Why Defensible Space Matters

Defensible space is the buffer created around your home to reduce the intensity of an approaching wildfire, eliminate combustible materials and vegetation that might ignite and spread to your home, and create a safer space to aid in evacuation and allow firefighters to defend your home. Defensible space is required by law in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas of the Town of Corte Madera and City of Larkspur (and all other cities and towns in Marin).

Your home may be the most valuable investment you ever make. If you live in the WUI, protect that investment by creating defensible space and hardening your home with fire-resistant materials and design. In Marin, all WUI properties must maintain defensible space at all times.

Creating defensible space does not mean bare dirt around your home! With thoughtful planning, you can have both a lush, beautiful landscape and a fire-safe home.

Learn more about creating defensible space at FIRESafe MARIN.

What’s New: Why Do Things Feel Different This Year?

Since 2020, Central Marin Fire Department has conducted annual inspections to help residents reduce wildfire risk. These inspections were designed to be educational: to help you understand how wildfire spreads, where your home may be vulnerable, and how to protect your family and community.

But many of the same hazards are still being found—year after year—at the same properties. Combustible mulch. Overgrown vegetation under decks. Wood fences connected directly to homes. Despite repeated reminders, they remain.

Think of it this way: if a highway patrol officer stops you for bald tires and warns you each year without issuing a ticket, at some point the tone changes. Not because they want to be punitive, but because the risk is real—and it affects others on the road, not just you.

That’s where we are now. Wildfire risk affects not just your home, but your neighbors, your street, your firefighters, and your town. And as the law evolves—like California’s AB 3074, which requires the creation of a Zone 0 (0–5 feet) around homes—so will enforcement.

These inspections are not your to-do list—they’re meant to verify that the work is already done. You’ve likely been inspected before. You know what’s expected. What matters now is the follow-through. And the details count: a combustible doormat, leaves in the eaves, or an open vent with vegetation nearby can be all it takes to ignite your home in an ember storm.

The good news? You still have time. And there’s help available—free chipper programs, grants, direct assistance, and guides like this. We want to show up, conduct a quick inspection, and find your home already ready. That’s success.

Why Are Some Defensible Space Inspections Happening Outside the "WUI"?

While defensible space efforts have historically focused within the formally designated Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), recent disasters have shown that wildfire risk extends far beyond those boundaries. Wind-driven embers can travel miles ahead of a fire, igniting homes and landscapes well outside the traditional WUI zone. Once a fire enters a neighborhood, structure-to-structure ignition can lead to rapid urban fire spread—something seen in Santa Rosa’s Coffee Park neighborhood during the 2017 North Bay Fires, the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado, and the 2023 Lahaina Fire in Hawaii. These areas were not considered part of the WUI, and little to no public outreach or education occurred beforehand. Central Marin Fire is taking a proactive approach, recognizing that wildfire doesn’t respect jurisdictional lines or outdated maps. By inspecting all areas at potential risk—regardless of official WUI status—we aim to better protect lives, homes, and neighborhoods throughout our community.

Zone 0: The Critical First 5 Feet

The most important zone for wildfire safety is also the newest: Zone 0, the area within 0 to 5 feet of your home. Research analyzing the destruction of more than 57,000 structures in California wildfires over the last decade has made one fact clear: structures ignite most often from embers landing and burning close to the home itself—not from flames sweeping in across the landscape.

As a result, California law (AB 3074) and Marin's local ordinances—including those adopted by Central Marin Fire—are emphasizing Zone 0 like never before.

Zone 0 is the most critical defensible space zone for preventing home ignition. If you only have time or resources to address one area—start here.

Zone 1: Immediate Defensible Space (5–30 feet)

• Separate plants into distinct islands or clusters with open space in between
• Remove dead branches, dried leaves, and dense brush
• Prune tree branches to maintain 6–10 feet of vertical clearance
• Keep grasses and groundcovers low (under 4 inches)
• Maintain 10 feet horizontal clearance between trees and structures

Placeholder for image: Zone 1 before/after photo

Zone 2: Extended Defensible Space (30–100+ feet)

• Remove or chip fallen limbs, dead shrubs, and downed vegetation
• Thin tree canopies and limb up trees at least 10 feet off the ground
• Maintain spacing between shrubs and trees to reduce fire spread
• Use fire-resistant native species that are well-maintained
• Keep grasses cut and free of thatch buildup

Placeholder for image: Zone 2 habitat-friendly clearance

Roadways and Driveways

• Remove all fire-prone vegetation within 10 feet horizontally of road and driveway edges
• Maintain 15 feet vertical clearance over driveways and access roads
• Do not allow plantings or fencing to encroach into access lanes
• Ensure fire hydrants and address signs are clearly visible and accessible

Placeholder for image: fire truck accessing cleared driveway

Remove ALL Fire-Prone Plants

These plants and vegetation types are highly combustible and should be removed if located:

• Within 5 feet of any structure (Zone 0)
• Within 30 feet of homes or decks (Zone 1)
• Within 10 feet of driveways or roads

• ANY plant or vegetation that is dead or dying
• Juniper
• Bamboo
• Italian Cypress
• Acacia
• Pampas Grass

Placeholder for image: side-by-side flammable vs. fire-smart plant comparison