Zone Zero Regulations for Hidden Hills
Zone Zero Hidden Hills / Regulations
Three laws, one five-foot rule
AB 3074 (2020) created the ember-resistant zone: the first 5 feet around a structure, the strictest band of California defensible space law.
SB 504 (2024) pushed the Board of Forestry to finish the implementing regulations and clarified how the zone applies to existing homes.
AB 1455 (2025) tightened the timeline again. The Board of Forestry's April 17, 2026 draft is the most current regulatory text, with final adoption expected late 2026.
The draft is deliberately local: your Authority Having Jurisdiction sets Phase 2 deadlines and inspection practice. For every parcel in Hidden Hills, that authority is the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
What Zone 0 looks like under LA County Fire
Hidden Hills contracts for fire protection with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, served by Fire Station 68 on Calabasas Road. The county already runs a defensible space inspection program that starts May 1 each year: owners get notice, an inspection, and a report with a minimum of 30 days to correct.
Zone Zero will layer onto that machinery rather than invent new machinery. Practically, that means the inspector who already walks Hidden Hills brush clearance will eventually be checking the first five feet of your house and your barn, and the county, not Sacramento, will set the Phase 2 replacement deadline for the city.
The 2025 draft state fire hazard maps place portions of Hidden Hills in Moderate, High, and Very High severity zones. The city posted the maps for public review in April 2025. Which rules bind your property depends on your parcel's final designation, which is exactly what the free assessment checks first.
The enforcer
LA County Fire Department, Fire Station 68. The county's Defensible Space Unit handles brush clearance questions and inspection scheduling.
The process
Notice, inspection, report. Education-first enforcement under the April 2026 draft, with a minimum of 30 days to complete corrections after an inspection report.
The map
2025 CAL FIRE draft maps show Moderate, High, and Very High zones inside city limits. Your parcel's designation decides which deadlines apply to you.
Regulation questions, answered
Is Zone Zero the same as the brush clearance LA County Fire already inspects?
No. County defensible space inspections cover vegetation out to 100 feet or more. Zone Zero covers everything in the first 5 feet of each structure, including fences, mulch, stored items, and hay, and it is stricter.
Does the rule apply to every home in Hidden Hills?
It applies to parcels in designated fire hazard severity zones. The 2025 draft state maps place portions of Hidden Hills in Moderate, High, and Very High zones, so coverage is parcel by parcel. Check your parcel rather than assuming either way.
Do barns, stables, and tack rooms count as structures?
The draft regulations are written around structures in general, not only residences. Enclosed outbuildings on Hidden Hills equestrian lots should be assessed on the assumption that each carries its own ember-resistant zone until the final text says otherwise.
What happens if I do nothing?
Enforcement under the April 2026 draft is education-first: expect notices and correction windows before penalties. But new-fence and rebuild rules apply immediately at adoption, and contractor calendars fill fast once deadlines land.
Know which rules bind your parcel
One free assessment checks your hazard zone designation and maps the requirements to every structure on your lot.