- Home
- Tuolumne County
Wildfire Mitigation Contractors in Tuolumne County, CA
Tuolumne County in 30 secondsContractors, local rules, where to get help
19 wildfire mitigation contractors are listed for Tuolumne County, 10 with a clear CSLB license.
- Fire hazard zones
- Look up your address
CAL FIRE's updated State Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zone map for Tuolumne County took effect April 1, 2024, and the State Fire Marshal then began rating Local Responsibility Areas as Moderate, High, or Very High. The county's Fire Hazard Severity Zones page links the county map and CAL FIRE's FHSZ resources for checking a property.
- Defensible space rules
- Source
Chapter 8.14 (Ordinance 3428, 2022) requires owners in the unincorporated county to keep hazardous vegetation off driveways, roadways, and road easements they control, with 15 feet of overhead clearance above the road surface and a 10-foot reduced fuel zone from the road edge. Vacant lots must maintain a reduced fuel zone on any part of the parcel within 100 feet of a building on an adjacent parcel. In a reduced fuel zone, annual grass is cut to 4 inches, leaf and needle litter is kept to 3 inches deep, dead plants are removed, shrubs and trees are spaced horizontally and vertically, and wood piles and propane tanks get 10 feet of clearance to bare soil. Healthy mature trees, crops, and marketable timber don't have to be removed, and slopes over 30% and stream channels are exempt. The Fire Prevention Division enforces it through the county's Chapter 1.10 code compliance process.
- Chipping
- Source
The Tuolumne Fire Safe Council's grant-funded Defensible Space for Low-income Seniors and Disabled Residents project clears defensible space up to 100 feet around the primary home at no cost for eligible residents, including removing green waste. The council's page says current approved applications exceed available funds, so it is not accepting new applications for now.
- Fire Safe Council
- Tuolumne Fire Safe Council
More
Tuolumne County's Hazardous Vegetation Management Ordinance (County Code Chapter 8.14) goes beyond state defensible space law. It applies to every parcel in the unincorporated county and is enforced by the Tuolumne County Fire Department's Fire Prevention Division, which began inspections in summer 2024. CAL FIRE's State Responsibility Area hazard map for the county took effect April 1, 2024. Contractors below are ranked by public Google rating.
Services in Tuolumne County
More in Tuolumne County 9
Serving all of California 8
Also on record 2
-
Nate's Tree Service
-
TMC Construction & Tree Service
Defensible space rules in Tuolumne County
Fire hazard zones in Tuolumne County
CAL FIRE’s updated SRA Fire Hazard Severity Zone map for the county took effect April 1, 2024. In late 2024, the State Fire Marshal told the county it was starting to classify Local Responsibility Areas as Moderate, High, or Very High as well. The county’s Fire Hazard Severity Zones page links the county map and CAL FIRE’s FHSZ resources, where you can check a specific parcel.
Local rules and deadlines
The county’s Hazardous Vegetation Management Ordinance (Chapter 8.14, adopted 2022) applies to every parcel in the unincorporated county, outside the City of Sonora. Owners must keep driveways, roads, and road easements they control clear, with 15 feet of overhead clearance and a 10-foot reduced fuel zone from the road edge. Vacant lots must keep a reduced fuel zone within 100 feet of a neighbor’s building. In practice that means grass mowed to 4 inches, litter no deeper than 3 inches, dead plants removed, spacing between shrubs and trees, and 10 feet of bare soil around wood piles and propane tanks. According to the county brochure, the Fire Prevention Division spent 2023 on education and began inspections in summer 2024. Violations go through the county’s code compliance process, which starts with an Opportunity to Correct and can lead to daily penalties set in the county fine schedule.
Free chipping and fire-safe programs
The Tuolumne Fire Safe Council builds shaded fuel breaks and runs a grant-funded defensible space program that clears up to 100 feet around homes of low-income seniors and disabled residents at no cost. Funds are currently fully committed, so it isn’t taking new applications. The county’s FEMA/Cal OES home hardening grant funds structure and defensible space improvements in designated project areas, currently Ponderosa/Mira Monte (415 homes).
County resources
For questions about the ordinance, contact the Tuolumne County Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Division at (209) 533-5118. Reference material is on the county’s Hazardous Vegetation page, and the full rules are in the Chapter 8.14 text. The contractors listed below serve Tuolumne County and can help with road clearance, fuel reduction, and home hardening.
Frequently asked questions 5
Who enforces the hazardous vegetation ordinance in Tuolumne County?
The Fire Prevention Division of the Tuolumne County Fire Department enforces Chapter 8.14 in unincorporated areas (outside the City of Sonora), under the authority of the County Fire Chief or a designee. Owners were educated about the rules in 2023, and inspections and enforcement began in summer 2024.
What happens if I don't comply?
The ordinance is enforced through the county's Chapter 1.10 code compliance process, and violations are treated as affecting health and safety. The process starts with an Opportunity to Correct that allows up to 90 days, followed by a Notice and Order. The county fine schedule effective July 1, 2025 lists daily Notice and Order penalties for health and safety violations of $130, $700, and $1,300 for first, second, and later violations, plus abatement costs.
How much clearance does the county require?
Along driveways, roads, and road easements you own or control: 15 feet of vertical clearance above the road surface and a 10-foot reduced fuel zone from the road edge. On vacant lots, keep a reduced fuel zone on any part of the parcel within 100 feet of a neighbor's building. Wood piles and propane tanks need 10 feet of clearance to bare mineral soil. State law (PRC 4291) separately requires 100 feet of defensible space around structures.
How do I check my Fire Hazard Severity Zone?
Tuolumne County's Fire Hazard Severity Zones page links the county SRA map, which took effect April 1, 2024, and CAL FIRE's FHSZ resources, where you can look up a specific property.
Is there free help with defensible space work?
The Tuolumne Fire Safe Council's no-cost defensible space program for low-income seniors (65+) and disabled residents is not taking new applications because funds are fully committed. Separately, the county runs a FEMA/Cal OES home hardening and defensible space grant for specific project areas, most recently Ponderosa/Mira Monte.