Defensible Space Clearing in Carmel Highlands, CA

Steep lots above Highway 1 in the Very High zone

Carmel Highlands is unincorporated county land on the coast south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Homes climb the hills above Highway 1. Wildcat Creek and Malpaso Creek run down from those hills to the ocean. Many lots mix Monterey pine and cypress with coastal scrub and poison oak.

On CAL FIRE's State Responsibility Area map, the Highlands' residential streets sit in the Very High fire hazard zone. The district's zone page explains how the State Fire Marshal maps those zones. The zones rest on fuels, slope, fire weather and other factors. Check your own parcel on the state's online map viewer.

The district's Firewise page says Public Resources Code 4291 requires 100 feet of defensible space around a structure. That space stops at the property line. The county's wildfire plan rates the Highlands High for fuel hazard. It also rates the Highlands High for how easily homes could catch fire.

The county's coastal plan for unincorporated Carmel warns about ground like this. Poor roads and limited access on steep slopes and in canyons slow fire engines, it says, and may hinder escape. Brush cleared along a driveway or a private road gives engines more room. A fuel break along the road edge can slow a fire there too.

What does the Carmel Highlands Fire Protection District ask of owners?

The Carmel Highlands Fire Protection District was formed in 1932, and CAL FIRE staffs it by contract. The district says it serves about 1,075 people across 9 square miles. Its website posts a self-inspection form for residents. It also takes real estate inspection requests.

The district's weed abatement ordinance treats weeds and waste matter as a public nuisance. After a Notice to Abate Hazard, the district can clear the lot itself. That work becomes a lien on the lot until it is paid or collected through the tax assessment. Owners can have the work done at their own expense first. Our weed abatement work cuts a lot to what the notice asks for.

The district also funds a 2026 residential chipper program for vegetation that owners cut to reduce fire hazard. That program and its rules are the district's. The county's wildfire plan lists an Empty Lot Program and a community fuel break for the Highlands.

For a neighborhood, the district's Firewise page lays out six steps to NFPA Firewise USA recognition. One step is at least one hour of risk-reduction work per home each year. HOA common areas and private roads can go on a seasonal schedule with vegetation management.

How do the district's equipment rules shape the work?

The district's prevention page sets rules for anyone using power equipment. Every machine with an internal combustion engine needs an approved, working spark arrestor. Metal blades striking rocks can spark a fire. The page says CAL FIRE answers more than 1,600 fires a year started by equipment used the wrong way.

Creeks get special care. The district asks owners to keep heavy equipment away from waterways. It also says not to clear vegetation near them down to bare mineral soil. If Wildcat Creek, Malpaso Creek or a wet draw crosses your lot, show it in your photos. We plan the machine work around it.

Forestry mulching suits this ground. The masticating head grinds brush, saplings and small trees into mulch where they stand. The mulch stays on the ground as cover, and the soil stays in place. Larger trees and limbing are a tree service's work.

The county's wildfire plan, written in 2010, quotes the coastal rules for the Carmel area. Removing trees and other major vegetation takes a coastal development permit, with listed exceptions. One exception covers brush clearing methods that do not materially disturb the soil. Rules can change. The county's planning office answers permit questions, and we point you there.

Fires down the coast and the drive from Seaside

CAL FIRE places the 2016 Soberanes Fire at Soberanes Creek in Garrapata State Park, down the coast from the Highlands. It says the Colorado Fire started on January 21, 2022, in Palo Colorado Canyon, south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. CAL FIRE lists that fire's cause as debris burning.

On a Highlands lot, mastication turns brush into mulch on the ground where it grew. Burn rules and permits are covered in our Monterey County burn permit guide.

From Seaside, we come down Highway 1 through Monterey and past Carmel-by-the-Sea. State Parks puts the Point Lobos entrance three miles south of Carmel on Highway 1. The Highlands start just south of the reserve and run along the hills toward Malpaso Creek.