FACTS AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ORDINANCE
Fire is a factor living in the foothills and the Sierra Nevada and the "fire season" of years past, that was limited to a few months, has now grown to encompass nearly the entire calendar year. With the County having a diverse and complex landscape which includes mountains, forests and other brush, or grass covered wildlands which have the potential to fuel a catastrophic fire event, our risk of significant wildfire is no longer bound by the month on a calendar.
Since 2007, there have been three major fires in El Dorado County that have destroyed infrastructure (e.g. Angora Fire, King Fire, Sand Fire). This increased fire activity requires an increase in preventive measures to lower the community's chances of experiencing another large destructive fire.
Most importantly is the protection of lives and property from the threat of fire and the safety of law enforcement and fire personnel during wildfires. The County's vegetation management/defensible space ordinance is one protective strategy.
By studying fire prevention measures in other communities, working with local stakeholders and holding public meetings, the County developed a vegetation management/defensible space ordinance similar to CAL FIRE's defensible space laws. The vegetation management ordinance sets out the rules for an annual requirements for the abatement of the growth and/or accumulation of weeds, grasses, shrubs, dormant brush, hardwood slash, tree limbs, hazardous vegetation and combustible materials on all improved parcels and designated unimproved parcels within the County as well as maintenance of those parcels to prevent vegetation from becoming fuel for destructive fires.
The County, through ongoing education and outreach, is communicating the new ordinance rules to the public. Staff are assisting residents with understanding compliance requirements of the ordinance.
Click here to download a PDF version of the Frequently Asked Questions. - Updated December 5, 2019
Click here to download a PDF version of the El Dorado County Vegetation Management and Defensible Space Ordinance - April 30, 2019
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