Fire Clearing & Defensible Space
Defensible Space Clearing on the Central Coast
Defensible space is the buffer you create between a home and the vegetation around it, so a wildfire has less to burn and firefighters have a safer place to work. JTS, Inc. provides defensible space clearing, fire clearance, weed abatement and fuel reduction for homes, ranches and commercial properties across San Luis Obispo County and North Santa Barbara County.
Our licensed and insured crews have 26+ years of local experience clearing brush, thinning and limbing trees, and chipping or hauling what we cut, so your property is ready before inspection season and before a weed abatement deadline.
Use this page to understand the zones around your home, what the 100-foot rule really requires, when to schedule clearing, and what a defensible space job with JTS, Inc. looks like from the first call to the final walk-through.
The 100-Foot Rule and What Actually Counts
California Public Resources Code 4291 requires owners of buildings in fire-hazard areas to maintain defensible space out to 100 feet from each structure, or to the property line if that is closer. It applies to homes, outbuildings and many commercial structures, and it is enforced by CAL FIRE and local fire agencies.
Clearing does not mean bare dirt. Healthy, well-spaced native trees and irrigated landscaping can stay. What has to go is dead and dying growth, dry grass and weeds, and continuous brush that carries fire from the ground to the roof. The goal is space between plants, space between plants and trees, and nothing flammable against the house.
Local fire districts and cities can require more than the state minimum, and weed abatement programs separately require owners to cut dry grass and brush on lots each year. If your 100 feet crosses a property line, you are responsible up to the line, and it often makes sense to coordinate clearing with your neighbor.
CAL FIRE defensible space zones
Zone 0, Zone 1 and Zone 2 Explained
CAL FIRE describes defensible space in zones that run outward from your home. Each zone has a different job: stop embers, starve a fire of fuel, then slow it down.
- Zone 0 (0 to 5 feet): the ember-resistant zone. Keep this area free of anything that can ignite, such as dead plants, mulch, leaf litter and stored firewood. Embers cause most home ignitions, so this is the most important zone. Confirm the current state ember-resistant zone rules with CAL FIRE.
- Zone 1 (5 to 30 feet): lean, clean and green. Remove dead grass, weeds and leaves, keep remaining plants irrigated and spaced apart, remove dead branches, and trim tree limbs back from the roof and chimney.
- Zone 2 (30 to 100 feet): reduced fuel. Cut or mow annual grass to a maximum of about 4 inches, thin brush, and create space between shrubs and trees so fire cannot climb.
- Ladder fuels: low limbs and brush under trees let a ground fire reach the canopy. We limb up trees and clear the understory beneath them.
- Dead and dying trees and shrubs: remove them anywhere they stand within your zones.
- Slopes: fire travels faster uphill, so more clearance may be needed on slopes. Ask for a site walk so we can recommend the right distance.
Not sure which zone a plant is in? Call JTS, Inc. at (805) 489-9191 for a free site walk and estimate.
The Zones Around Your Home
Distances are measured from the walls of the structure, not from the center of the lot.
Fire Clearing Services We Provide
Brush Clearing and Fuel Reduction
Removal of dead and overgrown brush and thinning of dense stands inside your zones, with the debris chipped or hauled.
Weed Abatement
Mowing and cutting dry grass and weeds on lots, parcels, fence lines and driveways, including work to resolve a weed abatement notice.
Tree Limbing and Ladder-Fuel Removal
Limbing up trees and clearing the brush beneath them so a ground fire cannot climb into the canopy.
Mastication and Forestry Mulching
Equipment that shreds brush and small trees in place into mulch, well suited to larger parcels and rural properties.
Dead Tree Removal
Safe removal of dead, dying and hazardous trees near structures, driveways and roads.
Chipping and Haul-Off
On-site chipping of everything we cut, with chips spread as mulch or hauled away, leaving the property clean.
What a Defensible Space Job Looks Like
Every defensible space project follows the same steps, whether it is a quarter-acre lot or a multi-acre parcel.
1
Call or request an estimate
Call (805) 489-9191 or send a request. Tell us the address, the acreage, and whether you have a notice or an inspection date.
2
Site walk
We walk the property with you, identify the zones, slopes and access, and agree on what must go and what stays.
3
Plan and schedule
We schedule the work ahead of inspection season or your notice deadline, and plan the equipment for the site.
4
Clear the fuel
Crews cut, limb and thin by hand and with masticators, chippers and skid steers as the job requires.
