Zone Zero Landscaping Rules in Calabasas
Calabasas protects its oaks. Zone 0 does not change that.
Calabasas grew up around its oak canyons, and the city has long protected native oak trees through local ordinance. Removing or heavily pruning an oak without city review is a problem regardless of fire rules.
Here is the part homeowners keep getting wrong: Zone 0 is not a tree-removal mandate. The April 2026 Board of Forestry draft scaled back the earlier blanket vegetation language after statewide pushback about mature trees and shade. The zone targets what is on the ground and against the wall: mulch, dead material, dense low shrubs, stored items.
A healthy, well-pruned oak with a clean floor beneath it and no dead limbs over the roof is a very different thing from a juniper hedge planted against stucco. The first goes through city and county guidance. The second simply goes.
Three layers of landscape review in Calabasas
LA County Fire applies the defensible space and Zone 0 standards on inspection. The City of Calabasas governs its protected trees and the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. And on most gated streets, your HOA reviews the visible design. The sequence that works: assessment, then city and HOA paperwork, then the crew.
Landscaping questions from Calabasas homeowners
Do I have to remove my oak tree if it stands near the house?
Almost certainly not. The April 2026 Board of Forestry draft scaled back earlier blanket vegetation removal language, and well-maintained mature trees are treated differently from ground fuels. Separately, Calabasas has long protected native oaks by local ordinance, so never remove or heavily prune an oak without checking with the city first.
Is bark mulch really banned in the first 5 feet?
Combustible mulch is one of the clearest targets of the rule. Bark and shredded wood mulch against the foundation is exactly how embers reach a wall. Replace it with gravel, decomposed granite, pavers, or bare soil inside the zone.
What can I plant in the ember-resistant zone?
The draft points toward low-fuel, well-irrigated, and noncombustible ground treatments rather than a specific approved plant list. Succulents and low herbaceous plantings in noncombustible beds are the direction. Dense shrubs, dry grasses, and anything that accumulates dead material against the house are out.
My HOA requires front-yard planting beds. Who wins?
State fire law sets the floor and HOA rules cannot override it. Calabasas associations have been updating landscape guidelines since the Woolsey Fire, and most now accommodate hardscape and low-fuel designs in the first 5 feet. Get the assessment first so your HOA submittal cites the actual requirement.
Redesign the five feet once, correctly
A CSLB-licensed contractor walks the zone, flags what must change, and respects what the city protects. Free assessment.