🔥The SD Fire-Rescue Department understands there will be a cost impact on property owners to comply with the State-mandated Zone 0 program.
🔥Therefore, a plan to achieve Zone 0 compliance will be phased over a three-year period from now until February 28, 2029.
From the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department – Zone 0 and Defensible Space: sandiego.gov/fire/community-risk-reduction/defensible-space-property-owners
Defensible space is the buffer zone you should create around a structure to protect it. Creating and maintaining defensible space around your home helps slow or stop the spread of wildfire and gives firefighters room to safely defend your property from flames and wind-driven embers.
Brush management is divided into three fuel modification zones, extending 100 feet from any structure.
- Zone 0: 0-5 feet from structure (or to the property line)
- Zone 1: 5-30 feet from structure (or to the property line)
- Zone 2: 30-100 feet from structure (or to the property line)
Zone 0 is the area within 5 feet of a home or building, including outbuildings, attached decks, and stairs. Keeping this area clear of vegetation and other flammable materials helps prevent wildfire from reaching the structure, especially from wind-driven embers.
- Remove dead plants, dry or fallen leaves, pine needles, mulch, firewood, trash, debris, and other flammable materials within five feet of your home, including roofs and gutters, decks, porches, balconies, stairways, and any areas beneath the home.
- Use hardscape materials such as concrete, gravel, pavers, or bare soil.
- Trees are allowed in Zone 0 as long as they are properly maintained and regularly pruned. Healthy branches must be kept at least five feet from roofs and exterior walls. At maturity, the tree canopy (drip line) must be maintained at least 10 feet from roofs and other structures, including chimneys and stovepipes. Dead or dying branches must be removed regularly.
- Limit combustible items like outdoor furniture and planters on top of decks.
- Replace combustible fencing, gates, and arbors with noncombustible alternatives.
- Consider relocating garbage and recycling containers, boats, RVs, and vehicles outside of Zone 0.
🔥Zone 0 Phased Compliance Timeline🔥
The SD Fire Department understands there will be a cost impact on property owners to comply with the State-mandated Zone 0 program. Therefore, a plan to achieve Zone 0 compliance will be phased over a three-year period from now until February 28, 2029.
Year 0 (beginning Feb 28, 2026) – Education & Awareness
- Proactive door-to-door public education
- Community outreach
Year 1 (beginning Feb 28, 2027) – Maintenance & Risk Reduction
- Removal of dead vegetation and accumulation of debris
- Relocation of firewood piles, trash bins, and other stored combustible materials
- Relocation of under-deck storage
- Removal of any items or vegetation that creates a significant fire hazard as determined by the fire code official
Year 2 (beginning Feb 28, 2028) – Vegetation Compliance
- Continued focus on the removal of vegetation that does not fully comply with these guidelines
- Replacement of existing vegetation with Fire-Smart vegetation
Year 3 (beginning Feb 28, 2029) – Full Compliance
- Homeowners should attempt to achieve full compliance with Zone 0 regulations by February 28, 2029. This includes replacing fences and gates that do not comply with the provisions of this guidance document.
- For detached non-habitable structures like pergolas, gazebos, outbuildings, and unique situations such as historic trees and structures, a longer-term Compliance Plan beyond 2029 will be offered to achieve full compliance.
- If compliance cannot be achieved, homeowners may be given the option to sign an affidavit acknowledging that the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department has identified a condition posed by materials likely to be ignited by embers.
Sources and more information;
Zone 0 and Defensible Space from SDFD: sandiego.gov/fire/community-risk-reduction/defensible-space-property-owners
Requirements for New Structures: https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/d-2_zone_0_new_structures.pdf
Guidelines for Existing Structures: https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/zone-0-guidelines-for-existing-structures.pdf
See also the SDUT and a Master Gardener’s perspective on Zone 0:
SDUT: Garden Mastery – Master Gardener Working with California’s new Zone Zero Defensible Space
