St. Helena Municipal Code Ch. 15.56 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code Adopted

CALIFORNIA WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE CODE ADOPTED

Sections:

• 15.56.010 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code—Adopted.

• 15.56.020 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code—Amendments.

The 2025 Edition of the California Building Standards Code, known as the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 7, published by the California Building Standards Commission, is hereby adopted in its entirety with the following amendments. (Ord. 26-3 § 3 (Exh. A))

• A. Section 103.1.1., Application Date and Where Required, is amended by adding:

land designated by cities and other local agencies including:

• 2.1 Moderate Fire Hazard Severity Zones

• 2.2 High Fire Hazard Severity Zones

• B. Section 604.6, Defensible Space for Structures and Roads, is added to read as follows:

A. General. Persons owning, leasing, controlling, operating or maintaining buildings or structures in, upon or adjoining hazardous fire areas, and persons owning, leasing or controlling land adjacent to such buildings or structures, shall at all times:

1. Maintain an effective fuel break by removing and clearing away flammable vegetation and combustible material from areas within 150 feet of buildings and structures;

Exception: Single specimen trees, ornamental shrubbery or similar plants used as ground covers, provided they do not form a means of rapidly transmitting fire from the native growth to any structure.

2. Remove portions of trees which extend within 10 feet of the outlet of a chimney;

3. Maintain trees adjacent to or overhanging a building free of deadwood; and

4. Maintain the roof of a structure free of leaves, needles or other dead vegetative growth.

5. Remove all limbs from trees up to no less than 6 feet from the ground.

B. Roadways. The Fire Code Official is authorized to cause areas within 10 feet on each side of portions of all roads, driveways and fire department access roads which are improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular traffic to be cleared of flammable vegetation and other combustible growth. The Fire Code Official is authorized to enter upon private property to do so.

Exception: Single specimens of trees, ornamental shrubbery or cultivated ground cover provided they do not form a means of readily transmitting fire.

C. Corrective Actions. The Fire Code Official is authorized to give notice to the owner of the property upon which conditions regulated by this section exist to correct such conditions. If the owner fails to correct such conditions, the Fire Code Official is authorized to cause the same to be done and make the expense of such correction a lien upon the property where such condition exists.

(Ord. 26-3 § 3 (Exh. A))

The St. Helena Municipal Code is current through Ordinance 26-5, passed June 23, 2026.

Disclaimer: The city clerk’s office has the official version of the St. Helena Municipal Code. Users should contact the city clerk’s office for ordinances passed subsequent to the ordinance cited above.

City Website: www.cityofsthelena.gov

Hosted by ICC Code Solutions.