All structures in the SRA (State Responsibility Area) High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones are included. (Unincorporated County area) Performed by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. All structures in LRA (Local Responsibility Area) Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) are included. Performed by the Los Angeles County Fire Department or your local fire agency. Defensible Space Inspection: Required What is required by AB-38? On or after July 1, 2021, when you sell a property in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ), you will need documentation of a compliant Defensible Space Inspection (DSI). Please note that the AB-38 inspections are for real estate sales disclosure and documentation only. If a compliant DSI was completed in the previous six months, the compliant inspection report meets the AB-38 requirement.

AB 3074 introduced “Zone 0” as a 5’ ember resistant zone. When officially adopted by the State Fire Marshal, this law will require a 5’ ember resistant zone around all structures in a FHSZ.

AB 3074 became law on January 1, 2021; however, it has not been enforced. Enforcement will occur when the State Fire Marshal approves vegetation clearance requirements. This is anticipated in 2025. Full enforcement on existing structures will not be required until one year after the State Fire Marshal approves final requirements. Full enforcement on new construction will take effect immediately upon approval of final clearance requirements.

There are a few charges associated with the new defensible space notices and California Public Resource Code 4291.

Annual Inspection Fee - $151 added to annual property tax bill - nonnegotiable

Non-compliant Parcels past 30 days

$500 administrative Fee

$1199 Direct assessment Fee

$51.59 Agricultural Commissioner Fee PLUS labor and clearing cost.

Some fees are charged directly to the home owner while the others will be added to your annual tax bill in November.

(a) A person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains a building or structure in the state responsibility area shall at all times do all of the following:

(1) (A) Maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, but not beyond the property line, except as provided in subparagraph (B). The amount of fuel modification necessary shall consider the flammability of the structure as affected by building material, building standards, location, and type of vegetation. Fuels shall be maintained and spaced in a condition so that a wildfire would be unlikely to ignite the structure. This subparagraph does not apply to single specimens of trees or other vegetation that are well-pruned and maintained so as to effectively manage fuels and not form a means of rapidly transmitting fire from other nearby vegetation to a structure or from a structure to other nearby vegetation or to interrupt the advance of embers toward a structure. The intensity of fuels management may vary within the 100-foot perimeter of the structure, with more intense fuel reductions being utilized between 5 and 30 feet around the structure, and an ember-resistant zone being required within 5 feet of the structure, based on regulations promulgated by the board, in consultation with the department, to consider the elimination of materials in the ember-resistant zone that would likely be ignited by embers. The regulations may also alter the fuel reduction required between 5 and 30 feet to integrate the ember-resistant zone into the requirements of this section. Consistent with fuels management objectives, steps should be taken to minimize erosion, soil disturbance, and the spread of flammable nonnative grasses and weeds. For purposes of this subparagraph, “fuel” means any combustible material, including petroleum-based products, cultivated landscape plants, grasses, and weeds, and wildland vegetation.

Click Here for the full PRC 4291

Our inspections are research-driven and reflect how defensible space requirements are actually evaluated in practice, not just how they appear in statute. We combine statewide and local fire authority criteria to deliver accurate, property-specific recommendations that are practical, compliant, and easy to understand.

We operate independently without contractor bias or upselling, so our focus stays where it belongs: helping homeowners and real estate professionals reduce wildfire risk, meet requirements, and avoid surprises during official inspections.

With Fireside, you gain a knowledgeable consultant committed to clarity, accuracy, and wildfire readiness—nothing more, nothing less.

April 1 in desert communities

May 1 in the Inland communities

June 1 in Coastal communities.