Published
How close can trees be to a house in Fremont County?
The four numbers, in one table
Clearance here is not landscaping advice. It is Appendix S of the Fremont County Development Code (2011 Edition, Ordinance 2011-04, consolidated through Ordinance 2026-03) — the wildfire sensitive areas appendix — and it states its distances as requirements. Every figure in this table comes from that instrument, retrieved 19 August 2026:
| Where | What the code requires |
|---|---|
| Within 5 feet of any structure | No vegetation or woody growth. Firewise ornamental planting or cultivated ground cover — green grass, ivy, succulents — is allowed provided it does not readily transmit fire to the structure |
| Tree crowns near a structure | Crowns extending to within 10 feet of a structure must be pruned back to maintain at least 10 feet of horizontal clearance |
| Limbs on any tree in the space | Pruned to remove limbs less than 6 feet above the ground |
| Defensible space overall | Extends 70 feet in all directions around a residential dwelling — or to the property line, whichever is less |
One row deserves a second read before the rest: the five-foot ring. It is the strictest of the four and the one most often half-done — firewood, junipers and dry ornamentals sitting against a wall are exactly what it exists to remove.
What "whichever is less" does on a small lot
If your property line sits forty feet from the house, the required defensible space is forty feet, not seventy. The code does not ask you to clear a neighbor's ground — but it does not relieve the neighbor of the same obligation around their own dwelling. On corridor acreage the line rarely bites. Inside a platted subdivision, where lot lines run close to the building envelope, it is the number that decides how much of the seventy feet you actually owe. Which of these lot-to-lot variables bites on a specific parcel is the wider question mapped here.
The six-foot limbing rule, and why it carries the weight
Removing limbs below six feet is the rule that breaks the ladder. The code's own term is ladder fuels — vegetation that provides vertical continuity and lets fire carry from the surface into the tree crowns. A surface fire that cannot climb cannot reach the crown; a limbed stand is a stand a ground fire walks under instead of up.
Two more definitions from the appendix change how a site reads. The code's list of fuels includes trees, shrubs, plants, grass, rotting wood, leaves — and structures. A woodshed, a detached garage or a neighbor's outbuilding is not merely a thing to protect; under the code it is part of what burns. And fuel modification is defined as any manipulation or removal of fuels to reduce the likelihood of ignition — which is what every row in the table above is asking you to do.
Which ground the clearance rules attach to
The numbers above apply inside what the appendix calls wildfire sensitive areas — and any new subdivision or new construction in a wildfire sensitive area must comply with its requirements. What makes ground sensitive is defined, and the definition has a percentage in it:
"At Risk Wildfire Sensitive Areas are areas that have been identified as moderate to high risk on their most recent wildfire risk analysis which may include any area one acre or larger in size that has highly flammable species such as cedar or pines, where 80% or more of all the dominant trees, at crown level, are made up of such conifer species." — Fremont County Development Code, 2011 Edition (Ordinance 2011-04), Appendix S, section 1.02.060. Retrieved 19 August 2026
Read it as a three-part test: an area of at least one acre, conifers making up 80 percent or more of the dominant trees at crown level, and a moderate-to-high rating on the most recent wildfire risk analysis. The definition also reaches stands of predominantly deciduous species where terrain, slope and aspect combine for a substantial wildfire threat — a south-facing slope can qualify ground with no pine on it. One exclusion: none of the appendix applies to timber stands or pine plantations managed for timber production, wildlife, hydrology or recreation.
Whether a specific parcel has been rated — and what the rating was — is a per-parcel question. Planning & Building answers it at the Fremont County Courthouse, 151 West 1st North, St. Anthony, (208) 624-7200.
The wider regime this sits inside — the Wildfire Sensitive Area Plan filed with the preliminary plat, the duty to notify each lot purchaser, the clearing required along roads, driveways and overhead power lines, and the dry-hydrant rule for subdivisions without public water — is mapped on the wildfire sensitive areas page. Its clearing requirement along power lines is worth reading beside how power actually reaches a corridor lot.
What to settle before you design or buy
- Ask whether the parcel has been rated on a wildfire risk analysis, and what the rating was. The desk is Planning & Building at the courthouse in St. Anthony, (208) 624-7200.
- Walk the distances on the actual lot. Where would seventy feet fall — and does the property line cut it short on any side?
- If the ground is in a platted subdivision, ask whether a Wildfire Sensitive Area Plan exists — and whether your intended house position and driveway match what was filed.
- If construction moves the house pad or the drive, tell the Planning Department. Lot purchasers are required to be notified of the appendix's requirements — and of the need to report amendments to the plan when a structure or driveway changes location.
- Check the clearing is compatible with the lot you wanted. Seventy feet of managed ground on the side a fire would most likely come from, given slope and wind, is a design decision as much as a compliance one.
Then call or text (208) 656-1516 and pressure-test the plan for your actual lot.
Common questions
How close can trees be to my house in Fremont County?
No woody growth within 5 feet of any structure; tree crowns extending to within 10 feet of a structure must be pruned back to maintain at least 10 feet of horizontal clearance; limbs less than 6 feet above the ground must be pruned off; and defensible space extends 70 feet in all directions around a residential dwelling, or to the property line if that is nearer.
Do I have to limb the trees?
Yes, within the defensible space: the code requires trees to be pruned to remove limbs located less than six feet above the ground surface. That rule breaks up ladder fuels — the vertical continuity that lets fire carry from the surface into the crowns.
Does the 70 feet apply on a small lot?
The requirement is 70 feet in all directions or to the property line, whichever is less. On a small lot the property line caps it — the code does not ask you to clear a neighbor's ground, though the neighbor carries the same obligation around their own dwelling.
Does this apply to a single house or only to subdivisions?
Both. The appendix states that any new subdivision or new construction in areas defined as wildfire sensitive must comply with its requirements.
What makes an area wildfire sensitive?
Identification as moderate to high risk on the most recent wildfire risk analysis. That may include any area one acre or larger where 80 percent or more of the dominant trees at crown level are highly flammable conifer species such as cedar or pine, and it can extend to deciduous stands where terrain, slope and aspect combine for a substantial threat.
I moved my house pad or driveway during construction — does anyone need to know?
Yes. The code requires each lot purchaser to be notified of the appendix's requirements and of the need to notify the Planning Department of amendments to the Wildfire Sensitive Area Plan if the location of a proposed structure or driveway changes for construction reasons.
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