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Wildfire Mitigation Contractors in Mendocino County, CA
Mendocino County in 30 secondsContractors, local rules, where to get help
34 wildfire mitigation contractors are listed for Mendocino County, 23 with a clear CSLB license.
- Fire hazard zones
- Look up your address
CAL FIRE released updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for Mendocino County on February 24, 2025, extending Moderate, High, and Very High zones into Local Responsibility Areas for the first time; unincorporated LRA land now includes 8,402 Very High acres, and Ukiah's Very High area grew to 1,443 acres. You can look up a parcel on CAL FIRE's online FHSZ map, which the county links from its announcement.
- Defensible space rules
- Source
Chapter 8.77 (Ordinance 4485, adopted February 23, 2021) makes it a public nuisance to keep hazardous vegetation, combustible material, rubbish, or weeds that create a fire hazard on property in unincorporated Mendocino County. Once the County Building Official or a designee declares a nuisance, the owner can be ordered to remove the material and bring the property into line with defensible space rules. The county can abate the hazard through its nuisance-abatement procedures (Chapter 8.75) or issue administrative citations (Chapter 1.08): failing to fix the problem by the deadline in the notice and order carries a fine of up to $1,000 per violation, and each day it continues counts as a separate offense. Actively farmed crops, rangeland, pasture, and timberland are excluded except where they affect defensible space around homes, roads, and utility lines.
- Chipping
- Source
The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council runs free Community Chipper Days year-round for brush cleared from defensible space (the 100 feet around homes) and along neighborhood roads. A Chipper Day needs at least 5 residents and 10 to 30 compliant piles; each resident can have up to 5 piles, material must be under 6 inches in diameter, and piles should be built only after a reservation is confirmed. Sign up as a neighborhood or join the individual waitlist; funding comes from the State Coastal Conservancy and the County of Mendocino.
- Fire Safe Council
- Mendocino County Fire Safe Council
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Mendocino County Code Chapter 8.77 lets the County Building Official declare hazardous vegetation, combustible material, and rubbish a public nuisance in unincorporated areas and order it cleared, with administrative fines of up to $1,000 per violation, each day counting separately. CAL FIRE's February 2025 map update put 8,402 unincorporated acres in the Very High hazard zone, many of them near Ukiah and Willits east of Highway 101. Contractors below are ranked by public Google rating.
More in Mendocino County 24
Serving all of California 8
Also on record 12
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Ace Tree Solutions
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California Brush Works
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Dolcini Land Clearing
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ForestScapes LLC
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Full Circle Forestry
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GbarG Ranch
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Gonzalez Tree Service
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Haskins Excavating and Timber
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RJW Enterprises, Inc.
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terra tech excavating
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Thompson Construction, Inc.
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Western Star Tree Service
Defensible space rules in Mendocino County
Fire hazard zones in Mendocino County
On February 24, 2025, CAL FIRE released updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for Mendocino County. For the first time, they rate Local Responsibility Areas (the county and the cities of Fort Bragg, Point Arena, Ukiah, and Willits) as well as state-protected land. The Mendocino Voice reported that unincorporated LRA acreage rated Very High went from zero to 8,402 acres, much of it near Ukiah and Willits east of Highway 101. In Ukiah, Very High acreage rose from 388 to 1,443, covering most of the city’s west side. To check a parcel, use CAL FIRE’s online FHSZ map.
Local rules and deadlines
In unincorporated areas, the county’s tool is County Code Chapter 8.77, adopted in 2021. It makes flammable weeds, brush, dead trees, and piled combustible rubbish a public nuisance once the County Building Official finds they create a fire hazard. The owner can then be ordered to remove the material and take whatever steps are needed to meet defensible space requirements. If the work isn’t done by the deadline in the notice and order to abate, the county can issue administrative fines of up to $1,000 per violation, with each day counted as a separate offense, or abate the hazard through its nuisance procedures. Farm crops, pasture, rangeland, and timberland are exempt unless they affect defensible space around homes, roads, or utility lines. State law (PRC 4291) also requires 100 feet of defensible space around structures in CAL FIRE’s jurisdiction.
Free chipping and fire-safe programs
The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council runs free Community Chipper Days year-round. Sign up as a neighborhood or join the individual waitlist. Once at least 5 residents with 10 or more compliant piles are signed up in one area, a crew is scheduled. Each resident can have up to 5 piles of woody material under 6 inches in diameter, and piles should go up only after the date is confirmed. According to the program page, the service covers defensible space and roadside clearing, not large-acreage clearing.
County resources
Start with the Chapter 8.77 ordinance text, CAL FIRE’s FHSZ map, and the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council for chipping and neighborhood programs. The contractors listed below serve Mendocino County and can help with clearing, fuel reduction, and home hardening.
Frequently asked questions 4
Who enforces fire-hazard vegetation rules in unincorporated Mendocino County?
Under County Code Chapter 8.77, the County Building Official or an authorized designee decides whether vegetation, combustible material, or rubbish on a property is a fire-hazard nuisance and can order corrective work, including steps to meet defensible space requirements.
What happens if I ignore a notice to clear hazardous vegetation?
If the hazard is not corrected within the time given in the notice and order to abate, the county can issue administrative citations with a fine of up to $1,000 per violation, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense. The county can also use its nuisance-abatement process under Chapter 8.75.
Am I in a high fire hazard zone after the 2025 CAL FIRE update?
Possibly, even if you weren't before. The February 2025 maps added Moderate, High, and Very High zones to local responsibility areas; unincorporated LRA land now has 8,402 Very High acres, and most of west Ukiah is rated Very High. Check your parcel on CAL FIRE's online FHSZ map linked from the county's announcement.
Is brush chipping free in Mendocino County?
Yes. The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council's Community Chipper Days are free and run year-round, but they are scheduled by area: at least 5 residents and 10 compliant piles are needed, each resident can have up to 5 piles, and branches must be under 6 inches in diameter. The service covers defensible space around homes and roadside clearing, not clearing large properties.