Alpine County Municipal Code Art. I General Provisions

The purpose of this chapter is to provide rules and regulations designed to mitigate fire hazard in Alpine County. These provisions are in addition to other federal, state and local laws relating to specific areas of fire mitigation and are intended to benefit the overall public health and safety.

Alpine County encourages all property owners to work together to provide a good defense against wildfires in our community. Providing one hundred feet of defensible space from structures and being prepared can help you and your property survive a wildfire. It is also important to allow fire crews to come in and safely and effectively protect your property and your neighbor’s property.

A fire adapted community acknowledges and takes responsibility for its wildfire risk, and implements appropriate actions at all levels. Actions address resident safety, homes, neighborhoods, businesses and infrastructure, forests, parks, open spaces and other community assets. (Ord. 727 (part), 2018)

A. “Defensible space” means the area within the perimeter of a lot or parcel where basic wildfire protection practices are implemented, providing the key point of defense from an approaching wildfire or escaping structure fire. The area is characterized by the establishment and maintenance of emergency vehicle access, emergency water reserves, street names and building identification, and fuel modification measures.

B. For the purpose of defensible space defined in Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 4291, “fuel” means any combustible material, including petroleum-based products and wildland fuels.

C. “Inspection official” means the elected sheriff and the appointed fire chief or their designees.

D. “Adjacent lot” is defined as a lot which is contiguous to a property where the property owner is not able, without encroachment on another lot, to provide defensible space for structures defined by Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 4291. An adjacent lot may or may not contain structures.

E. “Structure,” for the purposes of this chapter, is any dwelling unit. (Ord. 727 (part), 2018)

In accordance with the 2023 Fire Hazard Severity Zones Map, as designated by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, certain areas within the county of Alpine are designated as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones. This map is published and available through the Office of the State Fire Marshal. (Ord. 757 § 2, 2024)