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USFA home ignition zones
The U.S. Fire Administration, on 16 December 2024, told fire departments to teach three home ignition zones. Immediate is the home and 0 to 5 feet. Intermediate is 5 to 30 feet. Extended is 30 to 100 feet. NIST, IBHS, and Jack Cohen (retired, USFS Missoula) are the researchers named on that page. This is outreach, not adopted code.
You are holding a leaf blower at the foundation, looking at a 30-foot Ready.gov printout and a five-foot IBHS photo. USFA splits the lot into three bands. Empty the first five feet before you argue about the hundred.
Why it matters
Embers collect at the wall. USFA calls the immediate zone the most important. A mowed 30-foot lawn with bark against the siding is the intermediate zone done and the immediate zone skipped.
How it works
Immediate (0–5 feet, including the house). Keep roofs and gutters free of dead leaves, debris, and pine needles. Replace or repair loose or missing shingles or roof tiles. Move mulch, flammable plants, leaves, needles, and firewood piles off exterior walls.
Intermediate (5–30 feet). Mow lawns and native grasses to four inches. Remove ladder fuels under trees. Prune trees 6 to 10 feet from the ground.
Extended (30–100 feet). Clean ground litter and debris. Remove dead plants and trees. Clear plants and trees from around storage sheds and out-buildings.
The paths
- USFA three-zone walk (this page). Federal outreach with named distances.
- Ready.gov one-zone walk. At least 30 feet, plus a clean room for smoke. See Ready.gov wildfire and the house.
- Zone 0 / Zone 1 / Zone 2. IBHS and California numbering. See zone bands.
- Adopted construction or a designation inspection. Different files. See IBHS does not replace adopted code.
What people mix up
- Treating USFA’s 6-to-10-foot prune as Oregon OSFM’s 6-foot / one-third-height rule.
- Treating Ready.gov’s 30-foot sentence as a skip for the first five feet.
- Treating this article as an IBHS evaluation.
How to check
- Walk 0–5 feet with USFA’s three bullets in hand.
- Open the document you will actually be scored on (OSFM, IBHS, CAL FIRE, local ordinance) and keep the names straight.
- Photograph the wall base, the gutter, and the first five feet before you file anything.
Limits
The article still carries a COVID-era closing line about working individually; this page does not treat that line as current operating guidance. USFA does not inspect your house. This page does not decide a permit.
Related records
Questions
Is USFA’s immediate zone the same as Zone 0?
Both talk about the first five feet. USFA’s 16 December 2024 article calls it the immediate zone, the home plus 0 to 5 feet, and the most important zone. Zone 0 on this site is the IBHS and California picture. Cite the document you are scoring. Do not merge the names.
Ready.gov says 30 feet. Which is it?
Ready.gov’s wildfire page, opened 26 August 2026, asks for a fire-resistant zone for at least 30 feet from the home. USFA splits 0–5, 5–30, and 30–100. Do the first five feet either way. Do not treat 30 feet as a substitute for emptying the first five.
Does USFA’s prune-to-6-to-10-feet match Oregon’s checklist?
No. USFA’s intermediate zone says prune trees 6 to 10 feet from the ground. Oregon OSFM Version 1 uses 6 feet on trees over 18 feet, or one-third height on shorter trees. CAL FIRE’s ladder example is three times shrub height. Keep those pictures apart. See ladder fuels.
If I do USFA’s list, am I inspected?
No. The article is outreach. It is not an IBHS evaluation and not a building inspection. Use it to walk the lot. Get ready for a designation inspection on the IBHS checklist if that is the file you need.