Lakeway Proposes Landscaping Updates to Combat Wildfires

Lakeway could update its landscaping rules for residents' homes and new construction to mitigate wildfires.

The City Council did not take any action during Monday’s meeting, but if the proposal passes, it would be the first updates to the landscaping code since 2023, when it focused on water management.

In the meeting, Charlie Sullivan, Lakeway's senior city planner, said the city is on the wildland-urban interface, which means it's more prone to wildfires because of the high amounts of vegetation and wildlands. He said Lake Travis Fire Rescue has had several open houses and workshops to educate the community on wildfires, and it emphasized that about 90% of house fires are caused by flying embers. He said this means there is more residents can do to prevent fires.

Under the proposed code update, any groundcover, plants, shrubs or trees in residents’ front yards within 5 feet of a structure would have to be fire-resistant, and architectural objects would have to be non-flammable. The code also would reduce the length that landscaping has to extend on the sides of buildings.

The code also would set permeability requirements and expand the definition of artificial turf to include turf that is not 100% impervious. The changes would affect adding rocks and synthetic turf on residential lawns.

During new construction, the current code requires that brush piles be removed or mulched within 48 hours of cutting. Under the proposed code, the brush piles also may not exceed a certain height, must be placed within 5 feet from a structure or combustible fence, and should be non-combustible. It also prohibits the use of crumb rubber or other mulch that may contain leaching chemicals during new construction.

Under the proposal, the city also would add recommendations to the city’s webpage on how to prevent wildfires. Sullivan said the updates would include tips on home hardening, which means preparing homes to better prevent catching fire.

“The issue is that embers get embedded in the house, get embedded and then burn the house down, so home hardening is the primary factor we want to look at,” Sullivan said.