California Rural Homesite
Safety
Don't forget to check into these considerations. It may save
your life or your life savings.
Fire
Most rural homesites have no fire hydrants for hundreds or thousands
of feet. This may be reflected in the cost of insuring your home. Protect
your home from wildfire as discussed below. Keep fire extinguishers
on hand. Consider water storage tanks. You can help avoid losing your
home to a forest fire and comply with State Law by clearing within at
least 30' of all buildings and maintain a fuel break beyond that. Fire
travels fastest uphill on steeper slopes, so pay particular attention
to the downhill side of your house. The local fire department or forestry
department can assist you with a plan. Avoid wood shingles even if local
codes still allow
them, because cinders from a nearby fire can ignite your roof. If possible,
irrigate the areas around your house. Clear brush back from driveways
and access roads to provide additional fire break opportunities. If
possible, construct your access road and driveway wide enough to allow
trucks to enter and vehicles to get out. Provide truck turn-around areas
and turnouts for vehicles to pass. Provide all-weather surfaces for
year-around fire protection. The State of California has enacted a
number of mandatory fire safe standards. Check with your local fire
district or California Division of Forestry office for details. Your
local Building Department may also be aware of these requirements. Fire
insurance is a must.
Police
Most rural areas are served by the county sheriff's department. Small
towns sometimes have their own police department. You can contact the
local law enforcement agency for details if this is important to you.
Fortunately, many rural areas are not high crime areas. The most common
crime facing a rural home is the possibility of burglary while you're
away. Hide your valuables as best you can, use your safe deposit box,
buy insurance, participate in neighborhood watch groups, and hope for
the best. Oh, a properly managed watchdog can't hurt.
Slides
Some areas are prone to earth or mudslides during wet, winter weather.
This possibility is related to the type of soil and steepness. Construction
of driveways, pads, and foundations can increase slide potential. Look
at other similar properties for signs of problems. On steep hills prone
to slipping, trees often lean down the hill showing signs of gradual
movement. If your construction will be on steep slopes, especially those
over 30%, you should consult a geotechnical engineer. The local
building department can also assist you in evaluating this consideration.
Floods
Areas adjacent to rivers, streams, and ravines are subject to flooding
during periods of heavy storms. Many counties and cities maintain flood
mapping and participate in a national flood insurance program. You can
review or buy the mapping from the Planning or Public Works Departments.
The mapping usually shows the "100 year flood limits." DON'T RELY COMPLETELY
on these maps. For one thing, the 100 year flood is not the largest
flood event that can occur. Also, these maps are usually prepared in
a broad brushed fashion from aerial mapping. Sometimes the mapping is
inaccurate. The best advice is to use common sense and set buildings
back even further from flood areas if possible. A civil engineer can
help you evaluate your building site for flood potential.
Driveways
Other than excessive steepness, the driveway safety issue is sight distance.
Can you see each way when you exit your driveway to be safe? Sometimes
driveway construction results in cut slopes that block your view. Sometimes
vegetation on adjoining property is a problem. Also consider the left
turn into the driveway, will you be sitting on a blind curve waiting
to get rear ended? Constructing new driveways onto City or County streets
usually requires that you first obtain an encroachment permit from the
local public works department. Often this department will check sight
distance. A civil engineer can also help you evaluate these
issues. Don't forget that your driveway is an important fire safety
improvement. It should allow access and evacuation during a fire. It
should extend to your improvements so that fire fighters can get there.
It should have the brush and vegetation cleared back for 10' on each
side, to form a fire break.
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California Rural Homesite Index
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