March 1, 2022 

Citizens of the Moraga-Orinda Fire District,

With the lack of rain, fire season may come early this year. It is vital to make your property fire-safe to prevent wildfires from spreading in our community.  When creating a defensible space around your home, there are three areas (zones) where you should focus your efforts:  

1. zone zero (up to 5 feet from building)
2. zone one (up to 30 feet from building), and
3. zone two (up to 100 feet from building). Listed below are portions of the MOFD fire code that apply to the specific zones around your home.

Zone Zero:

• Maintain all ground areas within 2 feet of the exterior walls of any habitable structure free of combustible ground cover, including combustible mulch and barks.
• All native and nonnative plant species next to a habitable structure must be maintained in a manner that removes combustible material within a 2-foot horizontal and 1- foot vertical area, measured from the base of the structure.
• Check the roof, gutters, decks, porches, etc., for any combustible materials like dead and dying weeds, plants, and branches. Remove any materials that could cause a fire within the space closest to your home.
• All Monterey Pines (Pinus radiata) and Eucalyptus (Genus Eucalyptus) must be 6 feet or greater, measured horizontally or vertically from any habitable structure.
• Remove that portion of any tree that extends within 10 feet of the outlet of any chimney or stovepipe.

Zone One:

• Maintain trees to remove ladder fuels so that foliage, twigs, or branches are greater than 6 feet above the ground or surface fuels within 100 feet of any structure or within 10 feet of the paved edge of any fire apparatus access road.
• Maintain any tree, shrub, or other plants adjacent to or overhanging any structure free of dead limbs, branches, or other combustible material that is determined to be a fire hazard.
• Annual grasses must be removed or cut to less than 3 inches.

Zone Two:

• Cut or mow grass down to a maximum height of 4 inches.
• Create horizontal and vertical space between grass, shrubs, and trees
• Give exposed woodpiles at least 10 feet of clearance in all directions
• Annual grasses must be removed or cut to less than 3 inches.

Parcels are to be maintained free of hazardous vegetation and combustible material. Let’s all do our part to keep our community fire-safe!