5
Chip, haul and clean up
Everything we cut is chipped or hauled. Chips can be spread as mulch where they are safe to use, and the property is left clean.
6
Final walk-through
We walk the finished work with you and give you the information you need for your records.
Where We Provide Fire Clearing and Defensible Space
JTS, Inc. clears brush and builds defensible space for homeowners, ranches and property managers across San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara counties. Select a pin or city to open its defensible space page.
San Luis Obispo County
Santa Barbara County
Why Property Owners Choose JTS, Inc. for Fire Clearing
Licensed, bonded and insured
JTS, Inc. is licensed, bonded and insured to protect you and your property, under Contractor’s License #766025.
26+ years of local experience
We have cleared brush and trees on the Central Coast for more than 26 years and know the oak woodland, coastal scrub and eucalyptus fuels that grow here.
Equipment sized to the job
Masticators, chippers and skid steers let us clear large parcels efficiently and still work carefully around structures.
Cleanup included
We chip or haul what we cut and leave the property clean, so you are ready for inspection when we leave.
Defensible Space Calendar: When to Clear
Timing decides how much fuel you face. Grass and brush grow through spring, dry out by early summer, and become the fuel for fire season.
- Late winter and spring: clear while grass and weeds are still green. Cutting green growth is faster and less expensive than clearing dry fuel.
- April and May: book your clearing before demand rises ahead of inspection season.
- June 1 and after: Santa Barbara County Fire typically begins defensible space inspections around June 1, so work should be finished before then. Confirm the current dates with the agency.
- San Luis Obispo County: inspections and enforcement are handled by CAL FIRE and local fire agencies, and timing varies by district, so check with your local agency.
- Summer: keep up with regrowth, re-cut grass that comes back, and keep roofs and gutters free of leaves and needles.
- Fall: clear dead growth and fallen limbs before wind events and winter storms.
Defensible Space and Home Insurance
Insurance availability in fire-prone areas increasingly depends on what you have done to reduce risk. California’s Safer from Wildfires framework recognizes steps such as defensible space, and some carriers ask for proof of compliance or an inspection before they renew or write a policy. Talk to your agent about what your policy requires.
Keep dated before-and-after photos and your contractor’s invoice, and ask your insurer or local fire agency whether an inspection report is needed. JTS, Inc. can walk the finished work with you so you know exactly what was cleared.
Defensible Space by City
Each city page covers the local fuel, the local fire agency and what to expect where you live.
Defensible Space Clearing: Frequently Asked Questions
What is defensible space?
Defensible space is the area around a building where vegetation is cleared, thinned and maintained so a wildfire has less fuel to burn and firefighters have a safer place to defend the home.
How far do I need to clear?
California law calls for defensible space out to 100 feet from a structure, or to the property line if that is closer. The area is divided into zones: Zone 0 (0 to 5 feet), Zone 1 (5 to 30 feet) and Zone 2 (30 to 100 feet), each with different requirements.
Do I have to remove healthy trees?
Generally no. Healthy, well-spaced native trees can stay. We thin crowded stands, limb up trees to remove ladder fuels and remove dead or dying trees, but we do not clear-cut a property to meet the standard.
When should I schedule defensible space clearing?
Late winter and spring is ideal, while growth is green and before inspection season. Santa Barbara County typically begins inspections around June 1, and demand rises from April, so book early.
What is weed abatement and how is it different?
Weed abatement is the annual cutting of dry grass and weeds, often required by a city or fire district with a notice and a deadline. Defensible space is broader and includes brush, trees and the zones around your structures. We handle both.
Will defensible space help with my home insurance?
It can. Many insurers consider defensible space when deciding whether to offer coverage and how to price it. Ask your agent what documentation they need, and keep photos and invoices of the work.
How much does defensible space clearing cost?
Cost depends on acreage, slope, how dense the brush is and how easy the site is to access. JTS, Inc. provides free estimates after a site walk. Call (805) 489-9191.
Do you haul away the debris?
Yes. We chip what we cut on site and either spread the chips as mulch where safe or haul them away, leaving the property clean.
Defensible Space Clearing Near Me on the Central Coast
When Central Coast property owners search for defensible space clearing near me, they usually want a crew that knows the local fuels, works to the local fire agency’s standards, and finishes before inspection season. JTS, Inc. has provided exactly that across San Luis Obispo and North Santa Barbara counties for more than 26 years.
We provide fire clearing, weed abatement, brush clearing and fuel reduction throughout the Central Coast. Call us directly at (805) 489-9191 for a free estimate and we will walk the property and plan the work around your deadline.