How to create fire defensible space around your home?
The 2025 LA fires averaged $955,000 per structure in claims. In fire-prone western states, 100 feet of defensible space is required by law and increasingly demanded by insurers for policy renewal.
- Upgrade to fire-resistant building materials during routine maintenance4
When replacing roofing, siding, decking, or fencing as part of normal maintenance, choose fire-resistant alternatives. Incremental upgrades during planned replacement cycles cost little more than combustible options and dramatically improve survivability.
📌 commercial📌 best practice2/28/2026, 2:54:43 PM
🛠️ Varies by project — standard construction tools for the specific replacement
- Hire a Firewise assessment for a professional defensible space plan4
Request a free or low-cost wildfire risk assessment through your local fire department, Cal Fire, or an NFPA Firewise USA advisor. A trained assessor evaluates your specific property and creates a prioritized action plan based on your terrain, vegetation, and structure.
📌 professional service📌 free2/28/2026, 2:54:33 PM
🛠️ None
- Maintain Zone 1 lean and clean landscape from 5 to 30 feet4
Thin vegetation in the 5-30 foot zone around your home so individual plants are spaced apart and fire cannot spread continuously from plant to plant toward the structure. This is your primary fire break zone.
📌 diy📌 free📌 best practice2/28/2026, 2:54:25 PM
🛠️ Loppers, pruning saw, rake, lawnmower, chainsaw (for large limbs)
- Create Zone 0 ember-resistant area within 5 feet of your home5
Establish a noncombustible zone extending 5 feet from all structures using gravel, stone, or concrete hardscape. Zone 0 is the most critical defensible space — over 90% of homes lost to wildfire ignite from embers landing on or near the structure, not from direct flame contact.
📌 diy📌 low cost📌 best practice2/28/2026, 2:54:14 PM
🛠️ Shovel, rake, gravel or crushed stone, 1/8-inch metal mesh screen, staple gun, wheelbarrow