Existing law requires a person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains an occupied dwelling or occupied structure in, upon, or adjoining a mountainous area, forest-covered land, brush-covered land, grass-covered land, or land that is covered with flammable material within a very high fire hazard severity zone to at all times maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, as provided. Existing law establishes in the Natural Resources Agency vests control of the state park system with the Department of Parks and Recreation. Existing law provides that the department has the right to remove and dispose of debris deposited on public beaches, waterways, or lands within the state park system when the deposits create a hazard or impediment to public safety, enjoyment, and use of the public beach, waterway, or land.

This bill would would, until January 1, 2023, require the department, within 90 days of receiving a upon request by a private property owner or by an agency of local government or a local official, to reduce surface fuels or other fire hazards on the department’s property that are within 300 feet of a structure on the land of the property owner or local government, as provided. The bill would require the department to consult with department, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Protection, to determine the necessary amount of surface fuel or fire hazard reduction work. work, as prescribed.