Chapter 11.17 — CALIFORNIA WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE CODE

There is adopted and incorporated by reference herein as the City Wildland-Urban Interface Code for the purpose of enhancing the design and construction of buildings through the use of building concepts having a reduced negative impact or positive environmental impact and encourage sustainable construction practices, the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, Part 7, Title 24 California Code of Regulations, a portion of the California Building Standards Code and the 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code.

• A. There is hereby adopted by the City Council of the City of Santee for the purpose of prescribing regulations governing conditions that might cause a fire originating in a structure to ignite vegetation in the wildland-urban interface area, and conversely, a wildfire burning in vegetative fuels to transmit fire to buildings and threaten to destroy life, overwhelm fire suppression capabilities or result in large property loss, that certain code known as the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, including Appendix A and B.

• B. Published by the International Code Council, being particularly the 2024 Edition thereof and California Amendments thereto, as incorporated into California law under Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, save and except such portions as are hereinafter deleted, modified or amended by Section 11.17.020 of this Ordinance.

• C. At least one copy of these codes and standards have been and are now filed in the office of the City Fire Department with one copy on file in the office of the City Clerk per Government Code Section 50022.6, and the same are adopted and incorporated as fully as if set out at length in this Chapter. From the date on which this Chapter shall take effect, the provisions thereof shall be controlled within the boundaries of the City.

• (Ord. 629, 12/10/2025)

The California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, 2025 Edition, is amended and changed in the following respects:

• A. Section 101.1 is hereby amended to read as follows:

101.1 Title. These regulations shall be known as the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code of the City of Santee, hereinafter referred to as "this code."

• B. Section 103.1 is hereby amended to read as follows:

103.1 Creation of Agency. The Office of the Fire Marshal is hereby created and the official in charge thereof shall be known as the "code official." The function of the agency shall be the implementation, administration and enforcement of the provisions of this code.

• C. Section 109.3.7 is hereby amended to read as follows:

109.3.7 Violation Penalties. Persons who shall violate a provision of this code or shall fail to comply with any of the requirements thereof or who shall erect, install, repair or do work in violation of the approved construction documents or directive of the code official, or of a permit or certificate used under provisions of this code, shall be guilty of a criminal offense, punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 dollars or by imprisonment not exceeding 10 days, or both such fine and imprisonment. Each day that a violation continues after due notice has been served shall be deemed a separate offense.

• D. Section 403.3 is hereby added to read:

403.3 Wildland Access. To adequately deploy resources to protect structures threatened by wildfires, emergency access to wildland areas may be required. Access may include but is not limited to, gated vehicle access points and/or personnel corridors between homes or structures. The need, number, and location of wildland access points will be determined by the code official.

• E. Section 404.4 is hereby amended to read:

404.4 Hydrants. Hydrants shall be designed and constructed in accordance with nationally recognized standards. The location and access shall be approved by the code official. Fire hydrants shall be spaced every 300 feet or in accordance with Appendix C or CC of the California Fire Code, as applicable, whichever is more restrictive.

• F. Section 404.5 is hereby amended to read:

404.5 Adequate Water Supply. Fire-flow requirements shall be at least 2500 gallons per minute or a fire flow approved by the code official, or in accordance with Appendix B or BB of the California Fire Code, as applicable, whichever is more restrictive.

• G. Section 504.12 is hereby added to read:

504.12 Fencing. Fencing within Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones shall consist of ignition resistant building materials in accordance with Section 503.2, or as approved by the code official. The closest five feet of fencing to any structure shall be of noncombustible building materials in accordance with Section 503.2.1, or as approved by the code official.

• H. Section 603.3.1 is hereby amended to read as follows:

603.3.1 Contents. Landscape plans shall contain the following:

1. Plans shall be prepared by a California Licensed Landscape Architect, Architect, or Civil Engineer. A landscape designer may prepare planting plants only, not irrigation, for a one- or two-family dwelling, but would need one of the above professionals to stamp the plans verifying compliance with the regulations.

2. Provide plans with a readable scale.

3. Delineation of fuel modification zones with a general description of the zone's dimensions and requirements.

4. Identification of existing vegetation to remain and proposed new vegetation.

5. Identification of irrigated areas.

6. A plant legend with both botanical and common names, and identification of all plant material symbols.

   7. Identification of ground coverings within the 50-foot (15,240 mm) zone.

   8. Draw all plant symbols of what the full mature canopy size will be at maturity.

   9. Include quantities of trees and large shrubs being proposed.

• I. Section 603.2.2 is hereby added to read as follows:

Section 603.2.2 Landscaping Installation. All landscaping shall be installed per the approved plan prior to final inspection for issuance of certificate of occupancy.

