Zone Zero is the first five feet around a home, and it is the most important place to make fire-resistant, because wind-blown embers collect there and ignite whatever is flammable. In San Diego County, a Zone Zero landscape uses non-combustible materials and a few well-watered low plants instead of dry brush, wood mulch and shrubs pressed against the walls.
What is Zone Zero?
Zone Zero is the ember-resistant zone from the base of a house or attached structure out to about five feet. Most homes that burn in wildfires ignite from embers landing on or next to the structure, not from a wall of flame. Keeping this strip free of fuel is one of the most effective things a homeowner can do. California law directed the state to define Zone Zero standards, so check the current rules with your local fire authority before you build.
What goes in a Zone Zero landscape?
Good Zone Zero materials do not burn: concrete or paver walkways, decomposed granite, gravel, flagstone and bare mineral soil. If you want plants, use a few low, well-irrigated plants with high moisture content, such as many succulents, kept trimmed and free of dead material, with plenty of space between them.
What should be removed from Zone Zero?
Remove dead leaves, dry brush and needle litter from roofs, gutters and the ground against the house. Replace wood-chip mulch right next to the structure with gravel or decomposed granite. Move firewood, wood furniture and flammable storage away from the walls, and keep resinous or oily shrubs, such as junipers, away from the building.
Can a Zone Zero garden still look good?
Yes. Gravel paths, flagstone, raised planters set out from the wall and drought-tolerant succulents make an attractive, low-maintenance border around a home, and they save water. Edible and larger plants can go farther out, in the zones beyond the first five feet, where spacing and pruning matter more than total removal.
Who designs and installs Zone Zero landscapes in San Diego County?
Fresh New Fruit Landscaping is a California C-27 licensed landscaping contractor (License #1097486). Owner Jeremy Olin was trained in Zone Zero standards at the fire safety garden at San Diego Botanic Garden and has built large fire safety gardens. We serve Oceanside, Escondido, San Diego and the rest of San Diego County. See our projects, learn about plants and maintenance, or call (619) 776-4167 for a free quote.
Last updated October 2026.