Action Sheet — Brush Clearing
Measuring a 50-metre radius: the map before using the brush cutter
Fifty metres is always bigger than you might think — and it often encroaches on your neighbour’s property. Ten minutes spent on a map (using our tool, Géoportail or the land registry) will pinpoint exactly YOUR area of responsibility before you make a single cut.
Key points
- The radius is measured from the WALLS of each building (house, garage, shed), not from the plot boundaries.
- It often overflows onto the neighbours’ property: it’s still up to YOU to sort it out (once you’ve been notified in writing).
- Add the strip along your private access road (width as specified in the order).
- In urban areas (U zone under the Local Urban Development Plan): this refers to the ENTIRE plot; the issue of radius no longer applies.
Equipment: our map tool or Géoportail · a tape measure or rangefinder (in the field) · a few stakes or marking sprays
Why it’s important
Two common mistakes can prove costly: under-treating (formal notice, a fine of up to €50 per square metre not treated) or over-treating (days’ work on areas not required, and sometimes treatments contested by neighbours). The exact perimeter also forms the basis of the letter to a neighbour when the shelf is overflowing, and from the corporate quotation — a professional’s rate per square metre – it’s worth knowing what they are.
How to do it, step by step
First, check whether this applies to you
Our tool check my obligation : Exposed area + building situated less than 200 metres from woodland, heathland or scrubland. Zone U under the Local Urban Development Plan (PLU): the entire plot; proceed directly to the building site.
Plot the radius on the map
On the tool, move the circle 50 metres towards your house. For a precise measurement: Géoportail (geoportail.gouv.fr) → ‘measure’ tool → draw circles from each corner of the buildings, using the cadastral map and aerial photograph. Don’t forget the garage, shed and indoor swimming pool: each structure has its own radius.
Adjust in accordance with local regulations
The prefectural order (and, in some cases, the mayor or a PPRIF) may extend this to 100 metres and specifies the buffer zone along private access roads (up to 10 metres on either side). The document is available on the prefecture’s website.
Identify the overhangs
Overlay the cadastral map: each section of the radius on a neighbour’s undeveloped land must be dealt with by YOU — following written notification (form letter to a neighbour). Two neighbouring houses? The radiators overlap: each household deals with its own, whilst the shared area is sorted out amicably.
Put it into practice on the ground
Mark out 3–4 control points on a tape measure or rangefinder from the walls, stakes or layout marks: the building site (whether yours or the contractor’s) follows reference points, not a rough estimate.
Keep a record
A screenshot of the dated plan, filed alongside the post-construction photos: your compliance file in the event of an inspection — and a point in your favour when dealing with the insurer.
The mistakes that ruin everything
- Measuring from the fence ‘because it’s my property’: the law measures from the buildings, wherever the circle ends up.
- Forget about the dimensions of the outbuildings — the garden shed on the boundary takes up 50 metres that spill over onto the neighbour’s property.
- Confusing 200 m (threshold condition, distance from the massif) with 50 m (depth to be treated).
- Estimating the circle ‘by eye’: the eye consistently underestimates the size by 30 per cent.
The tip that makes all the difference
On Géoportail, enable the ‘Aerial Photographs’ layer under the cadastral map: the areas that have already been cleared and those still to be cleared are immediately obvious, and the outline becomes a site plan ready to be sent to the contractor.
Frequently Asked Questions
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