• J. Section 603.4.1 is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 603.4.1 Shrubs. All new plantings of shrubs planted in Zone 1 and Zone 2 shall comply with the following:

1. Shrubs shall not exceed 6 feet (1829 mm) in height.

2. Grouping of shrubs are limited to a maximum aggregate diameter of 10 feet (3048 mm)

3. Shrub groupings shall be separated from other groupings a minimum of 15 feet (4572 mm).

4. Shrub groupings shall be separated from structures a minimum of 30 feet (9144 mm).

5. Where shrubs are located below or within a tree's drip line, the lowest tree branch shall be a minimum of three times the height of the understory shrubs or 10 feet (3048 mm), whichever is greater.

• K. Section 603.4.2 is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 603.4.2 Trees. Trees shall be managed as follows within the 50-foot zone (15240 mm) of a structure:

1. New trees shall be planted and maintained so that the trees drip line at maturity is a minimum of 10 feet (3048 mm) from any combustible structure.

2. The horizontal distance between crowns of new trees and crowns of adjacent trees shall not be less than 10 feet (3048 mm).

3. Existing trees shall be trimmed to provide a minimum separation of 10 feet (3048 mm) away from chimney and stovepipe outlets per California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 1299.03.

• L. Section 603.5 is hereby added with additional subsections 603.5.1-603.5.7.3 to read as follows:

603.5 Fuel Modification.

603.5.1 Setbacks from Adjacent Protected Areas. All new developments, subdivisions or tracts that are planned shall have a minimum of 100 horizontal feet of "fuel modified" defensible space between structures and the wildland. Depending on the percentage of slope and other wildland characteristics, the fuel modified defensible space may be increased beyond 100 feet as required by the code official.

603.5.2 Fuel Modification Zones and Structures. A fuel modification zone shall be required around every building that is designed primarily for human habitation or use or a building designed specifically to house farm animals. Decks, sheds, gazebos, freestanding open-side shade covers and similar accessory structures less than 250 square feet and 50 feet or more from a dwelling, and fences more than 5 feet from a dwelling, are not considered structures for the establishment of a fuel modification zone. A fuel modification zone shall comply with the following:

1. When a building or structure in a fire hazard severity zone is located 100 feet or more from a property line, the person owning or occupying the building or structure shall maintain a fuel modification zone with 100 feet of the building or structure in accordance with Section 603.5.3.

2. The code official may increase the fuel modification zone more than the 100 foot minimum if fuel and topography are determined to increase the fire hazard severity.

3. When a building or structure in a hazardous fire area is setback less than 100 feet from the property line, the person owning or occupying the building or structure shall meet the requirements in subsection 1 above, to the extent possible, in the area between the building or structure and the property line.

4. The fuel modification zone shall be located entirely on the subject property unless approved by the code official. This required fuel modification zone may be reduced as allowed in subsection 1 above or increased as required by a fire protection plan or the code official.

5. When the subject property contains an area designated to protect biological or other sensitive habitat or resource, no building or other structure requiring a fuel modification zone shall be located so as to extend the fuel modification zone into a protected area.

6. Improved Property: Property owners shall be permitted to clear all combustible vegetation within a 100-foot radius of all buildings and structures using methods, such as mowing and trimming that leave plant root structure intact to stabilize soil. Clearing is not limited to these methods and discing, which exposes bare mineral soil, may be used if approved by the code official.

a. Where the distance from the structure to the property line of the parcel on which the building is located is less than the distance required to be cleared, the adjacent parcel owner may be required to establish the required fuel modification to achieve the required distance of defensible space where required by the code official.

603.5.3 Fuel Modification for Roadways. The code official may require a property owner to modify combustible vegetation in the area within 20 feet from each side of a driveway or a public or private driveway adjacent to the property to establish a fuel modification zone. The code official has the right to enter private property to ensure the fuel modification zone requirements are met.

EXCEPTION: The code official may reduce the width of the fuel modification zone if it will not impair fire apparatus access.

603.5.4 Community Fuel Modification. The code official may require a developer, as a condition of issuing a certificate of occupancy, to establish one or more fuel modification zones to protected a new community by reducing the fuel loads adjacent to a community and buildings within it. The developer shall assign the land on which any fuel modification zone is established under this section to the homeowners' association or other common owner group that succeeds the developer as the person responsible for common areas within the community.

603.5.5 Land Ownership. Once a fuel modification zone has been established under Section 603.5.4, the land on which the zone is located shall be under the control of a homeowners' association or other common ownership established in perpetuity, for the benefit of the community to be protected.

