Defensible space inspections
Pass your defensible space inspection the first time.
Every spring, fire departments across LA walk properties in fire hazard zones and check the vegetation around homes. Here's who inspects where, the checklist they use, what failing costs, and how inspections work when you sell.
Updated November 10, 2026
30 days
To fix violations after a failed inspection, under both LAFD and LA County Fire.
$0
LAFD's fee if you pass the first inspection. Fail and the bills start, ending with City contractors clearing the lot at your cost.
$2,147
What missing LA County Fire's 30-day deadline adds: a $500 fine plus a $1,647 assessment, on top of the yearly $151 inspection fee.
The short answer
Clear it before they come.
A defensible space inspection is a fire department check that the vegetation around your home is cleared and maintained to the local standard. In LA it's usually automatic: if your parcel is in a zone your department inspects, you're inspected each spring whether you ask or not. You don't need to be home.
The cheapest way through is to clear before inspection season and keep it up all year. If you're selling, defensible space documentation may also be part of escrow under AB 38.
- 01
Find out who inspects you
LAFD in the City of LA, LA County Fire in unincorporated areas like Altadena and its contract cities, or your own city's fire department, like Pasadena. Your notice names the department.
- 02
Know your dates
LAFD and LA County inland areas start May 1. LA County starts April 1 in the desert and June 1 on the coast. Pasadena started April 1 in 2026.
- 03
Walk the checklist below
Roof and gutters, chimney, dead wood, grass height, tree limbs, the distances for your program, and cut material hauled away.
- 04
Fix, then keep proof
Take before and after photos. If you sell, AB 38 documentation can come from these inspections.
Who inspects where
Three big programs, plus your city.
| Program | Who it covers | When | If you fail |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAFD | Very High fire hazard severity zone parcels inside the City of Los Angeles | First inspections start May 1, by LAFD's Brush Task Force over about 4 to 6 weeks | Notice of violation and a $31 inspection fee (2026). 30 days to comply, then an automatic reinspection. Still not compliant: City contractors clear it, and you're billed a noncompliance fee, an administrative fee and the contractor's cost. |
| LA County Fire | Unincorporated areas like Altadena, plus dozens of contract cities including La Cañada Flintridge, Malibu, Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Santa Clarita | April 1 in desert areas, May 1 inland, June 1 on the coast | $151 inspection fee on every declared parcel, cleared or not (2026 season, billed on the 2027 tax bill). An Official Inspection Report gives 30 days to correct. Miss it: a $500 fine plus a $1,647 assessment. |
| Pasadena Fire | Very High zone parcels in Pasadena | Annual inspections began April 1 in 2026 | No cost if you're compliant. Fix violations within 30 days to avoid reinspection fees. |
| Other city fire departments | Cities with their own departments, like Glendale, Burbank and Sierra Madre | Set by each city | Set by each city. Your notice names the department and contact. |
Fees are 2026 figures from LAFD's 2026 owner mailer and LA County Fire's 2026 notice, and they change yearly. Pasadena details are from Pasadena Now's March 2026 report. For help with a notice already in hand, see brush clearance in Los Angeles.
LA County Fire also covers state responsibility areas in the county under contract with CAL FIRE, so most state-area homes here hear from LA County Fire, not CAL FIRE. Not sure if you're in a zone at all? Check your fire hazard severity zone.
The inspector's checklist
Walk your property like an inspector.
These items come from state law (PRC 4291) and the LAFD and LA County Fire standards. Distances differ by program, so check your notice for yours.
- Roof
- No leaves, needles or twigs built up on the roof. State law and LAFD both require it.
- Chimneys
- No part of a tree within 10 feet of a chimney or stovepipe outlet.
- Plants by the house
- Trees and shrubs next to or over the house stay free of dead or dying wood. LAFD and Pasadena also want 5 feet of space between the roof and overhanging branches.
- Grass
- Cut to 3 inches. LAFD applies this within 200 feet of structures, and LA County requires cured annual grass kept to 3 inches.
- Trees
- Limb trees up so foliage starts at least 6 feet off the ground, or to a third of the height for smaller trees and shrubs, and remove dead wood. Most trees can stay. LA County asks owners not to remove trees or ornamental shrubs until the inspection gives guidance.
- The first 30 feet (LA County)
- Acacia, cedar, cypress, eucalyptus, juniper, pine and pampas grass are removed within 30 feet of a structure (50 feet in extra hazard areas), or kept free of dead material and trimmed away from the house.
- Out to 100 or 200 feet
- Thin, trim and limb vegetation out to 100 feet under state law and LA County (up to 200 feet in LA County's extra hazard areas), and 200 feet in the City of LA's Very High zone. Work on a neighbor's land needs their written consent.
- Native shrubs
- Single shrubs can stay if they're spaced out. LAFD allows native shrubs 18 feet apart, trimmed up to a third of their height. LA County recommends specimens 15 feet or three times their diameter apart.
- Roads, driveways, fences, hydrants
- LAFD wants 10 feet cleared along driveways and combustible fences. LA County wants 10 feet on each side of fire access roads with clear space overhead, and 3 feet around hydrants.
- Cut material
- Haul it away. In the City of LA, chips can stay only up to 3 inches deep within 30 feet of structures and 6 inches beyond, and never within 10 feet of a road.
Doing it yourself in the City of LA? No clearance on red flag days, non-sparking blades only, a fire extinguisher or charged hose within 10 feet, and a charged phone on hand. Those are LAFD rules.
