Canyon homeowners in Bel Air and Beverly Hills now have up to five years to clear combustible materials within five feet of their homes after the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection voted 8-0 on Wednesday, Aug. 19, to adopt the state's first-ever Zone 0 defensible space regulations.

The rules apply to all properties in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, a designation that covers Bel Air Hills and portions of Beverly Hills, according to the Bel Air Hills Association and a City of Beverly Hills notice from April 2025. Statewide, an estimated 2 million homes fall under the new requirements.

The phased timeline works like this: within three years, homeowners must remove loose combustibles such as firewood, dry leaves, wood chips and bark mulch from within five feet of structures. Roofs and rain gutters must be cleared of debris, dead plants removed and trees trimmed back five feet from roofs and 10 feet from chimneys. Within five years, property owners must install non-combustible materials where fences attach to homes, update gates, create under-eave buffers and ensure nearby sheds have non-combustible roofs and walls. Local jurisdictions set the specific deadline within that five-year window.

New construction must comply immediately once the rules take effect.

Board member J. Lopez, a veteran fire official who said he has spent more than 40 years in fire prevention, protection, suppression and ecosystem management, told the Aug. 19 meeting that "…the first five feet around a home is where we win or lose against embers," according to a board press release.

Not everyone supports the new rules. Dave Lefkowith, president of the Mandeville Canyon Association, told KTLA the plan is "horribly cost ineffective," arguing that millions of homeowners will spend thousands of dollars each on a vegetation-only approach that doesn't address broader home hardening. Sarah Flaherty, a representative for L.A. City Councilwoman Tracy Park, testified at the same Aug. 19 meeting that compliance will cost homeowners thousands out of pocket "with zero funding provided for homeowners or local fire departments tasked with education and enforcement," as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

The Bel Air Hills Association noted in its June 2026 newsletter that there was "much concern about the implementation of these rules in existing areas such as Bel Air Hills" during the drafting process.

A UC Berkeley study of five major California fires from 2017 to 2020 found that homes with cleared Zone 0 vegetation survived at a rate of 37%, compared to 20% for homes with no precautions, according to the Times.

The board emphasized education over penalties during the rollout. Cal Fire will enforce the rules in State Responsibility Areas, while local fire departments handle Local Responsibility Areas. For Bel Air and Holmby Hills, that means the Los Angeles Fire Department; for Beverly Hills, the Beverly Hills Fire Department.

Cities can also adopt stricter local standards. Los Angeles is already developing its own alternative version of Zone 0 regulations, as San Diego and Berkeley have done.

Before the rules take effect, the regulatory package must clear the Office of Administrative Law and be published by the California Secretary of State. That review could wrap as early as September. Residents can find more information about Zone 0 compliance at readyforwildfire.org or by contacting their local fire department.