603.5.6 Maintenance of Fuel Modification. Any person owning, leasing, controlling, operating or maintaining a building or structure required to establish a fuel modification zone pursuant to Section 603.5.2, shall maintain the defensible space. The code official may enter the property to determine if the person responsible is complying with this Section. The code official may issue an order to the person responsible for maintaining the defensible space directing the person to modify or remove nonfire-smart vegetation from fuel management zones, remove leaves, needles and other dead vegetative material from the roof of a building, maintain trees as required by Section 603.5.7, or to take other action the code official determines is necessary to comply with the intent of Sections 603.5 et seq.

603.5.6.1 Tree Maintenance. Crowns of mature trees located within fuel modification zones shall maintain a minimum horizontal clearance of 10 feet for firesmart trees and 30 feet for nonfire-smart trees. Mature trees shall be pruned to remove limbs to maintain a vertical separation of three times the height of the lower vegetation or 6 feet, whichever is greater, above the ground surface adjacent to the trees. Dead wood and litter shall be regularly removed from trees. Ornamental trees shall be limited to groupings of 2-3 trees with canopies for each grouping separated horizontally as described in Table 603.5.6.1.

Text read from an image; its layout may differ:
TABLE 603.5.6.1
DISTANCE BETWEEN TREE CANOPIES
Distance between tree canopies by percent of slope
Required Distances Between Edge of
Percent of Slope Mature Tree Canopies
0 to 20 10 feet
21 to 40 20 feet
41 plus 30 feet

603.5.7 Fuel Management Zones. Fuel modified defensible space shall be comprised of three distinct fuel management zones referred to as, "Zone 0", "Zone 1", and "Zone 2".

603.5.7.1 Zone 0. Zone 0 shall consist of the area from the exterior wall surface or patio, deck or attachment to building or structure extending 5 feet on a horizontal plane. This zone shall be constructed of continuous hardscape or non-combustible materials. Removal of combustible materials surrounding the exterior wall area and maintaining the area free and clear of combustible materials requires routine maintenance. The use of mulch and other combustible materials shall be prohibited unless approved by the code official.

603.5.7.2 Zone 1. Zone 1 is the immediate edge of Zone 0 extending out in a horizontal plane from the structure to 50 feet. This zone shall consist of planting of low growth, drought tolerant and fire resistive plant species. The height of the plants in this zone states at 6" adjacent to Zone 0 and extending in a linear fashion up to a maximum of 18" at intersection of Zone 2. Vegetation in this zone shall be irrigated and not exceed 6' in height and shall be moderate in nature in accordance with Section 603.4. Firewood inside this zone shall be piled at least 30 feet away from all buildings and structures. Cords of firewood shall also be maintained at least 10 feet from property lines and not stacked under tree canopy drip lines. This area is the least flammable, and consists of pavement, walkways, turf and permanently landscaped, irrigated and maintained ornamental planting.

603.5.7.3 Zone 2. Zone 2 is the immediate edge of Zone 1 extending out in a horizontal plane for 50 feet. This zone consists of planting fire-smart plant species of at moderate height. Vegetation shall be limbed up off the ground, so that the lowest branches are onethird the height of the vegetation or up to 6 feet off the ground on mature trees. In this zone, no more than 50% of the native, non-irrigated vegetation shall be retained.

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• (Ord. 629, 12/10/2025)

Whenever the Fire Marshal disapproves an application or refuses to grant a permit applied for, or when it is claimed that the provisions of the code do not apply, or that the true intent and meaning of the code have been misconstrued or wrongly interpreted, the applicant may appeal the decision of the Fire Marshal to the City Council. A letter of appeal shall be submitted to the City Clerk within 30 days from the date of the decision being appealed. The appeal shall be heard by the City Council at the next available meeting.

(Ord. 629, 12/10/2025)

The City Manager, the Fire Chief, and the Fire Marshal shall act as a committee to determine and specify, after giving affected person an opportunity to be heard, any new materials, processes or occupancies for which permits are required in addition to those now enumerated in the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code and International Wildland-Urban Interface Code. The Fire Marshal shall post such list in a conspicuous place in the office of the City Clerk, at the bureau of fire prevention and distribute copies thereof to interested persons. (Ord. 629, 12/10/2025)

• A. Any person who violates any provision of this Ordinance or of the code or standards adopted by reference in this Ordinance, is guilty of a misdemeanor. The imposition of one penalty for any violation shall not excuse the violation or permit it to continue; and all such persons shall be required to correct or remedy such violations or defects within a reasonable time; and when not otherwise specified, each ten (10) days that prohibited conditions are maintained shall constitute a separate offense.

• B. The application of the above penalties shall not prevent the enforced removal of prohibited conditions.

(Ord. 629, 12/10/2025)