California City Bans Foliage Within 5 Feet of Homes in Fire Hazard Areas

With California set to ban plants within five feet of homes at risk for wildfire, residents in the South Lake Tahoe area are on track to implement strict new fire rules this month. A new ordinance approved by the South Lake Tahoe City Council in June affecting the entire city will go into effect on July 18, mandating that businesses and homeowners keep their properties free of brush, shrubs, grasses, and other combustible material in a five-foot zone around structures, South Lake Tahoe Battalion Chief Kim George told The Epoch Times July 16. The fire-risk reduction initiative stems from Assembly Bill 3074, which was signed into law in 2020. The bill requires residents in fire hazard zones to implement fire fuel reductions by creating an “ember-resistant zone within five feet of the structure” based on regulations being developed by the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection....