PNW Fire Hardening

Home-hardening checklist for Pacific Northwest homes

This checklist summarizes official public guidance as of November 2026. It is not a substitute for a code inspection, an IBHS designation, or insurance advice. Requirements on a given property depend on local codes, and program standards differ from one another in the details.

Home hardening means changing the building so it is less likely to ignite from embers, radiant heat, or direct flame — roofs, vents, gutters, eaves, siding, windows, and decks. Defensible space means managing vegetation and other combustibles around the building. Official sources treat the two as complementary. This page walks through a practical checklist drawn from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) Wildfire Prepared Home materials, NFPA Firewise USA® guidance, and Oregon and Washington agency publications. It is a homeowner checklist, not a promise of a certification or a discount.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s homeowner guide, citing IBHS, states that embers (firebrands) cause up to 90 percent of structural ignitions during wildfires and can travel several miles ahead of the fire. That is why small openings, debris-filled gutters, and combustible material against the walls matter as much as a distant tree line.

1. The first five feet (Zone 0)

National programs call the first five feet from the walls — and from the outer edge of decks and similar attachments — the most important band of defensible space. NFPA Firewise USA® describes an immediate, noncombustible zone in this area. IBHS’s Wildfire Prepared Home Base standard requires a 0–5-foot noncombustible zone around the home and its attachments, measured horizontally and extending vertically.

In the IBHS Base standard, that zone includes: removing vegetation (including grass, plants, shrubs, and vegetative debris) to bare mineral soil; removing trees, limbs, and vines that are in or overhang the zone; removing combustible groundcovers such as wood or rubber mulch; allowing noncombustible hardscape such as gravel, pavers, river rock, decomposed granite, or concrete; removing or replacing combustible fencing, posts, gates, and retaining walls within five feet with noncombustible material; and keeping vehicles and a long list of combustible items out of the zone, with limited stated exceptions. Read the current IBHS standard and how-to checklist if you are pursuing that designation, because the official list is detailed and can be updated.

Oregon State Fire Marshal public guidance is in the same spirit but is not worded identically. OSFM recommends a five-foot buffer with river rock, gravel, or pavers; removal of bark mulch and flammable plants; and clearing debris under decks, and it discusses fire-resistant plants starting at least five feet from the home. If you are following a specific program or a local code, use that program’s language, not a blend of sources.

2. Roof

IBHS materials for the Base designation call for a Class A fire-rated roof covering, kept clear of debris, and for noncombustible gutters and downspouts. OSFM similarly recommends a fire-resistant or noncombustible roof (it names asphalt, metal, clay tile, slate, or concrete products), regular removal of leaves and needles from the roof and gutters, attention to places where debris collects against walls or under eaves, and consideration of metal gutter covers — with a reminder that covered gutters still need to be checked.

A Class A rating is also part of the construction provisions Washington has placed in RCW 19.27.560 for when statewide WUI rules take effect after DNR’s maps are finished, and it appears in Oregon’s R327 standards where a city or county has adopted them for new construction. For an existing roof, ask your building department whether a replacement must meet a particular class. Our Oregon and Washington guides explain those codes as of November 2026.

3. Vents, including 1/8-inch mesh

Vents are a common path for embers into attics, eaves, and crawlspaces. IBHS’s Base standard allows either a performance option — corrosion-resistant vents that meet stated ASTM E2886 flame- and ember-resistance test conditions, with joints sealed per the manufacturer — or a prescriptive option: vents covered with a noncombustible, corrosion-resistant mesh with openings not larger than 1/8 inch. OSFM likewise recommends covering attic and crawlspace vents (and, in its homeowner guide, soffit vents and areas below decks) with 1/8-inch metal wire mesh, and it notes that many older screens are 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch and may be plastic.

IBHS is explicit about two exceptions: forced-air vents such as dryer and central-vacuum exhausts should have a functional louver or flap instead of mesh — mesh on a dryer vent can trap lint and create a fire hazard — and plumbing vents are excluded. Its checklist warns against mesh openings smaller than 1/8 inch, which can restrict airflow and contribute to moisture problems. If you are unsure which vents you have, look at gable ends, the ridge, soffits, the foundation, and the crawlspace, not only the obvious attic louver.

