A practical guide for Los Angeles-area homeowners and communities

Last Updated: August 2026

This is a living resource. Zone 0 implementation will evolve as California completes the regulatory process, issues additional guidance, and local jurisdictions determine how the requirements will be applied. MySafe:LA will update this page as reliable new information becomes available.

California’s Board of Forestry and Fire Protection has approved the State’s first Zone 0 defensible-space regulations, creating new wildfire-safety requirements for the first five feet surrounding homes and other structures in designated wildfire-hazard areas.

For many homeowners, the immediate question isn’t whether Zone 0 is a good or bad idea.

It’s much simpler:

What changes, when does it change, and what should I do now?

The most important thing to understand is that Zone 0 is not an overnight mandate for every existing homeowner to remove landscaping within five feet of a house.

Implementation will occur in phases. Existing homeowners have time. Local fire agencies still have work to do. And there are many practical steps residents can take today without unnecessarily removing healthy trees or established landscaping.

First: What Is Zone 0?

Zone 0 is the area extending from a structure outward approximately five feet and includes the area surrounding attached decks and stairs. California law directed the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to establish this new ember-resistant defensible-space zone in addition to the existing Zone 1 and Zone 2 requirements.  

The purpose is straightforward: reduce opportunities for embers, flames and heat to ignite combustible material immediately adjacent to a structure and then transmit fire to the building.

That makes Zone 0 part of defensible space.

It is important to understand what it is not.

Zone 0 is not home hardening.

Home hardening addresses vulnerabilities of the structure itself—things such as roofs, vents, windows, eaves, decks, siding and other components that can be exposed to embers, radiant heat and direct flame.

The two approaches are related, and MySafe:LA believes they should be considered together when residents think about wildfire resilience. But they are not the same thing.

The Board Has Approved Zone 0. What Happens Now?

On August 19, 2026, the Board approved California’s Zone 0 policy after an extensive rule-development process involving workshops, public comments, presentations and multiple revisions.

The Board’s website now lists the August regulation summary and rule plead, decision memorandum, proposed emergency action and accompanying defensible-space guidance. The regulatory package is also listed among regulations filed with the Office of Administrative Law.  

That distinction matters.

Board approval does not mean that every homeowner wakes up the next morning subject to every new requirement.

There are additional administrative and implementation steps, and the requirements affecting new and existing structures do not all begin at the same time.

If You’re Building a New Home

People building new homes—including people rebuilding homes lost during the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires—should pay particularly close attention to Zone 0.

The State’s framework provides for Zone 0 requirements to apply to new buildings or structures when the required defensible-space guidance becomes effective. The Board has long distinguished new construction from existing structures in its implementation timeline.  

For someone designing or rebuilding a home in an applicable wildfire-hazard area, that means Zone 0 should now become part of discussions with:

architects and designers, builders, landscape architects and landscapers, arborists where appropriate, and the local jurisdiction responsible for permitting and wildfire requirements.

Planning for Zone 0 during design is substantially easier than attempting to retrofit a completed landscape later.

If You Already Own a Home

This is where much of the public confusion can be reduced.

Existing homeowners have time.

The State framework provides a multiyear transition for existing structures rather than requiring immediate wholesale landscape modification. The Board’s earlier implementation materials specifically described the three-year phase-in as an opportunity for homeowners and businesses to plan, budget and implement changes.  

The final framework also contains elements that will require local implementation over time.

That means an existing homeowner should not interpret the Board’s August vote as an instruction to immediately remove everything growing within five feet of the house.

In fact, the final regulations permit certain vegetation within portions of Zone 0 and allow existing trees to remain when properly maintained and when applicable requirements are satisfied.

The better message is:

Learn. Maintain. Evaluate. Plan. Then act where necessary.

What Changes Immediately?

Some of the most valuable wildfire-safety actions aren’t new at all.

Homeowners should already be maintaining their property in ways that reduce readily combustible materials near the structure.

That means keeping roofs and gutters free of leaves and debris, removing dead vegetation, pruning dead or dying branches, keeping combustible debris from accumulating beneath decks and stairs, and maintaining appropriate clearance around chimneys.

These aren’t radical landscape changes.

They’re good wildfire maintenance.

And they’re a sensible place to begin.

What Can I Do Right Now?

Quite a lot.

You don’t need to wait for every local implementation detail to begin reducing obvious vulnerabilities.

Clean your roof and gutters

Remove leaves, pine needles and other accumulated debris. Wind-driven embers can land in these locations during a wildfire.

Remove dead material

Look for dead leaves, dry weeds, dead flowers, fallen branches, needles and other combustible debris around the home.

