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NEW CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS

EFFECTIVE  January 1, 2005

FIRE SAFE San Mateo County is pleased to provide you with a copy of “Living with Fire in San Mateo County” second edition.   Since its publication, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 1369.  This new law amends Section 4291 of the Public Resources Code (PRC) and Section 51182 of the Government Code (GC), relating to fire protection.

The following is a brief outline of these new fire safe requirements that are not incorporated in the attached publication:

*The minimum clearance around structures increases from 30 ft. to 100 ft.

*Local ordinance, or regulations are allowed to specify clearance distances greater than 100 feet.

*Allows insurance companies to require home/building owners to maintain fire breaks greater than 100 ft.

*In areas where PRC 4291 applies, owners proposing to build or rebuild, must obtain certification from the

  local building official that the proposed structure complies with all applicable state and local building

  standards.

*Owners must provide, upon request, a copy of the fire safe certification to their insurance company.

*After construction, the owner must obtain from the local building official, a copy of the final inspection report that demonstrates the structure was constructed in compliance with standards mentioned above.

*Owners must provide upon request, a copy of the final inspection report to their insurance company.

*Authorizes the Director of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to remove vegetation not consistent

  with PRC 4291 and if necessary, make the removal expense a lien upon the property.

If you are unsure how the various fire safe regulations affect you, or if you have questions concerning living in a fire environment, contact your local fire department or the Fire Safe Council of San Mateo County.  Working together with your appropriate fire agency and the Fire Safe Council of San Mateo County, we can achieve a reasonable level of fire protection that will protect you, your investment, the community and the environment in which we live.