Ventura Municipal Code Ch. 12.165 WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE STANDARDS Revised

Pursuant to Government Code Sections 50022.1 to 50022.8, inclusive, Part 9 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, known as the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code 2025 Edition (“CWUIC”), including all standard printed chapters and sections (whether adopted by the state matrix or not), is adopted by reference subject to the amendments, additions and deletions set forth in this chapter, hereinafter known as the Wildland-Urban Interface Code of the City of San Buenaventura (also known as “the code”). This adoption of the code also includes adoption by reference of CWUIC Chapters 1, subject to the amendments, additions, and deletions set forth in this code. The code will apply to all occupancies within the city’s jurisdiction. One true copy of the code is on file in the offices of the fire marshal and building official and is available for public inspection as required by law. (Ord. No. 2025-012, § 2, 11-18-25)

A. The CWUIC is therefore modified, amended, added to, and changed based on the foregoing findings as further set forth below:

1. Section 302.2.1 is added to read as follows:

Section 302.2.1 Establishment of limits. Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Area’s required vegetation management, defensible space and construction methods shall be required in the High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones within the City of San Buenaventura. The City of San Buenaventura hereby designates Very High, High and Moderate Fire Hazard Severity Zones as designated by the Director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and as depicted on a map entitled Fire Hazard Severity Zones in LRA, adopted July 1st, 2025, or as said map is subsequently amended which includes the Moderate, High and Very High Fire Severity Zones. This map is intended to supersede other maps previously adopted by the City of San Buenaventura designating high fire hazard areas.

2. Section 603.2 is amended to read as follows:

Section 603.2 Application. All new plantings of vegetation in State Responsibility Areas (SRA) and Local Responsibility Areas (LRA) designated as a High or Very High Fire Severity Zone shall comply with Sections 603.3 through 603.4.2.1.

3. Section 603.3. is amended to read as follows:

603.3 Landscape plans. Fire Resistant Landscape Plans shall be submitted and approved by the Fire Code Official prior to the framing inspection. The landscape plan shall include development and maintenance requirements for the vegetation management zone adjacent to structures and roadways and provide significant fire hazard reduction benefits for public and firefighting safety.

4. Section 603.3.1 is amended to read as follows:

A. Section 603.3.1 Contents. Landscape plans shall contain the following:

B. 0-5 Feet from Structure. Very low growing (3 inches high maximum), high water content ground cover and few small shrubs (2 feet high maximum). No landscape mulch or wood chips. Use clear soil, rocks, gravel or concrete. No Trees. This is a recommended no planting zone.

C. Delineation of the 0-5 foot, 30-foot (9144 mm) and 100-foot (30 480 mm) fuel management zones from all structures.

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

E. Identification of irrigated areas.

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

G. Identification of ground coverings within the 30-foot (9144 mm) zone.

5. Section 604.2 is amended to read as follows:

Section 604.2 Application. Buildings and structures located in the following areas shall maintain the required hazardous vegetation and fuel management:

A. All unincorporated lands designated be the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection as a State Responsibility Area (SRA).

B. Land designated as a High or High Fire Severity Zone by the fire code official.

C. Land designated in ordinance by local agencies as a High or Very High Fire Severity Zone pursuant to Government Code Section 51179.

6. Section 604.3 is amended to read as follows:

604.3 Requirements. Hazardous vegetation and fuels around all buildings and structures shall be maintained in accordance with the following laws and regulations:

A. Public Resources Code, Section 4291.

B. California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 1.5, Chapter 7, Subchapter 3, Article 3, Section 1299.03.

C. California Government Code, Section 51182.

D. California Code of Regulations, Title 19, Division 1, Chapter 7, Subchapter 1, Section 3.07.

E. Appendix J

7. Appendix J is added to read as follows:

APPENDIX J - FIRE HAZARD ABATEMENT

J101.1 Scope. This appendix provides provisions intended to identify hazard areas and mitigate the risk to life and structures from intrusion of fire from wildland fire exposures and fire exposures from adjacent structures and to mitigate fires from spreading to wildland fuels that may threaten to destroy life, overwhelm fire suppression capabilities, or result in large property loss.

J101.2 Purpose. The purpose of this appendix is to establish minimum requirements in wildland-urban interface areas that will increase the ability of buildings to resist the intrusion of flame or burning embers being projected by a vegetation fire including the identification of hazardous fire areas that require applicable defensible space provisions provided for in this code and enforced by the fire code official and applicable state and local fire-resistive building standards that are required by the local building official.

J102 Definitions.

J102.1 Definitions. For the purpose of this Appendix, certain terms are defined as follows:

"Combustible Material" includes seasonal and recurrent weeds, stubble, brush, dry leaves, tumbleweeds, rubbish, litter or flammable materials of any kind.

"Defensible Space" is an area either natural or man-made, where material capable of allowing a fire to spread unchecked has been treated, cleared or modified to slow the rate and intensity of an advancing wildfire and to create an area for fire suppression operations to occur.

"Hazardous Fire Area" is land which is covered with grass, grain, brush, or forest, whether publicly or privately owned, which is so situated or is of such inaccessible location that a fire originating upon such land would present an abnormally difficult job of suppression or would potentially result in great and unusual damage through fire or resulting erosion. Such areas are designated by the fire code official. The fire code official is authorized to utilize as reference the definition of Hazardous Watershed Fire Area, Local Agency Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps designated pursuant to California Government Code Sections 51175 through 51189 and the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code.

