Garden clearing obligations to be extended in south of France

The number of communes affected by mandatory undergrowth clearance rules in Occitanie is set to increase in the coming weeks. 

Authorities in the Hérault department are planning a decree that will make clearance necessary in all its communes, and are aiming to pass the measure before summer to minimise the risk of wildfires.

Currently, 280 of the department’s 341 are impacted by obligations legales de débroussaillement (undergrowth clearing rules, or OLD), however communes in the south around the city of Béziers, and in the north near the Gard department, are not. 

Once the decree is passed, all property owners (and renters, if stipulated in their contract) will need to clean undergrowth in a radius of up to 50m from around their property or buildings situated inside it. 

Those who do not risk penalties, which increase severely if the lack of maintenance leads to a blaze. 

Our article below details the main rules.

Read more: French property owners and tenants: what are rules for obligatory undergrowth clearance?

Several regions impacted by rules

The Occtanie region is one of the main areas where communes face OLD regulations, due to high summer temperatures and droughts increasing the risk of wildfires. 

An overview of which communes are impacted by these rules is available via this government map here, or you can ask your local mairie to see if your property is affected. 

Several departments have OLD rules in place in all rural communes, with urban areas still required to clear undergrowth from plots of land but not to a distance of 50 metres as urban gardens are often not this large.

Read more: Why this widely-used gardening tool can land you a large fine in France