Zone 0: the first five feet around your home

What Zone 0 is

Zone 0 is the strip of ground within five feet of your home's walls, plus the area under and around any attached deck, stairs or pergola. Fire agencies call it the ember-resistant zone because this is where windblown embers pile up against the house, the same way leaves drift into the corner of a porch.

When embers land on something that can burn here, like bark mulch, a dry shrub, a wood fence or a stack of firewood, the small fire that starts sits right against your siding, windows and vents. That is how many homes ignite even when the main fire front never reaches them.

What to remove

• Bark, wood chip and rubber mulch. Replace with gravel, decomposed granite, stone, pavers or bare soil.
• Dead leaves, pine needles and other debris, including under decks and stairs.
• Firewood and lumber. Move them out of Zone 0 entirely, and ideally at least 30 feet from the house.
• Woody shrubs and hedges against the walls, and any branches over or touching the roof.
• Combustible items you don't think of as fuel: doormats, patio cushions, trash and recycling bins, plastic planters, and wicker furniture. Bring them inside or move them away when fire weather is forecast.

What can stay

Zone 0 doesn't have to look like a parking lot. Hardscape such as stone paths, concrete, metal edging and gravel beds all work. Many local guidelines allow a limited number of well-watered, low-growing, nonwoody plants or plants in noncombustible pots, as long as they're kept away from windows and vents. Check your local fire agency's guidance before you plant.

Fences and gates

A wood fence that attaches to your house works like a wick that carries fire straight to the wall. Replace the last five feet of fence closest to the house with metal or masonry, or use a metal gate at that connection point.

California's Zone 0 rules: where they stand

Here is the sequence so far. State law AB 3074 directed the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to write Zone 0 rules. The Board adopted a package on August 19, 2026, and sent it to the Office of Administrative Law for review. On September 8, the package was withdrawn from that review. The Board has described the withdrawal as procedural, to allow technical edits, and has said it plans to resubmit, likely with another public comment period. No date has been announced. We will update this page when that changes.

What the adopted draft would require

The withdrawn draft gives a clear picture of where the rules are headed, even if details change. It would apply to homes in State Responsibility Areas and in locally designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. For existing homes, the first steps would apply as soon as the rules take effect: keeping roofs and gutters clear, keeping firewood out of Zone 0, removing dead branches, and keeping vegetation clear of chimneys. Requirements covering combustible materials, plants, fences and outbuildings would phase in over roughly three to five years. State law gives owners of existing homes three years to clear vegetation and other combustibles from the first five feet once the rules are final. Small outbuildings could sit in Zone 0 only if built entirely of noncombustible materials, and new combustible fencing would not be allowed within five feet of a home.

None of this is a reason to wait. Zone 0 is the single most effective place to start whether or not a rule requires it, and the work is the same either way.

A simple Zone 0 checklist

1. Walk the full perimeter of the house and the area under your deck.
2. Rake out mulch, leaves and needles within five feet of the walls.
3. Lay down gravel, stone or pavers in their place.
4. Move firewood, bins, cushions and doormats away from the walls.
5. Trim branches back from the roof and chimney, and remove dead plants.
6. Look at where fences meet the house and plan a noncombustible section.

This guide is general information, not professional advice. Building codes and defensible space rules vary by state, county and fire district. Your local fire department or a qualified contractor can tell you what applies to your home. No home is fireproof. Read our full disclaimer.