How do I know if my house is subject to brush clearance?

Ask your town hall (mairie) or check the map of legal brush clearance obligations on Géorisques. In practice, a house less than 200 m from woodland is often affected.

Who pays for brush clearance on a neighbour's land?

The owner of the building must clear the 50 m, even on the neighbouring plot. They must first ask the neighbour for permission.

Compulsory brush clearance: what the law says in Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhône

If your house is less than 200 m from woodland or forest, you generally have to clear brush within 50 m of the buildings and along your private access road. It is a legal obligation (débroussaillement), checked by the mayor, and failing to comply is penalised.

By Florian Aramand, Qualified landscaper · Published on 11 October 2026, updated on 11 October 2026

Who it applies to

The legal brush clearance obligations (obligations légales de débroussaillement, or OLD) apply to land in areas at risk of forest fires and less than 200 m from woods, forests, heathland and garrigue scrub. Pertuis, the South Luberon and much of the Pays d'Aix are affected.

It is the owner of the building who must clear the brush, even when the 50 m zone extends onto a neighbour's land: you then have to ask them for access. Check whether your plot is affected with your town hall (mairie) or on Géorisques.

The distances

50 m around buildings, building sites and installations
Private access roads: 3 m on each side in Vaucluse, 10 m on each side in Bouches-du-Rhône, with 4 m of clear height above the road
In urban zones (U zone of a local plan, PLU): the whole plot
The mayor can extend the distance to 100 m

What "clearing brush" means

Clearing brush doesn't mean razing everything. The aim is to reduce the amount of vegetation that can burn: cutting back undergrowth, spacing out trees and shrubs, removing low branches, cutting branches that touch or overhang the house, and taking away the cuttings.

Prefectoral orders (arrêtés préfectoraux) set out the technical rules (distance between tree crowns, pruning height, permitted clumps of trees). They differ slightly between Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhône.

When to do it and what you risk

Major work is best done in autumn and winter, outside the nesting season. The cleared area must then be kept in that state all year round.

If you fail to comply, the fine can reach 1,500 €, and the commune can have the work done and charge you for it. After a fire, your insurer may also hold the lack of brush clearance against you.

Good to know

Brush clearance is one of the small gardening jobs that qualify for the 50% tax credit for private households filing a French tax return.