A. Vegetation Control:
1. Any new construction, alteration, moving, or change of use of a habitable structure shall be required to establish a minimum fifty foot (50') defensible space around the perimeter of any habitable structure. Property owners shall be responsible for maintaining the defensible space, unless such responsibility is transferred to another party through a binding contract. The defensible space shall meet the following criteria:
a. Only single specimens of trees, ornamental vegetation, cultivated ground cover (such as green grass, ivy, succulents, or similar plants), or native grasses and weeds trimmed to a maximum height of four inches (4"), are allowed within the defensible space, provided any such plants do not form a means of readily transmitting fire. All other vegetation shall be removed from the defensible space. See section 8-1A-2, "Figure 9", of this title.
b. All deadwood shall be removed from trees within the defensible space. Clusters or groups of trees shall be thinned such that the tree crowns do not overlap. Trees within the defensible space shall be pruned to remove all limbs located below six feet (6') from the adjacent grade. See section 8-1A-2, "Figure 10", of this title.
c. Tree crowns shall be pruned to maintain a minimum horizontal clearance of ten feet (10') from any structure or outlet of a chimney.
d. Liquefied petroleum gas containers shall be located within the defensible space in accord with the applicable code as adopted by the state of Idaho.
e. Firewood and combustible material shall not be stored in unenclosed spaces beneath structures, on decks, or under eaves, canopies, or other projections or overhangs. All firewood and combustible material stored in the defensible space shall be located a minimum of twenty feet (20') from structures and separated from the crown of trees by a minimum horizontal distance of fifteen feet (15').
f. Agricultural structures, as herein defined, shall not be allowed within the defensible space.
g. All accessory structures within the defensible space must meet the fire resistive construction standards for structures as established by the Ada County building code as set forth in title 7, chapter 2 of this code.
h. If an abutting public street or approved private road meets the standards for the defensible space as set forth above, the width of such roadway shall be counted as part of the defensible space.
2. All areas adjacent to private roads and driveways shall be cleared of vegetation. Single specimens of trees, ornamental vegetation, cultivated ground cover (such as green grass, ivy, succulents, or similar plants), or native grasses and weeds trimmed to a maximum height of four inches (4"), are allowed, provided any such plants do not form a means of readily transmitting fire.
a. For driveways, all areas within five feet (5') of each side of the driveway shall be cleared.
b. For private roads, the area encompassed by the travelway plus five feet (5') on each side of the travelway, measured from the outside edge of the travelway, shall be cleared of all flammable vegetation.
3. All vegetation shall be cleared from within thirty one inches (31") of any above grade electrical distribution and transmission lines.
4. All vegetation shall be cleared from within ten (10) radial feet of any noninsulated energized electrical conductor and associated live parts. Cultivated ground cover (such as green grass, ivy, succulents, or similar plants), or native grasses and weeds trimmed to a maximum height of four inches (4"), are allowed provided any such plants do not form a means of readily transmitting fire.
5. For new driveways, new construction, or moving of structures on a site, the areas that require vegetation removal shall be located within the property boundaries. The director may approve a lesser standard if one or both of the following findings can be made:
a. The property abuts a public or approved private road as set forth in subsection A1h of this section; and/or
b. Severe topographic or other site constraints exist that prohibit locating new construction to meet the specified standard.
6. For the purposes of this section, the term "cleared" shall mean the removal of all vegetation with the following exception: single specimens of trees, ornamental vegetation, cultivated ground cover (such as green grass, ivy, succulents, or similar plants), and native grasses and weeds trimmed to a maximum height of four inches (4"), are allowed provided any such plants do not form a means of readily transmitting fire.
7. It is not the intent of this section to require an owner to relocate existing habitable structures, driveways, or utilities, nor to require an owner to remove vegetation from an abutting property.
B. Private Roads:
1. Vehicular turnouts for emergency vehicles shall be required on all new private roads. Such turnouts shall be spaced at a maximum interval of seven hundred feet (700') and shall be a minimum of eight feet (8') wide and thirty feet (30') long. Road construction and vehicular turnarounds shall meet the private road standards as set forth in section 8-4D-4 of this title. Driveways that meet turnout standards shall be counted as turnouts, provided they are a minimum of twenty feet (20') wide and thirty feet (30') long.
2. Maintenance of the private road shall include vegetation control as specified in subsection A2b of this section.
C. New Subdivisions And Planned Unit Developments:
1. Fire hazards and emergency access roads shall be evaluated by a licensed fire professional engineer retained by the applicant to determine site specific hazards and proper accessibility for emergency vehicles. The licensed fire professional engineer shall also prepare a fire protection plan that is specifically tailored to the proposed subdivision or planned unit development and shall consist of the following:
a. Completed fire hazard severity form from the current international urban-wildland interface code, appendix C, using nationally recognized standards;
b. A fire protection plan map showing the roadway, turnouts, turnarounds, terminus and lots;
c. Determination of fuel model loading;
d. Required signage for turnouts, turnarounds and fire lane parking;
e. Required number and placement of turnouts based on development density and roadway width;
f. Requirements for fire resistance rated construction;
g. Required road width or required interconnected system of roadways and fire accesses.
2. The fire protection plan shall be reviewed by the applicable fire district, or if no fire district, the Ada County sheriff, with advice from the Idaho state fire marshal, as part of the agency review process of subdivisions and planned unit developments.
D. Alternative Development Proposal: The director may approve, or recommend approval of, an alternative development proposal when the overall design, as proposed by the applicant, meets or exceeds the intent and the requirements of this article and shall not be detrimental to public health, safety, and welfare. (Ord. 389, 6-14-2000; amd. Ord. 426, 9-26-2001; amd. Ord. 490, 4-9-2003; amd. Ord. 560, 8-24-2004; amd. Ord. 592, 8-2-2005; amd. Ord. 628, 7-12-2006; amd. Ord. 699, 6-18-2008)