"Hazardous Watershed Fire Area" is a location within 500 feet of a forest or brush-, grass-, or grain-covered land, exclusive of small individual lots or parcels of land located outside of a forest or brush-, grass-, or grain-covered area.

"Parcel" is a portion of land of any size, the area of which is determined by the assessor’s maps and records and may be identified by an assessor’s parcel number whether or not any buildings are present.

"Public Nuisance" is a declaration by the fire code official that the presence of combustible material on a parcel creates a fire hazard.

"Wildland-Urban Interface Area" is that geographical area where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with wildland or vegetative fuels.

J103 Unlawful Disposal. Every person who places, deposits or dumps combustible material on a parcel whether or not he owns such parcel, or whether or not he so places, deposits or dumps on such parcel with the consent of the owner thereof, is subject to civil penalties as set forth in Chapter 1.50 of the San Buenaventura Municipal Code and to criminal penalties as set forth in the California Health and Safety Code Section 13871.

J104 Clearance of Brush, Vegetative Growth and Combustible Material from Parcels. All parcels declared a public nuisance shall be cleared entirely of combustible material. If the fire code official determines this impractical due to hazards posed by the resulting clearance, the provisions of Section J105 may be used.

J105 Clearance of Brush and Vegetative Growth Away from Structures. Any person owning, leasing, controlling, operating or maintaining any building in, upon, or adjoining any hazardous fire area, and any person owning, leasing or controlling any land adjacent to such building, shall at all times maintain around and adjacent to such building an effective firebreak made by removing and clearing away all combustible material for a distance of not less than 100 feet from all portions of the building, as per the Fire Hazard Reduction Program zone requirements and as listed in Sections J105.1 and J105.2.

Exception: Single specimens or stands of protected species of trees, ornamental shrubbery or similar plants used as ground cover, provided they do not form a means of rapidly transmitting a fire from the native growth to any building.

J105.1 Zone 1: This is a limited planting area within 30 feet of structures.

A. Remove portions of any tree or combustible material that extends within 10 feet of a chimney or 5 feet of a roof.

B. Remove leaves, needles or other vegetation on roofs, gutters, decks, porches, stairways, etc.

C. Remove all dead and dying trees, branches, shrubs, or other vegetation adjacent to or overhanging structures.

D. Remove all dead and dying grass, plants, shrubs, trees, branches, leaves, weeds and needles and maintain annual grasses to a maximum of 4 inches in height.

E. Remove or separate live flammable ground cover and shrubs so that groupings are limited to a 10-foot diameter and spaced 5 feet from any other groupings.

F. Remove flammable vegetation and items that could catch fire which are adjacent to or below combustible decks, balconies, and stairs.

G. Relocate exposed wood piles exceeding 55 cubic feet (approximately 2 feet deep by 5 feet wide and 5 feet high) outside of Zone 1.

H. Prune lower branches of trees to a height of 6 to 15 feet (or 1/3 tree height for trees under 18 feet).

F105.2 Zone 2: This is the area from outer edge of Zone 1 to 100 feet of structures.

A. Cut annual grasses and forbs to a maximum of 4 inches in height.

B. Maintain trees exceeding 6 feet in height so limbs are not within 5 feet of the ground or 1/3 the heig

outside of Zone 1.

H. Prune lower branches of trees to a height of 6 to 15 feet (or 1/3 tree height for trees under 18 feet).

F105.2 Zone 2: This is the area from outer edge of Zone 1 to 100 feet of structures.

A. Cut annual grasses and forbs to a maximum of 4 inches in height.

B. Maintain trees exceeding 6 feet in height so limbs are not within 5 feet of the ground or 1/3 the height of the tree (whichever is less). The horizontal distance between crown of trees and crowns of adjacent trees or unmodified fuel must be at least 10 feet.

C. All exposed woodpiles must have a minimum of 10 feet clearance, down to bare mineral soil, in all directions.

D. Dead and dying woody surface fuels and aerial fuels shall be removed. Loose surface litter, normally consisting of fallen leaves or needles, twigs, bark, cones, and small branches, shall be permitted to a maximum depth of 3 inches.

E. Live flammable ground cover less than 18 inches in height may remain, but overhanging and adjacent trees must be pruned to a height of 6 to 15 feet.

F105.3 Other Requirements.

A. Logs/Stumps. Logs or stumps embedded in the soil must be removed or isolated from other vegetation.

B. Out Buildings/LPG. Outbuildings and Liquid Propane Gas (LPG) storage tanks shall have 10 feet of clearance to bare mineral soil and no flammable vegetation for an additional 10 feet around their exterior, pursuant to 14 CCR Section 1299.03(c)(1).

1. Address numbers. Address numbers shall be displayed in contrasting colors and readable from the street or access road as per Section 505.

2. Chimney screens. Equip chimney or stovepipe openings with a metal screen having openings between 3/8 inch and 1/2 inch or spark arresters as per Section 603.6.6.

3. Hydrant. Clear vegetation and obstruction within 3 feet of any fire hydrant.

F106 Prosecution. The fire code official shall serve a written order upon the owner or possessor of a parcel, when in the opinion of the fire code official, a public nuisance exists thereon. The order shall direct such owner or possessor to remove or abate the public nuisance per the procedures and time frames outlined in Chapter 8.10 of the San Buenaventura Municipal Code.

(Ord. No. 2025-012, § 2, 11-18-25)