Pay particular attention to places where wind collects material—corners, beneath stairs, alongside walls and underneath decks.

Don’t store combustible materials against the house

Firewood, lumber, cardboard and other combustible materials should not be stored immediately adjacent to a structure.

Look beyond obvious firewood piles. The side of a house can gradually become a storage area for construction materials, landscape supplies and other items that could become fuel.

Think about garbage and recycling containers

Plastic garbage and recycling bins can burn.

When practical, avoid storing them immediately against the structure, particularly during periods of elevated wildfire danger.

Look underneath decks and stairs

Leaves, vegetation and debris can accumulate underneath decks, balconies, stairs and other attached features.

Keep those areas clean.

Maintain your trees

Remove dead and dying branches.

Maintain appropriate clearance from roofs, eaves and chimneys.

Look for ladder fuels that could allow a surface fire to move upward into a tree canopy.

But don’t interpret Zone 0 as an instruction to automatically remove healthy mature trees.

Maintain living vegetation

Healthy vegetation should be maintained appropriately.

Remove dead material from plants and landscaping. Keep lawns and other vegetation maintained and, where appropriate and permitted, adequately hydrated.

A neglected landscape and a maintained landscape are not the same thing.

Don’t Start by Tearing Out Your Landscaping

This deserves emphasis.

For most existing homeowners, the first response to Zone 0 should not be a chainsaw or shovel.

California’s final framework is more nuanced than simply requiring five feet of bare ground.

Existing trees can remain under specified conditions. Certain low vegetation and other landscaping can be permitted. Local implementation is still developing.

Before removing a mature tree, established hedge or significant landscape feature, understand what actually applies to your property.

For substantial tree work, consult a qualified arborist when appropriate.

For questions about compliance, rely on your local fire authority as implementation guidance develops.

And remember that California’s wildfire environments are extraordinarily diverse. What makes sense for a large rural property may not translate directly to a densely developed hillside neighborhood in Los Angeles.

What Happens in Los Angeles?

This is one of the most important parts of the story—and one that is still developing.

Zone 0 applies within State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones within Local Responsibility Areas. The Board describes these as the areas where property owners are responsible for meeting applicable defensible-space requirements.  

For residents of the City of Los Angeles and other developed communities, that means local fire agencies will become increasingly important.

The Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department and other Southern California fire agencies will need to determine how the State’s new framework interacts with existing brush-clearance and defensible-space programs, inspection procedures, community education and local conditions.

This will take time.

It is also one reason residents should pay attention to local guidance, rather than assuming that every interpretation circulating online represents what their local jurisdiction will ultimately require.

Local Conditions Matter

Southern California presents wildfire conditions that can differ substantially from those elsewhere in the state.

Many communities have closely spaced structures, narrow lots, mature ornamental landscapes, steep slopes, hillside roads, older housing stock and significant tree canopy.

During extreme wind-driven fires, another burning structure may also become a significant source of embers, radiant heat and direct flame.

Those realities don’t eliminate the value of defensible space.

They demonstrate why wildfire resilience must be approached as a system.

Vegetation matters.

Building vulnerability matters.

Structure spacing matters.

Embers matter.

Maintenance matters.

Topography and weather matter.

And community-scale preparedness matters.

Zone 0 addresses an important part of that system. It should not be mistaken for the entire system.

What About Home Hardening?

While you’re examining the first five feet around your home, look at the home itself.

Ask:

Are my vents vulnerable to ember intrusion?

Are there openings beneath or around the roofline where embers could enter?

Is my roof well maintained?

Are there combustible attachments connecting landscaping or fencing to the structure?

Are my windows vulnerable to extreme heat?

Can debris accumulate against siding, underneath decks or in other concealed areas?

A beautifully maintained Zone 0 cannot correct every vulnerability in an older structure.

Likewise, a hardened structure surrounded by poorly maintained combustible materials may still face unnecessary exposure.

Defensible space and home hardening work best when considered together.

What About Insurance?

This is another area to watch carefully.

Zone 0 compliance should not be interpreted as a guarantee that an insurance company will issue, renew or reduce the cost of a policy.

At the same time, wildfire-mitigation actions are becoming increasingly important in California’s insurance environment.

Questions remain about how insurers will treat the State’s phased implementation timeline, how documented progress will be recognized, and whether locally approved alternative practices will be treated consistently by insurance carriers.

MySafe:LA believes this will require continuing coordination among California regulators, fire agencies, insurers and community organizations.

Homeowners should keep records of significant wildfire-mitigation work performed on their property—including photographs, assessments, receipts and other documentation where appropriate.