4. Gutters and eaves

Clear gutters and the roof edge of leaves and needles, especially before and during fire season, and again after windstorms. IBHS calls for noncombustible gutters and downspouts. OSFM recommends metal gutter covers as a way to reduce debris, with yearly checks. Enclosed eaves and soffits, built with noncombustible or ignition-resistant undersides, are a common home-hardening detail in IBHS checklists and in Oregon R327 where that section has been adopted. That kind of change is structural work: ask about permits, and see how to choose a contractor.

5. Siding and a six-inch clearance at the base

IBHS’s Base checklist includes a six-inch vertical noncombustible clearance at the base of exterior walls and above attached decks or patios, including at deck-post bases — either noncombustible siding or an exposed concrete foundation. OSFM recommends keeping siding and skirting in good condition (rot and gaps give embers a place to lodge) and considering noncombustible or ignition-resistant siding such as brick, stone, fiber-cement, plaster, or metal. Combustible siding can still be part of a maintained home; the official advice is to keep it sound and keep combustibles away from it, and to upgrade when you replace it if you can.

6. Windows and glass

Glass can break under heat and let embers in. Where Oregon’s R327 has been adopted, the published amendments require exterior windows, windows in exterior doors, and skylights to be tempered glass, multilayered glazed panels, glass block, or to have a fire-resistance rating of at least 20 minutes. That is a code standard in adopting jurisdictions for the buildings it covers; it is not a statewide retrofit mandate. IBHS and fire-service guides also discuss dual-pane and tempered glass as hardening upgrades. Confirm products and permits with your building department and contractor.

7. Decks, porches, and the area underneath

Decks collect needles between boards and underneath, and they are attached to the house. IBHS’s Base materials call for regular debris removal, noncombustible furniture options, maintaining the 0–5-foot zone around the deck, removing under-deck storage, and enclosing low-elevation decks, with additional retrofit notes for pergolas. OSFM recommends clearing the surface, the perimeter, and the underside, considering 1/8-inch mesh to close under-deck openings, and bringing in cushions and umbrellas when you leave. Washington’s statute, for when it applies, also addresses how attached unenclosed structures are built and when under-deck screening is an alternative.

8. Fences, gates, and other attachments

A combustible fence that meets the wall can carry fire to the siding. OSFM recommends making the first five feet of a fence — or the gate that touches the house — from a noncombustible material such as metal, and notes that opening a combustible gate when you evacuate can break that path if you have not yet replaced the section. IBHS’s Base standard requires removing combustible fencing materials within five feet or replacing them with noncombustible material.

9. Beyond five feet, in brief

IBHS’s Base designation also requires maintaining 30 feet of defensible space, or to the property line, with its own rules for the 5–30-foot zone (spacing, debris, firewood, and a noncombustible zone around nearby structures). NFPA Firewise USA® describes an intermediate zone (5–30 feet) and an extended zone (30–100 feet). Oregon and Washington agencies publish their own zone recommendations, which we summarize in the Oregon defensible-space and Washington WUI guides. Distances and details are not identical across those sources.

About IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home

IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home is a homeowner property designation program for eligible single-family homes, with Base and higher levels. It is not a contractor license, and this directory does not sell certifications or guarantee insurance results. Oregon law (Senate Bill 82, 2023) requires insurers to disclose how wildfire-risk-reduction efforts, such as defensible space, home hardening, and community preparedness programs, may influence rating and the availability of insurance. That is a disclosure rule, not a guaranteed discount. If you talk with an insurer, keep dated photos and invoices. The official program site is wildfireprepared.org.

When to bring in a contractor

Many Zone 0 and debris tasks are work a homeowner can do. Roof replacement, vent retrofits, siding, deck reconstruction, and enclosed eaves usually are not. Browse verified contractors in this directory, and read how we suggest you vet a company. Before you sign, check grants and cost-share help, because some programs require approval first.

Related guides

Sources