Important Habitat Information
If your property is under notification for code violations you are not automatically exempt from regulations/statutes pertaining to environmental issues.
Land owners who have been noticed of the existence of a rare, threatened, of endangered plant on the property to be cleared must notify the Department of Fish and Game at least ten (10) days in advance of undertaking the vegetation clearance. If the landowner is aware of any state or federal listed species on the property, then the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Fish and Game should be notified prior to abatement. If a state or federal candidate or species is killed, injured and captured, the landowner shall report this information to the Department of Fish and Game or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, respectfully. If you suspect you may have species of coastal sage or known Gnatcatcher habitat on your property or are in question, a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife may be required prior to clearing.
One of our goals at FPSI is to minimize the adverse impacts to naturally occurring ecosystems caused by fire prevention measures while still providing an acceptable level of protection to life and property from the spread of fire.
If you anticipate clearing naturally occurring vegetation due to regulatory requirements or your own, it is in your best interest to insure you will not be harming protected species/habitat or violating local, state and/or federal law.
If you suspect the presence of protected habitat/species there are various agencies you can contact such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game, your municipal planning department.