The 5 feet closest to the house matter most for embers, even before the state's Zone 0 rule takes effect. See Zone 0 defensible space and fire-resistant plants for LA.
If you fail
What happens after a failed inspection.
- LAFD
- You get a notice of violation and the initial inspection fee, then 30 days. The reinspection is scheduled automatically, so there's no need to call. If you're still not compliant, a Red Card goes up, City-hired contractors bid on and clear the work, and you're invoiced the noncompliance fee, an administrative fee and the contractor's bill. Track your parcel in FIMS.
- LA County Fire
- You get an Official Inspection Report listing violations, with 30 days to correct them. After that comes a $500 administrative fine and a $1,647 assessment on your property tax bill. If the Agricultural Commissioner clears the parcel, you also pay a $59.07 inspection fee plus the actual clearing cost on your tax bill.
- Fire-damaged homes
- LA County: homes destroyed or more than 25 percent damaged in the Bridge, Franklin, Palisades or Eaton fires owe no 2026 inspection fees and come off the 2026 list until rebuilt and occupied.
- Contesting a notice
- LA County holds referee hearings each February where owners can contest whether a parcel is in a zone. Unresolved protests go to the Board of Supervisors in March.
Selling a home
Inspections at sale: what AB 38 actually requires.
Since July 1, 2021, sellers of homes in High or Very High fire hazard severity zones must give the buyer documentation that the property complies with state defensible space law or the local vegetation ordinance (Civil Code 1102.19).
Where a local ordinance requires that documentation, the seller provides it. Where there's no ordinance but an agency offers inspections, the seller provides documentation from the six months before the sale.
If the seller doesn't have it, buyer and seller sign a written agreement and the buyer gets it instead, within one year of closing where no local ordinance sets the terms. Some departments, like Burbank, take inspection requests during escrow and issue a list of items to fix if the property doesn't pass.
Pre-2010 homes in these zones also carry a fire hardening disclosure, including vents with openings over 1/8 inch. See AB 38 help for sellers and the AB 38 guide.
How RF1 helps
We walk it before the inspector does.
RF1 doesn't conduct official inspections. That's your fire department's job. We walk your property against your program's checklist, coordinate vetted crews to fix what's missing, and document the before and after for your inspector, a buyer or your insurer.
Already have a notice? Send it to us and we'll scope the work against the exact violations and your deadline. If crews are already on site, adding the first 5 feet and ember entry points like vents is usually the cheapest time to do it.
Questions
Inspection questions we hear most.
- What is a defensible space inspection?
- A fire department check that the vegetation around your home is cleared and maintained to state law (PRC 4291) and the local standard: dead plants removed, grass cut, trees limbed up, the roof and chimney area clear, and enough space between plants out to 100 or 200 feet.
- Do I need to request a defensible space inspection?
- Not for the yearly program. LAFD's system schedules every parcel in its zone, and LA County Fire inspects declared parcels each season. For a home sale, ask your local fire department whether it offers AB 38 inspections. RF1 can't issue official inspections.
- When do brush clearance inspections start in Los Angeles?
- LAFD starts May 1. LA County Fire starts April 1 in desert areas, May 1 inland and June 1 on the coast. Pasadena began April 1 in 2026. Clearance is a year-round duty, so don't wait for the date.
- What do defensible space inspectors look for?
- Debris on the roof, branches within 10 feet of a chimney, dead wood in trees and shrubs, grass over 3 inches, trees not limbed up 6 feet (or a third of their height), crowded vegetation within 100 or 200 feet, clearance along roads, driveways and fences, and cut material left on site.
- How much does failing a defensible space inspection cost?
- In the City of LA, failing the first inspection costs $31 (2026), and failing the reinspection leads to City contractors clearing the lot with noncompliance, administrative and contractor charges. In LA County areas, every declared parcel pays $151, and missing the 30-day deadline adds a $500 fine and a $1,647 assessment.
- Do I have to be home for the inspection?
- No. LA County Fire inspectors use unlocked gates and areas with reasonable access, and you can call your local station for an appointment. If they can't reach an area, they may come back or contact you.
- Do I need a defensible space inspection to sell my house in California?
- In High and Very High zones, sellers must provide defensible space documentation where a local ordinance requires it or where an agency offers inspections. If the seller doesn't have it, buyer and seller can sign an agreement for the buyer to get it after closing. See AB 38 help for sellers.
- Does RF1 do official inspections?
- No. RF1 does pre-inspection walkthroughs, coordinates the clearance and hardening work, and documents it. Official inspections come from LAFD, LA County Fire or your city's fire department.
Keep going
Sources
- LAFD, brush clearance requirements (LAMC 57.4906.5.2)
- LAFD FIMS, brush clearance basic inspection process
- LAFD, 2026 brush clearance owner mailer
- LA County Fire, Annual Defensible Space Clearance Notice 2026
- LA County Fire, Defensible Space Annual Notice FAQs 2026
- Pasadena Now, brush clearance inspections begin April 1 (March 2026)
- Public Resources Code 4291
- Civil Code 1102.19 (AB 38 defensible space documentation)
- Office of the State Fire Marshal, AB 38 information bulletin 21-007
- Burbank Fire, AB 38 defensible space inspections
- Glendale Fire, AB 38 real estate disclosure
- Santa Barbara County Fire, CAL FIRE contract county services
Facts checked November 10, 2026. Fees and dates are 2026 figures and change yearly. Confirm with the department on your notice.
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