- Home
- San Mateo County
Wildfire Mitigation Contractors in San Mateo County, CA
San Mateo County in 30 secondsContractors, local rules, where to get help
32 wildfire mitigation contractors are listed for San Mateo County, 31 with a clear CSLB license.
- Fire hazard zones
- Look up your address
San Mateo County Fire received updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps from the State Fire Marshal on February 24, 2025, and in June 2025 the Board of Supervisors took up an ordinance designating those zones for County Fire's jurisdiction as CAL FIRE recommended. Look up your parcel with County Fire's Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewer.
- Defensible space rules
- Source
San Mateo County's local fire code amendments (Ordinance No. 4873, adopted January 2023, which adds California Fire Code section 305.6) require anyone who owns, leases or controls improved property to remove hazardous flammable growth for at least 30 feet around each improvement or to the property line. The Fire Chief may require clearing or fuel reduction out to 100 feet, while giving weight to existing landscaping and protected habitat. Violations are misdemeanors, which prosecutors may charge as infractions. Each day counts as a separate offense, and the county can summarily abate a violation as a public nuisance and recover County Fire's staff costs.
- Chipping
- Source
The Neighborhood Chipper Program, run by the San Mateo RCD with FIRE SAFE San Mateo County, Woodside Fire Protection District, CAL FIRE and other partners, provides no-cost 'you cut, we chip' service in selected high-risk neighborhoods on set dates each spring, summer and fall. Piles must sit within 8 feet of a road or driveway, be no larger than 10 by 10 by 5 feet, and hold material under 8 inches in diameter.
- Fire Safe Council
- FIRE SAFE San Mateo County
More
In unincorporated San Mateo County, the county's local fire code amendments require a fuel break of at least 30 feet around every improvement, and the Fire Chief can require up to 100 feet. The San Mateo County Fire Department (CAL FIRE's San Mateo–Santa Cruz Unit) enforces them through its Fire Marshal's Office. In 2025 the Board of Supervisors took up an ordinance adopting CAL FIRE's updated Fire Hazard Severity Zones for County Fire's area. Contractors below are ranked by public Google rating.
More in San Mateo County 22
Serving all of California 8
Also on record 3
-
Bama's Tree
-
Skyline Tree Experts
-
Timberwood Tree Service
Defensible space rules in San Mateo County
Fire hazard zones in San Mateo County
The county’s coastal mountains and grass- and brush-covered hills are prime wildfire country. The 2020 CZU Lightning Complex destroyed nearly 1,500 structures across San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. San Mateo County Fire received the State Fire Marshal’s updated hazard maps on February 24, 2025, and in June 2025 the Board of Supervisors took up an ordinance designating them as recommended. The county notes that WUI building codes and hazard disclosure are tied to these zones. Look up your parcel from County Fire’s Fire Marshal page.
Local rules and deadlines
The county’s local fire code amendments require a fuel break of at least 30 feet around every improvement, or to the property line, and the Fire Chief can require 100 feet. Violations are misdemeanors that may be charged as infractions, and each day counts separately. The county can also abate a hazard and recover its costs. County Fire’s defensible space page lists how to report a hazard and how to request an inspection or an AB-38 sale inspection.
Free chipping and fire-safe programs
The Neighborhood Chipper Program chips brush at no cost in selected high-risk neighborhoods on set dates. Its 2026 dates ran from May through July in communities such as La Honda, El Granada, Montara and Moss Beach. FIRE SAFE San Mateo County publishes the pile rules: within 8 feet of a road, no larger than 10×10×5 feet, and under 8 inches in diameter.
County resources
Before you hire anyone, read the fire code amendments, check your zone through County Fire, and see the defensible space guidance from FIRE SAFE San Mateo County. The contractors listed below serve San Mateo County and can help you meet the fuel-break requirements.
Frequently asked questions 5
Who enforces defensible space rules in San Mateo County?
In unincorporated areas outside a city or fire district, the San Mateo County Fire Department's Fire Marshal's Office runs defensible space inspections and handles flammable vegetation complaints through its WUI Risk Reduction Program. Cities and fire districts such as Woodside, Coastside and Menlo Park enforce their own codes, so check which agency serves your address.
How wide does my defensible space have to be?
The county's fire code amendments require a fuel break of at least 30 feet around each improvement or to the property line, and the Fire Chief can require up to 100 feet. County Fire describes 100 feet of defensible space as the target, working outward from the house to 100 feet or to your property line, whichever is closer.
What happens if I don't comply?
Violating the county fire code is a misdemeanor that prosecutors may charge as an infraction, and each day a violation continues after notice is a separate offense. The county can also treat the condition as a public nuisance, abate it, and recover County Fire's staff costs from the owner.
Am I in a fire hazard severity zone?
County Fire received CAL FIRE's updated zone maps on February 24, 2025, and the Board of Supervisors took up an ordinance adopting them in June 2025. Check your parcel with County Fire's online Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewer. For an AB-38 real estate inspection or a regular defensible space inspection, contact the Fire Marshal's Office at (650) 573-3846.
Is chipping free in San Mateo County?
Yes, in participating neighborhoods. The Neighborhood Chipper Program chips cut brush at no cost on scheduled dates in selected high-risk communities, including La Honda, El Granada, Montara and Moss Beach in 2026. It is funded by grants and county Measure K money, and you still have to cut and stack the material yourself.