Help paying for Zone 0 compliance exists. Here's how to find it.

Where to look

Assistance channels, in order

• Your fire authority first. County fire across most of the mountains and the city of San Bernardino; CAL FIRE in Highland and Yucaipa; the independent departments in Running Springs, Big Bear, Redlands, and Rancho Cucamonga. Ask specifically about defensible-space assistance and chipping programs.
• Mountain fire-safe councils and community organizations. The mountain communities have some of the longest-running defensible-space support networks in Southern California; ask your fire authority what's currently active in your area.
• State programs. CAL FIRE administers defensible-space and home-hardening grant funding as it's appropriated. Check current cycles at fire.ca.gov.
• The free assessment. Knowing your real scope is itself financial protection: it stops you from over-buying work you don't need. Request one here.
• Low-cost first moves. Rehoming the woodpile beyond the 5-foot ring, raking needle litter after wind events, and swapping bark mulch for gravel are weekend projects that close the biggest ember pathways.

A note on honesty: we don't list specific dollar amounts or name grant programs we haven't verified as currently open, because funding cycles close. The resources page links the official sources that stay current.

Questions

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