Why is there no official California plant list

Because the state’s wildfire rules are not a planting palette. Public Resources Code 4291 is 100 feet of defensible space, more intense fuel reduction between 5 and 30 feet, and an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of the structure, based on board regulations. Fuel includes cultivated landscape plants. 2022 Chapter 7A applies to building materials, systems and/or assemblies. Its definition of fire-resistant vegetation is traits, plus a note naming example publications, not a CAL FIRE list. UC ANR: No plant is fire-proof.

You are holding a nursery tag and looking for the official California list that would tell you whether to plant it. PRC 4291 is a clearance and fuel-condition statute. Chapter 7A is a construction chapter. This directory’s California plant evidence is USDA distribution plus computed rows. Those are three different objects.

This is not a California doorway. Zone 0 is still not a planting list.

Why it matters

People treat “California has no list” as a permit to plant anything, or as proof this directory is pretending to be CAL FIRE. Neither follows. 4291 already counts cultivated landscape plants as fuel. Chapter 7A already tells the building official how to test a wall, a vent, and a roof. The missing state plant list is a missing palette. It is not a missing ignition problem.

CAL FIRE’s defensible-space HTML (fire.ca.gov/dspace and readyforwildfire.org) returned Access Denied this session. This page does not quote those hosts. The statute and the opened 2022 chapter are what opened.

CWUIC is this site’s name for the live California book as of 1 January 2026. Chapter 7A is the search name. This page quotes the 2022 Chapter 7A text. It does not open CWUIC here.

How it works

PRC 4291 (opened statute, amended 13 October 2025):

• Applies to a building or structure in the state responsibility area.
• 100 feet of defensible space from each side and from the front and rear, not beyond the property line except as provided.
• Fuels maintained and spaced so a wildfire would be unlikely to ignite the structure.
• More intense fuel reductions between 5 and 30 feet. Ember-resistant zone within 5 feet, based on board regulations.
• Fuel means any combustible material, including petroleum-based products, cultivated landscape plants, grasses and weeds, and wildland vegetation.
• Also: 10 feet of clearance from a chimney or stovepipe outlet; plants adjacent to or overhanging a building free of dead or dying wood; roof free of leaves, needles, or other vegetative materials.
• The board shall post a guidance document on fuels management with regionally appropriate vegetation management suggestions. That document was not opened this session. Suggestions in a guidance document are still not a mandatory state plant list.

2022 Chapter 7A (opened text):

• 701A.1 Scope: building materials, systems and/or assemblies in the exterior design and construction of new buildings in a WUI Fire Area.
• 701A.2 Purpose: resist intrusion of flames or burning embers projected by a vegetation fire.
• FIRE-RESISTANT VEGETATION: high moisture content, little accumulation of dead vegetation, and low sap or resin content, so the plant is less likely to ignite or contribute heat or spread flame than native vegetation typically found in the region.
• Note (not a CAL FIRE table): example sources are Fire-resistant Plants for Home Landscapes (Pacific Northwest Extension), Home Landscaping for Fire (University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources), and the Sunset Western Garden Book.
• 701A.5: vegetation-management compliance with California Fire Code Section 4906, including PRC 4291 or Government Code 51182, before permit final. That is a clearance check, not a species list.

UC ANR sheet (opened PDF):

• No plant is fire-proof.
• Evergreen plants that hold moisture and have watery or milky sap are more resistant than resinous plants or plants with volatile oils.
• Some plants are fire resistant when young and fire-prone when they accumulate dead wood.
• Choosing fire-resistant plants is only as good as pruning, irrigating, and cleanup.

See fire-resistant is not fireproof for the PNW 590 sentence Chapter 7A’s note points at.

This directory:

• California plant evidence is USDA distribution, not an official palette.
• Salvia rosmarinus (rosemary) currently computes as conflict. Fire Safe Marin, a California source stored on that record, lists it as fire-prone. The USDA states array on that record does not currently include CA, so rosemary may not appear on the California catalog page. See why rosemary is disputed.
• Nerium oleander currently computes as conflict and does carry CA. That is a conflict you can actually open on the California list.

The paths

What people mix up

• “No official list” with “plants don’t matter.” 4291 already counts cultivated plants as fuel.
• Chapter 7A with a planting guide. 701A.1 is building materials.
• 2022 Chapter 7A with the 2026 live book. Confirm CWUIC.
• This directory’s California page with a state palette.
• On-list or conflict as Zone 0. Zone 0 is not a planting list.
• UC ANR’s “no plant is fire-proof” as a CAL FIRE HTML sentence. The CAL FIRE HTML did not open.

How to check

1. Open PRC 4291. Read the 100-foot rule, the 5-and-30 language, the ember-resistant zone, and the definition of fuel.
2. Open 2022 Chapter 7A §701A.1, §701A.2, the fire-resistant vegetation definition, and §701A.5.
3. Open the UC ANR sheet. Read the first sentence.
4. Open California plant evidence. Distribution is not a recommendation.
5. Open Salvia rosmarinus and Nerium oleander. Read the conflict rows. Do not average them.
6. Do not plant in Zone 0.

Limits

This page quotes opened PRC 4291, opened 2022 Chapter 7A text on UpCodes, the opened UC ANR sheet, and stored plant records. CAL FIRE defensible-space HTML returned Access Denied and is not quoted. The board’s 4291(e) fuels-management guidance document was not opened. CWUIC was not opened. This page does not decide whether Zone 0 regulations are in force on a given lot; that is the Zone 0 guide. Zone 0 is not a planting list.

Related records

• Salvia rosmarinus
• Nerium oleander
• California plant evidence
• Why rosemary is disputed
• Fire-resistant is not fireproof
• Zone 0 in California, Oregon, Firewise, and IBHS
• Glossary: Chapter 7A
• Glossary: CWUIC
• Glossary: defensible space