After nearly six years of debate and backlash, California’s Board of Forestry and Fire Protection voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt new landscaping requirements within five feet of homes — an area dubbed “Zone Zero” — for millions of Californians living in fire-prone areas.

The rules ban all plants within a foot of the home and require the first five feet around homes to be free of combustible materials such as firewood, fallen leaves and branches, and mulch or wood chips. They also prohibit wooden sheds in the zone and wooden fences where attached to the house.

The new requirements apply only to Californians living in some of the worst fire hazard zones designated by Cal Fire — specifically, State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in local responsibility areas, applying to an estimated 2 million homes. Local areas will have some flexibility to tailor the regulations to their communities.

After the formal rule-making process completes, most likely in September, Californians will have up to five years to comply. New constructions will have to adhere immediately.

Board chair Terrence O’Brien acknowledged that the plan has been controversial, but said it is necessary to “address the crisis of wildfire in our communities.”

“The regulations will make our communities safer,” he said during the meeting. “Waiting and postponing is not, in my opinion, an option.”

Zone Zero is only one line of wildfire defense required by the state in areas with significant fire hazard.

Other defensible space requirements have been on the books for decades, and dictate how homeowners must manage their yard through the spacing of trees, the removal of dead vegetation and other precautions. The state also requires home hardening measures for the structure itself — from covering vents with a mesh to block embers from entering to using fire-resistant building materials — for all new constructions since 2008.

Generally, the more of these home defenses residents adopt, the lower the risk of their home burning in a wildfire.

One recent UC Berkeley study looked at five major California fires from 2017 to 2020. It found that, out of properties that took no precautions, only 20% survived. Meanwhile, those that cleared vegetation from Zone Zero had a survival rate of 37%, and those with comprehensive home hardening and defensible space had a survival rate of 48%.

Experts said the rules arrive at a critical moment. In the last decade, worsening wildfires in California have burned about 14 million acres and destroyed more than 60,000 homes and structures.

“I think we all agree that something needs to be done,” Yana Valachovic, a forest advisor at the University of California and a technical advisor to the state board, said during Wednesday’s meeting. “The fire issue is an existential crisis for California.”

For months following the 2025 L.A. fires, the state was stuck in a stalemate over the regulations.

Homeowner associations and ecologists argued for more lenient rules, saying plants carried health benefits and stricter regulations burdened homeowners. Meanwhile, fire officials and insurers argued that banning all vegetation within Zone Zero was critical to reducing the risk wildfire destroying homes.

A breakthrough came in April when the board proposed enforcing the complete ban of vegetation in a one-foot “Safety Zone” around the house while allowing plants in the rest of the five-foot zone, so long as they’re small and separated from each other. That Safety Zone would be at least one foot wide, or extend to the edge of the roof eaves, whichever is farther.

The board also clarified it would not require the removal of trees, although limbs would need to be trimmed away from roofs and chimneys. It also agreed to give homeowners extra time to comply with more onerous requirements, such as upgrading or replacing wooden fences and sheds.

Proponents of more lenient requirements are now pushing state officials to create programs that can help middle- and lower-income homeowners finance the landscaping changes, as well as provide older and disabled residents with help to complete them.

Others described the rule as a “one-size-fits-all” mandate that lacks resources and considerations for local residents and municipalities.

“Compliance will cost homeowners thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for hardscaping, fence replacement and steep hillside erosion control, with zero funding provided for homeowners or local fire departments tasked with education and enforcement,” Sarah Flaherty, a representative for L.A. City Councilwoman Tracy Park, said during the meeting. She urged the board to reject the rules.

For now, the new regulations will roll out in two phases. Phase one, to be completed within three years, focuses on removing combustible material within five feet of the house. Phase two, to be completed within five years, tackles the more extensive changes closest to the home, including the one-foot vegetation-free safety zone and replacement of combustible gates.

The rules will be enforced by Cal Fire in State Responsibility Areas, and by local fire authorities, such as city or county fire departments, in local responsibility areas. Enforcement may include property inspections, orders to comply, or possible penalties, officials said.

Tony Andersen, the board’s executive officer, said previously that the five-year adoption phase will give officials and local groups time to develop support programs. He said a large network of fire-safety organizations — from fire departments to local fire safety councils — are already stepping up to help.

Those in favor of more protective standards are now focused on assisting homeowners who are willing to voluntarily meet stricter insurance-backed guidance. Some may do the work for insurance discounts; others may do it for a chance to get insurance in the first place.

Both sides find hope in a provision that allows local governments to adopt alternative versions of Zone Zero, which San Diego and Berkeley have already done and Los Angeles is in the process of doing.

Following California’s 2017 and 2018 fire seasons, which scorched over 3 million acres and destroyed more than 30,000 homes, the state legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom passed a law in September 2020 that required the board to create Zone Zero regulations by the start of 2023.

That date came and went as fire officials and experts argued over which measures were effective.

Then, Los Angeles burned.

In February 2025, Newsom signed an executive order requiring the board to finish the regulations.