Compliance Standards for Vegetation Inspections
Oakland Vegetation Inspection Checklist
The Oakland Fire Department created the following checklist for residents in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fire Area to understand what should be maintained at their homes to prevent fire, per the City and State fire codes.
Parcels located in the WUI Fire Area are required to meet the following standards. Inspectors will verify each item during yearly vegetation inspections. See the Vegetation Management Unit page for more information on inspections.
The following items are summaries of the California Fire Code (CFC), the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (WUI), and the Oakland Fire Code.
Note: Zone 0 requirements are not yet required for existing homes. Learn more on our Zone 0 page.
California Fire Code (CFC) California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (WUI)Ordinance No. 13870 - Oakland Fire Code adopted December 2025
Oakland Vegetation Inspection Checklist
Additional Information
How?
Along with meeting the requirements below, you should:
- Cut or remove ground fuels such as grass, small shrubs, and dead leaves or branches.
- Maintain all vegetation growing around the property and do not allow it to grow feral.
- Create horizontal separation between individual plants.
Why?
The defensible space around your home can slow, or even stop, the spread of wildfire. The more homes that create defensible space, the more resilient our community becomes.
To meet this requirement, you must:
Additional Information
How?
- Remove and/or safely dispose of all cut vegetation and hazardous refuse.
- Cut grass may be left to protect soil on a slope up to a depth of 3 inches.
- Cut vegetation may be chipped or mulched and left on the slope up to a depth of 12 inches.
Why?
These materials can light easily from flying embers during a wildfire. Excessive depth creates a thicker, insulating layer that can sustain higher heat and allow smoldering for longer amounts of time.
Additional Information
How?
- Store firewood at least 30 ft from structures and not under decks, eaves, or overhangs. If covered with fire-resistant material, it may be stored closer.
- Keep a 10 ft clearing of bare soil around any wood pile within your defensible space.
- Remove any collection or accumulation of flammable materials from the premises. This includes, but is not limited to wastepaper, lumber, hay, straw, weeds, boxes, and construction material.
Why?
Dense materials lead to an increase in fuel load that are easy points of ignition for flying embers.
Additional Information
How?
- Ensure clearance between ignition sources and grass, brush, or other combustible materials is maintained at a minimum of 30 feet.
- Any source of ignition must be kept at least 30 feet from any item which can be ignited.
Why?
An average of 9,287 home fires were started by gas grills from 2019–2023 (National Fire Protection Agency). Ignition sources can be unpredictable and separating them from combustible materials greatly reduces your risk of a fire spreading.
Additional Information
How?
- Clear all dead leaves, pine needles, and other debris from your roof and gutters.
- Check these areas regularly, especially after windy periods, storms, or during peak leaf-drop seasons.
- Make sure gutters, angles in the roof, skylight edges, and areas behind chimneys and vents are free of accumulated debris.
Why?
Accumulation of embers in these areas is one of the greatest fire hazards for a structure. Dry leaves or needles in gutters and on roofs serve as fuel for a fire and provide direct access to your home.
Additional Information
How?
- Trees do not have to be removed completely — only overhanging, contacting, dangling, or dead branches need to be pruned.
- Prune limbs back at least 10 feet from any structure, creating as much "cold-air" space as possible between vegetation and your home.
- Maintain the health and integrity of the tree while prioritizing fire safety.
Why?
Tree branches can act as a direct pathway for fire to reach your home.
Additional Information
How?
- Create vertical separation between the ground and the lowest growing limbs of trees.
- Trees shall be limbed up to 6 feet from the ground.
- For smaller trees, limb up to a quarter of the total height of the tree.
Why?
Eliminating these "ladder fuels" greatly helps halt the spread of a ground fire to the upper portions, or crowns, of trees. This is a key factor in preventing and slowing the spread of wildfire.
Additional Information
How?
- Numbers must be large enough to read clearly from the street.
- Place them in a visible, unobstructed area.
- Prune any vegetation that has grown in front of your address numbers.
Why?
Address numbers are critical in helping first responders locate a home quickly in the event of an emergency.
Additional Information
How?
- Limb up trees or remove branches that are encroaching within 13.5ft above roadways.
- Remove dense, dry brush within 10ft of roadways.
- Ensure that any brush left by residents on the roadside is removed promptly.
Why?
Narrow and overgrown roads are a serious hazard during a wildfire. Proper maintenance of vegetation improves evacuation paths from your home and provides easier and safer access for first responders.
✓ You are in compliance and ready for your vegetation inspection!