Vegetation must be cut down every year.
Autumn and winter are the best seasons to undertake main brush-clearing tasks because plants have lost their leaves, making work easier. It is also the ideal period for cutting back brush

Spring is the most suitable time to clean gutters and take shredded garden waste to a recycling centre. It is also necessary to make sure that firewood and any other combustible materials are stored away from your house. During this period new grass and undergrowth must be removed.

In summer, brush clearing is not recommended or even prohibited by prefectural order, to avoid any risk of sparks during the work.

Brush must be cleared every year on your own property and if necessary on neighbouring plots.

It may be required to call on a professional, especially for the first clearing, as they have the proper equipment and expertise.

In case your legal brush-clearing obligations extend onto neighbouring land beyond your property, you must inform your neighbours in advance. It is strongly recommended to formalise this request in writing by sending a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt, clearly outlining the nature and scope of the work required.

Your neighbours may either undertake the required brush clearing themselves or grant you access to their property so you can do it. However, if they refuse access or fail to respond to your formal request within one month, they become both administratively and criminally liable for the work. In that case, you must notify the mayor.

Download the letter template

If brush-clearing requirements overlap on the same plot, Article L.131-13 of the French Forest Code stipulates that: 

• The owner of the area where multiple brush clearing requirements overlap is primarily responsible for carrying out the work, provided they are subject to the requirement  themselves.

• In case several parties are required to clear a plot owned by a third party not subject to these obligations, each party must intervene in the section nearest to their own property, namely the area containing the building, work site, or any facilities that give rise to their obligation.

Overgrown vegetation provides more fuel near your home, causing a fire to spread faster and with greater intensity. Uncleared vegetation places buildings, their occupants as well as fire and rescue services at risk. Major wildfires have shown that for most houses destroyed by fire, the surrounding area was not properly cleared.

Failure to comply with the legal brush-clearing requirements may result in penalties, ranging from a minor offense fine of up to €1,500 to an either-way offense fine of up to €50 per square metre of uncleared land. Administrative sanctions may also be imposed, including a formal notice to carry out the required work subject to late payment penalties, or, if necessary, the mayor of your municipality arranges for brush clearing ex-officio and then invoices the property owner. In the event of a claim, the insurance excess may also be increased.

As green waste is biodegradable, it can be shredded and composted, or taken to a local recycling centre. Contact your city council to find out how garden waste is managed by your municipality, intermunicipal authority or metropolitan area. 
 

Brush-clearing requirements apply to both  individuals and businesses, as well as to any other legal entities, under the same conditions.  The legal responsibility for brush clearing lies with the property owner. 
However, you must obtain your neighbour’s permission to enter their property in order to cut down vegetation. (See “How to carry out brush clearing on a neighbouring plot”).
 

Specific cases:

• Campsites and other holiday lodge parks used for leisure accommodation: 
  Vegetation  must be done by the site  manager or the landowner. In addition to the general requirements (within 50 metres around the installations mentioned above), the entire site must also be cleared. 
  If you manage a campsite, a tourist centre or outdoor activity centre and would like more information on the brush-clearing requirements, please check FNHPA guide.  (Fédération Nationale de l'Hôtellerie de Plein Air > French National Federation of Outdoor Hospitality). 
• For facilities set out in Article L. 515 32 of the French Environmental Code (Seveso establishments), additional brush-clearing requirements apply: vegetation must be cut back within 100 metres of the site boundary. Moreover, the site manager is responsible for carrying out brush-clearing.
• For linear transport infrastructure (public roads, railway lines and power lines), the owner or the operator is in charge of brush clearing along the perimeter of their site. To carry out work on a privately owned plot, the operator must notify the owners concerned at least 10 days in advance. If the work has not started within one month from the scheduled starting date, the notification lapses. Under Article L. 134 10 of the French Forest Code, landowners cannot object to brush clearing.