Defensible Space Clearing in Cameron Park

Folks who study plants call Cameron Park interior chaparral. Translation: brush country, right where the valley ends. Lots of redbud and manzanita, with gray pines and oaks mixed in.

Brush like that burns fast. And the weather doesn't help. Summers are hot and dry, and fall is often an "extended dry, hot summer," as one local write-up puts it.

Next door is the Pine Hill Preserve, which has a Cameron Park Unit. It's nearly 5,000 acres of gabbro soil with eight rare plant species. In February 2021 the BLM ran a controlled burn of about 200 brush piles on about 20 acres in that Cameron Park Unit. Land managers clear fuel there on purpose. Your yard needs the same kind of thinking.

El Dorado County Fire says 85% of wildfires are human caused. Mowers, chains dragging, debris burning. Everyday stuff.

Cameron Park has its own rule on top of the county's. The Cameron Park CSD and its fire department first adopted a weed and rubbish abatement ordinance on March 16, 2016. Today's version is Ordinance No. 2025.05.21, and the district says it reaches all parcels inside its lines, vacant ones included.

The county's own vegetation rule, Code 8.09, covers parcels with a building anywhere in El Dorado County except the City of Placerville. State law, PRC 4291, sits under all of it.

Own an empty lot? Expect the CSD's yearly vacant lot check around May. Keeping it clear the rest of the year is on you.

Right against the house, 0 to 5 feet

El Dorado County Fire calls this Zone 0. It should be non-combustible. They say it's the zone most at risk from embers. No bark mulch, no dry plants, no woodpile.

Out to 30 feet

The CSD calls this the lean, clean and green zone. Their list:

• Clear dead plants, grass and weeds.
• Get leaves and pine needles off the yard, the roof and the gutters.
• Keep branches 10 feet away from the chimney.
• Move woodpiles out to the next zone.
• Clear under decks, balconies and stairs.
• Give sheds and propane tanks 10 feet of bare soil around them.

County Fire adds some tree rules for 5 to 30 feet out. Prune trees up 6 to 10 feet from the ground. On short trees, don't take more than a third of the height. And leave at least 18 feet between tree crowns, more on a slope.

From 30 to 100 feet

The CSD calls this the reduce fuel zone:

• Cut annual grass to 4 inches or shorter.
• Space shrubs and trees apart, side to side.
• Leave a gap between grass, shrubs and the lowest limbs.
• Fallen leaves and needles can stay, up to 3 inches deep.

That gap matters. County Fire calls the brush under trees "ladder fuels." Pull it out and flames on the ground have no way up.

Clearing jobs are priced by the job, not the tree. Big lot, steep slope, lots of manzanita, all of that adds up. These numbers come from Thumbtack and This Old House. Use them as a ballpark.

Item	Typical price
Land clearing, national range	$774-$2,462
Debris hauling	about $135 per cubic yard
Small tree out, under 30 ft	$150-$450
Pine removal	$250-$1,500
Chipping or log splitting, per tree	$50-$100
Permit, if one is needed	$50-$250 and up

Sources: Thumbtack land clearing guide (October 2026) and tree removal guide (October 2026); This Old House tree removal guide (updated March 2026).

Hauling is where costs sneak up. If chips can stay on the property, ask what that saves.

Free chipping, when there's funding

The El Dorado County Fire Safe Council gives free chipping to Western Slope homeowners when grant money is there. You do the cutting and piling, or pay someone to. Then their contractor chips the piles. The basics:

• Two free visits each year. The count resets January 1.
• Primary homes only.
• Up to six hours of chipping per visit.
• Branches up to 7 inches across. No raked needles, rotten wood or root balls.
• Chips stay on your property.
• No work on Red Flag Warning days.

Burning instead

Burning is tight in Cameron Park. The CSD allows it only the first two weeks of December and the first two weeks of April. Your lot has to be under one acre, and Cameron Park Fire requires a burn permit. Before any match comes out, dial 530-621-5897 and find out whether burning is open today.

Folks worry they'll lose all their trees. Usually not. The idea is spacing, not bare dirt.

Oaks get a break too. Per a county summary, oaks that come out for defensible space upkeep skip the oak mitigation rules. If your street has CC&Rs, check with the CSD before trees come out. See oak removal and permits.

State law AB 38 took effect July 1, 2021. If you sell in a high or very high fire zone, the buyer gets paperwork showing the home meets PRC 4291. It only applies inside those zones. The Cameron Park CSD lists an AB-38 inspection in its fee book, plus a defensible space inspection a homeowner can ask for.

• We track down a tree company that does clearing work around Cameron Park.
• We set the walk-through so you aren't chasing callbacks.
• We can point you to the CSD or county if a rule question comes up.
• It costs you nothing to call.

1. Call (530) 457-1414. Or write it up on the estimate page.
2. Tell us your lot size and whether you got a notice.
3. We put a walk-through on the calendar.
4. The pro marks what should go and writes up a price.
5. You decide. Then book the work before the next inspection round.

Dead trees in the mix? See dead tree removal in Cameron Park. Big trees over the roof? See trees close to the house. Near El Dorado Hills? Try El Dorado Hills tree removal. Or head back home.