grass with two limbed-up pines spaced apart and a pile of wood chips, and untouched dense brush beyond
  • Zone 0 · 0–5 ftBare or non-combustibleStill in rulemaking
  • Zone 1 · 0–30 ftLean
  • Zone 2 · 30–100 ftReduced
  1. Removing dead plants, grass and weeds within 100 feet of structures
  2. Thinning and spacing shrubs and tree crowns to break up continuous fuel
  3. Clearing branches away from the roof and chimney
  4. Zone-by-zone fuel reduction: bare or non-combustible Zone 0, lean Zone 1, reduced Zone 2
  5. Chipping or hauling away the cleared material

Side view · illustration, not to scale

What it costs

What moves the price

  • Lot size
  • Slope
  • How overgrown
  • Annual maintenance of a compliant lotA fraction of it
  • First-time clearance of neglected acreageCan run into the thousands
  • Quoted after a site visit or photos — exact bids over the phone are rare

What the law requires

  • PRC 4291 100 ft Defensible space around any structure in a fire hazard area, or to the property line Defensible space inspections
  • AB-38 At sale Sellers in High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones must document compliance AB-38 at home sale
  • Zone 0 0–5 ft Ember-resistant standard for the first 5 feet around homes Still in rulemaking Zone 0
Defensible space: laws and costs

Defensible space is the buffer of managed vegetation around a building that slows an approaching wildfire and gives firefighters room to work. California Public Resources Code 4291 requires 100 feet of defensible space around structures in fire hazard areas, organized into Zone 1 (0–30 ft) and Zone 2 (30–100 ft); a new ember-resistant Zone 0 (0–5 ft) standard is still in state rulemaking.

California laws that require it

PRC 4291 is the core requirement: 100 feet of defensible space (or to the property line) around any structure in a fire hazard area. AB-38 makes it bite at sale time — the seller of a home in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone must provide documentation of defensible space compliance. A pending Zone 0 rule — still in state rulemaking — would add an ember-resistant standard for the first 5 feet around homes on all State Responsibility Area land, plus locally designated Very High zones on local responsibility land.

Related guides: AB-38 at home sale · Defensible space inspections · Zone 0 · Wildfire Prepared Home · 2026 wildfire laws

What it costs

Price depends on lot size, slope and how overgrown the parcel is. Annual maintenance of an already-compliant lot is a fraction of a first-time clearance of neglected acreage, which can run into the thousands. Nearly all contractors quote after a site visit or photos — exact bids over the phone are rare.