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Wildfire Mitigation Contractors in San Bernardino County, CA
San Bernardino County in 30 secondsContractors, local rules, where to get help
41 wildfire mitigation contractors are listed for San Bernardino County, 31 with a clear CSLB license.
- Fire hazard zones
- Look up your address
On June 10, 2025 the Board of Supervisors, acting for the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, adopted Ordinance No. 4489, which applies the State Fire Marshal's 2025 Local Responsibility Area map with three hazard levels (Moderate, High, Very High) instead of the 2008–2011 map that showed only Very High zones. Look up a parcel on the Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map Viewer linked from San Bernardino County Fire's FHSZ page.
- Defensible space rules
- Source
County Code Section 23.0301 makes every owner in the unincorporated county abate fire hazards and hazardous trees. Owners of structures near brush, grass or forest must clear all flammable vegetation within 30 feet of each building (or to the property line) and break up fuel continuity from 30 to 100 feet; grass over 4 inches is a fire hazard in valley, mountain and desert areas alike. In mountain and desert areas, flammable vegetation within 10 feet of a road is also a hazard. Mountain-area rules (Section 23.0304) add limbing trees taller than 12 feet up to 6 feet within 100 feet of structures, keeping pine needles and mulch under 2 inches deep, and cutting limbs back 10 feet from chimneys. The FHA Program surveys valley and desert areas twice a year and mountain areas once. A Notice and Order to Abate gives 30 days to comply; properties still out of compliance at the second survey get a $100 administrative citation, inspection fees and a 10-day final window, after which a county-approved contractor does the work and the owner is billed, with late fees, liens and property-tax assessment possible for unpaid bills. Under Section 23.0308, a notice is held in abeyance while the owner has a contract with an approved nonprofit such as a Fire Safe Council to do the work.
- Chipping
- Source
Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council runs free curbside chipping, funded by a CAL FIRE California Climate Investments grant, for the San Bernardino Mountain communities from Waterman Canyon to Big Bear Valley. In 2026 registration deadlines fall twice a month for the Rim communities (monthly for Big Bear) through October 11. FreeChipping.org lists free chipping programs across the Inland Empire.
- Fire Safe Council
- Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council
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San Bernardino County Code Sections 23.0301–23.0319 require owners in unincorporated areas to keep 100 feet of defensible space around structures, enforced by the Land Use Services Code Enforcement Fire Hazard Abatement (FHA) Program. In June 2025 the county adopted Ordinance No. 4489, designating Moderate, High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in its local responsibility areas. Contractors below are ranked by public Google rating.
Services in San Bernardino County
More in San Bernardino County 31
Serving all of California 8
Also on record 6
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Bob's Abatement Services
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Enoch Tree Service
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Nativescapes, Inc.
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Red hill tree service inc
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Vicki's Bear Valley Yard Care
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Wildfire Hardening Pros (CXI Construction Contractors)
Defensible space rules in San Bernardino County
Fire hazard zones in San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County’s wildfire risk centers on the San Bernardino Mountains and the foothill communities below them. The State Fire Marshal released new Local Responsibility Area maps in 2025, and on June 10, 2025 the Board of Supervisors adopted them as Ordinance No. 4489. The previous map, drawn in 2008–2011, marked only Very High zones. The new one adds Moderate and High ratings, so more parcels now fall inside a mapped zone. State law does not let the county set a zone lower than the state’s recommendation. To check your parcel, use the map viewer on County Fire’s FHSZ page.
Local rules and deadlines
The county’s Fire Hazard Abatement Program enforces County Code Sections 23.0301–23.0319. Around each structure you need 100 feet of defensible space: all flammable vegetation cleared within 30 feet, and fuels thinned from 30 to 100 feet. Grass and weeds must stay at 4 inches or less. Valley and desert areas are surveyed twice a year, in early spring and early fall, and mountain areas once in summer. In mountain and desert areas the code also treats flammable vegetation within 10 feet of a road as a hazard. Mountain properties must limb trees taller than 12 feet up to 6 feet within 100 feet of structures, keep pine needles and mulch under 2 inches deep, and cut limbs back 10 feet from chimneys. If a survey finds hazards, you have 30 days to fix them. If you miss that deadline, the county’s process adds a $100 citation and inspection fees. The county can then send its own contractor and bill you for the work, and unpaid bills can become a lien on the property. If you have hired an approved nonprofit such as a Fire Safe Council to do the work, the code puts the notice on hold while that contract is in progress.
Free chipping and fire-safe programs
Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council offers free curbside chipping, paid for by a CAL FIRE grant, from Waterman Canyon to Big Bear Valley. The 2026 season has registration deadlines through October 11. The Council’s abatement assistance helps mountain-area owners who have received a notice, using licensed contractors from its own list. Contact the Council before you hire anyone, because work done beforehand is not reimbursed. FreeChipping.org lists other free chipping programs across the Inland Empire.
County resources
Start with the FHA Program home page, where you can check whether you’ve received a notice, read the county code and find appeal forms. You can reach the program at 909-884-4056. For hazard zones, see San Bernardino County Fire’s FHSZ page. The contractors listed below serve San Bernardino County and can help clear a property before an inspection.
Frequently asked questions 5
Who enforces defensible space rules in San Bernardino County?
In unincorporated areas and in the cities and fire districts that contract with the county, the Fire Hazard Abatement Program of Land Use Services Code Enforcement enforces County Code Sections 23.0301–23.0319. It surveys properties on a schedule (valley and desert regions twice a year, mountain regions once in summer) and also responds to complaints all year.
What happens if I don't clear my property after a notice?
You have 30 days to comply with a Notice and Order to Abate, and you can appeal within that window for a $100 fee, refunded only if you win. If the second survey still finds hazards, you get a $100 administrative citation, a bill for the reinspection and 10 more days to send photo proof. After that the county sends its contractor and bills you for the work: a $76 administrative fee plus the work, at up to $627 an hour, and $298 if a warrant is needed. After 60 days unpaid, a $123 late fee and a lien ($211 to record) are added, and the balance can go on your property tax bill.
How much defensible space do I need?
County code calls for 100 feet around structures. All flammable vegetation must be cleared within 30 feet of each building (or to the property line), and fuels from 30 to 100 feet must be thinned so fire can't run continuously through them. Weeds and grass must stay at 4 inches or less at all times. In mountain and desert areas the code also counts flammable vegetation within 10 feet of a road as a fire hazard. Mountain properties have extra rules: trees over 12 feet limbed up 6 feet within 100 feet of structures, needles and mulch no deeper than 2 inches, and limbs kept 10 feet from chimneys.
Is my property in a fire hazard severity zone?
Possibly, even if it wasn't before. The map the county adopted in June 2025 (Ordinance No. 4489) rates local responsibility areas as Moderate, High or Very High, whereas the old map showed only Very High. Check your address on the FHSZ Map Viewer linked from San Bernardino County Fire's website.
Is there free chipping or help paying for clearance?
In the mountains, yes. Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council offers free curbside chipping from Waterman Canyon to Big Bear Valley (register before each deadline). It also runs an abatement-assistance program for Rim of the World, Big Bear, Angelus Oaks, Forest Falls, Mountain Home Village, Devore Heights, Wrightwood, Lytle Creek and Waterman Canyon, which uses its own list of contractors. Work you have done before the Council is involved is not reimbursed.