What Should Fire Safe Councils and Firewise Communities Do?

Community organizations have an important role to play.

Fire Safe Councils, NFPA Firewise USA® sites, homeowner associations and other organized communities should begin preparing for Zone 0 now.

But preparing does not mean telling every resident to immediately remove established landscaping.

These organizations can help residents understand what has actually been adopted, distinguish routine maintenance from larger compliance decisions, identify neighborhood-specific issues, and share reliable information as local implementation develops.

MySafe:LA encourages Fire Safe Councils and Firewise communities throughout the Los Angeles region to work with us in establishing practical best practices for managing Zone 0.

That work can include appropriate actions residents can take now, such as:

• routine landscape and vegetation maintenance;
• removal of dead vegetation and combustible debris;
• proper maintenance of existing trees;
• identification of situations requiring a qualified arborist or landscape professional;
• education for gardeners and landscape-maintenance crews;
• consideration of defensible space alongside home hardening;
• neighborhood-specific issues involving structure density, lot size, slope and vegetation; and
• community education that reduces wildfire risk without encouraging unnecessary removal of healthy landscaping.

MySafe:LA has already begun developing practical tools for this purpose, including guidance homeowners can share with gardeners and landscape professionals.

Community organizations should also be cautious about creating their own unofficial compliance standards before local requirements are established.

There is plenty of useful work to do now without getting ahead of the agencies responsible for implementation.

Fire Safe Councils and Firewise Sites Should Think Locally

One of the lessons emerging from the Zone 0 discussion is that communities are not interchangeable.

A Firewise community in Brentwood may have different vegetation, structure spacing and evacuation concerns from one in the Hollywood Hills.

A community in the foothills may differ substantially from a neighborhood closer to the coast.

An older neighborhood may contain structural vulnerabilities that are uncommon in newer construction.

That makes organized community participation valuable.

Fire Safe Councils and Firewise sites can help identify local conditions, communicate with residents, work with fire agencies and evaluate which mitigation activities provide the greatest practical benefit.

MySafe:LA intends to support that process.

What Happens Next?

For Los Angeles-area residents, the next several years should look less like a single compliance deadline and more like a progression:

Board approval → completion of the State regulatory process → State guidance → local review → community education → local implementation → homeowner action → inspection and enforcement over time.

The Board’s current materials show that the regulatory package has moved into the next administrative stage, while the Board continues to maintain the rulemaking materials, guidance and Zone 0 resources on its website.  

Some of those steps will overlap.

Some details may change as implementation develops.

Local jurisdictions will need to determine how the State framework fits their existing programs.

Fire departments will need to educate inspectors and residents.

Landscape professionals and arborists will need reliable information.

Fire Safe Councils and Firewise sites will need to translate statewide requirements into useful community education.

And homeowners will need time to evaluate their properties and make informed decisions.

Don’t Panic. Don’t Ignore It Either.

Those may be the two most useful pieces of advice MySafe:LA can offer right now.

There is no reason for an existing homeowner to panic and unnecessarily remove established landscaping because the Board approved Zone 0.

There is equally little reason to ignore obvious wildfire vulnerabilities while waiting for implementation details.

Start with the things that make sense today:

Clean the gutters.

Remove what is dead.

Keep combustible materials away from the house.

Clean beneath decks and stairs.

Maintain trees and landscaping.

Keep vegetation healthy.

Look at the vulnerabilities of the home itself.

Document the mitigation work you perform.

Then stay informed.

MySafe:LA Will Stay Engaged

MySafe:LA’s mission is to help create a more resilient Los Angeles.

We work with fire agencies, elected officials and wildfire professionals, but we also work directly with the communities affected by these decisions—including dozens of Fire Safe Councils, NFPA Firewise USA® sites, homeowner associations and other neighborhood organizations.

That gives us an important responsibility as Zone 0 moves into implementation.

We will continue reviewing the science.

We will continue listening to communities.

We will continue working with fire agencies.

We will develop practical guidance for homeowners, gardeners, landscape professionals and organized communities.

And where Southern California conditions warrant thoughtful local approaches, we will continue supporting solutions that reduce wildfire risk while recognizing the realities of the communities in which people live.

Zone 0 is now moving from rulemaking to implementation.

For most existing homeowners, that means there is time to learn, plan and make thoughtful decisions.

But there is also plenty you can do today.

Start with good maintenance. Understand your home. Understand your landscape. And stay informed as the rules become local practice.

MySafe:LA will continue to update this page as implementation develops.

Learn more about Zone 0, defensible space, home hardening and wildfire preparedness at WildfireLA.org.