The fire safety of a home depends on the continuity and loading of the fuels around it, the location of the home with respect to topography and the design and materials of the structure itself. Legal Brush Clearance Requirements Fire Code 11.702b, 11.703 requires clearance of flammable vegetation for a?minimum distance of 30 to 100 feet or a maximum distance of 50 to 200 feet around any structure located in a fire prone area. The clearance distance is subject to local enforcement, and in extremely hazardous areas, local fire authorities may require clearance beyond 100 feet. However, the intent of the code is readily defeated if basic fire safety principles are not carried into home design and homesite selection.
Fire Hazard Reduction Checklist
Tree crowns should not overhang the roof and should be pruned high enough to avoid ignition by a ground fire
Extremely Flammable Vegetation
Within 200 feet of structures consider removing common garden plants that have proven particularly flammable due to high brush buildup and foliage oils such as:
Many trees are distributed to the public by the County of Los Angeles Fire Department each year. These trees are solely intended for erosion control and windbreaks, and not for landscape purposes. It is recommended that these trees be planted a minimum of 200 feet from any structure and on the bottom two-thirds of any slope below a structure.