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Wildfire Mitigation Contractors in Santa Cruz County, CA
Santa Cruz County in 30 secondsContractors, local rules, where to get help
33 wildfire mitigation contractors are listed for Santa Cruz County, 25 with a clear CSLB license.
- Fire hazard zones
- Look up your address
The State Fire Marshal released updated Local Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for unincorporated Santa Cruz County on February 24, 2025, and the County moved in 2025 to designate those zones for the areas County Fire serves (County Service Areas 4 and 48). Check your parcel on the map linked from County Fire's OSFM 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zones page.
- Defensible space rules
- Source
Section 7.92.304.1.2 of the Santa Cruz County Code requires owners or occupants to cut and remove ignitable weeds, grass and vines, and, in urban-wildland interface areas, to keep a firebreak cleared of flammable vegetation for at least 30 feet around each building or to the property line, with an additional zone out to 100 feet where state law or local rules require it. Well-pruned single trees and shrubs can stay, and grass under 18 inches beyond 30 feet may be kept to control erosion. In wildland-urban interface areas, clearance must also follow the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code. The chapter was last amended in December 2025 (Ordinance 5503) to adopt the 2025 California Fire Code. Under Section 7.92.113.4, violations are infractions with fines of up to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second and $500 for each further violation within a year, and each day a violation continues after notice counts as a separate offense. Ignoring a fire code official's order is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500, up to a year in county jail, or both. An uncorrected violation is a public nuisance that the fire code official can abate with Board of Supervisors approval, charging the cost to the owner or assessing it against the property.
- Chipping
- Source
When funding is available, the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County runs a no-cost spring at-home chipping program for residents in the Wildland Urban Interface: register April 1–30, stack up to three piles of material cleared within 100 feet of an occupied structure, and a contractor chips it on site in May. A neighborhood reimbursement option pays up to $250 per property. Bonny Doon and South Skyline residents use their local Fire Safe Councils' programs instead.
- Fire Safe Council
- Fire Safe Council of Santa Cruz County
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Santa Cruz County's fire code (County Code Chapter 7.92) requires a firebreak of at least 30 feet around buildings in wildland-urban interface areas, extending to 100 feet where state or local rules call for it, and is enforced by the Santa Cruz County Fire Marshal's Office based at CAL FIRE's CZU headquarters in Felton. The State Fire Marshal's February 2025 map sets new Local Responsibility Area hazard zones for the unincorporated county. Contractors below are ranked by public Google rating.
More in Santa Cruz County 23
Defensible space rules in Santa Cruz County
Fire hazard zones in Santa Cruz County
The steep, heavily wooded Santa Cruz Mountains put much of the rural county at wildfire risk. The 2020 CZU Lightning Complex destroyed nearly 1,500 structures across San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. On February 24, 2025 the State Fire Marshal issued new Local Responsibility Area hazard zones for the unincorporated county, and the County moved that year to designate them for County Service Areas 4 and 48, the areas Santa Cruz County Fire serves. Look up your parcel on the map from County Fire’s page.
Local rules and deadlines
The county fire code, Chapter 7.92, requires owners to cut ignitable weeds and grass. In urban-wildland interface areas they must also keep a firebreak of at least 30 feet around each building, or to the property line, and clear out to 100 feet where state or local rules require it. Well-pruned single trees are allowed. The chapter was last updated in December 2025 to adopt the 2025 California Fire Code. Violations are infractions with fines of up to $100, $200 and $500 for repeat violations within a year, and each day a violation continues after notice counts separately. An uncorrected hazard can be abated as a public nuisance, with the cost charged to the owner or assessed against the property. The Santa Cruz County Fire Marshal’s Office in Felton handles enforcement.
Free chipping and fire-safe programs
The RCD of Santa Cruz County offers no-cost spring chipping in the Wildland Urban Interface when funding allows. Sign-ups run April 1–30, and each household gets up to three piles of brush cleared within 100 feet of an occupied structure. A neighborhood reimbursement option pays up to $250 per property. The Fire Safe Council of Santa Cruz County sends Bonny Doon and South Skyline residents to their local councils’ programs, and its volunteers do free Home Ignition Zone assessments.
County resources
Before you hire anyone, read Chapter 7.92, check your zone on County Fire’s FHSZ page, and book a free HIZ assessment through the Fire Safe Council. The contractors listed below serve Santa Cruz County and can help you meet the firebreak requirements.
Frequently asked questions 5
Who enforces defensible space rules in unincorporated Santa Cruz County?
The Santa Cruz County Fire Marshal's Office, located at CAL FIRE's CZU headquarters on Highway 9 in Felton, enforces state and county fire laws for Santa Cruz County Fire. Independent fire districts enforce the same county fire code chapter in their own areas, so check which agency covers your address.
How wide does my defensible space have to be?
The county fire code requires a firebreak of at least 30 feet around each building or to the property line, whichever is closer, with an additional clearance zone out to 100 feet where state law or local rules require it. The Fire Safe Council of Santa Cruz County notes that state law calls for 100 feet in total, and more on steep or wind-exposed lots.
What happens if I don't clear my property?
Violating the county fire code is an infraction. Chapter 7.92 sets fines of up to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second and $500 for each further violation within a year, and each day the violation continues after notice counts as a separate offense. Failing to follow a fire code official's order is a misdemeanor, with up to a $500 fine, up to a year in jail, or both. An uncorrected violation is treated as a public nuisance. With Board of Supervisors approval, the fire code official can have it abated and charge the cost to the owner or assess it against the property.
Am I in a fire hazard severity zone?
The State Fire Marshal published new Local Responsibility Area zones for unincorporated Santa Cruz County on February 24, 2025. County Fire's OSFM 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zones page links the map so you can look up your parcel.
Is chipping free in Santa Cruz County?
Yes, for eligible homes. The RCD of Santa Cruz County offers no-cost spring chipping in the Wildland Urban Interface when funding allows (sign-ups April 1–30, up to three piles), and the Bonny Doon and South Skyline Fire Safe Councils run their own programs. You still have to cut and stack the brush yourself or hire someone to do it.