Zone Zero Landscaping Rules in Agoura Hills | The First 5 Feet

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The First Five Feet, Planted Right

Zone Zero Landscaping Rules in Agoura Hills

The ember-resistant zone is a fuel rule, not a no-plants rule. In the first 5 feet: no combustible mulch, no dead material, no resinous shrubs. Hardscape and low, irrigated plantings take their place. LA County Fire checks it through the same defensible space inspections Agoura Hills already gets.
What Changes

What Zone 0 moves out of the first five feet

Phase 1 is about what embers can light. Bark mulch against the stem wall, a dead rosemary hedge, firewood stacked under the eave: these are the ignition points that burned homes across the Woolsey footprint from the ground up.

The replacement palette is already native to this valley: decomposed granite, river rock, flagstone, and the low sage-and-succulent look the Santa Monica Mountains do naturally. Done well, a Zone 0 yard reads as a design upgrade, not a compliance scar.

Agoura Hills grew up around its oaks, and the rules respect that. The state's April 2026 draft pulled back from blanket vegetation removal after public comment about mature trees and shade. Well-maintained trees are managed, limbed, and cleaned, not clear-cut. Verify specifics for your parcel before removing anything large.

In and out, 0-5 ft

Gravel, DG, pavers, stoneIn
Low, irrigated, maintained plantingsLimited
Bark mulch and wood chipsOut
Dead or dry vegetationOut
Juniper, rosemary, resinous shrubsOut
Firewood and lumber storageOut
Wood planter boxes on the wallOut
Phase 1

Ground fuels go first

Mulch, litter, and dead plants leave the band by the first deadline, estimated 2027-2028. This is the cheapest phase: most of it is a weekend and a few yards of gravel.

Best Practice

Mind the oak litter

Live oaks are keepers, but their leaf drop is kindling. Rake the first five feet seasonally and keep gutters and corners clear, especially before Santa Ana season.

Best Practice

Irrigation is compliance

Whatever greenery remains in the band must stay green. A drip line on the survivors is the difference between an allowed planting and a violation notice.

Common Questions

Landscaping questions, answered locally

Do I have to remove my oak tree?

Almost certainly not. The April 2026 draft scaled back blanket vegetation removal, and mature, well-maintained trees are treated differently from ground fuels. In oak-protective communities like Agoura Hills, the concern is limbs over the roof and litter in the first five feet, not the tree itself.

What happens to my mulch beds against the house?

Combustible mulch, bark, and wood chips leave the 0-5 ft zone in Phase 1. Swap to gravel, decomposed granite, pavers, or bare soil in that band. Beyond 5 feet, mulch is still fine.

Can anything green stay in the first five feet?

The draft points toward low, well-irrigated, well-maintained plantings being allowed in limited form, while dead material and resinous shrubs like juniper go. Treat anything you would not press your hand against on a hot day as suspect.

Who checks my landscaping in Agoura Hills?

The Los Angeles County Fire Department runs the defensible space inspection program for the city's Very High zones. Zone 0 will be checked as part of that same local process, education-first under the current draft.

Turn the first five feet into a design upgrade

A licensed contractor maps your 0-5 ft zone, plant by plant, and prices the swap. Free assessment, no obligation.

Get Your Free Assessment Questions? Talk to an agent: (213) 279-1931