Zone Zero Landscaping Rules in Altadena
Zone Zero Altadena / Landscaping
Altadena is a town of big trees. Zone 0 is not a war on them.
This community's identity is written in its canopy: the deodar cedars of Christmas Tree Lane, the oaks and sycamores of the foothill streets. After the Eaton Fire, surviving mature trees became even more precious. So say it plainly: the current state draft does not order healthy mature trees removed.
Earlier drafts drew resident pushback statewide over tree and shade provisions, and the April 2026 text softened the blanket vegetation language. What the zone regulates is fuel on the ground in the first five feet: mulch beds against siding, dead material, resinous shrubs under windows.
Local rules decide the fine print. LA County will apply the final text to Altadena parcels, including how overhanging limbs and trunk placement are treated. We will keep this page current as the county publishes specifics; until then, do not preemptively remove healthy trees based on rumor.
Replanting after the fire: Zone 0 from bare dirt
Thousands of Altadena lots are being landscaped from nothing. That is a hard fact, and one real advantage: a bare lot can be designed compliant for free.
Hardscape the first five feet
Decomposed granite, pavers, or stone against the structure. Planting beds start at the 5-foot line, not at the wall.
Shade without fuel
Plant new trees so canopies mature away from the roofline, and keep the drip line maintained. Shade and compliance are not enemies.
Standing homes: clear, then keep clear
Rake out mulch, remove dead material, relocate shrubs pressed against siding. One weekend covers most Altadena yards.
Mind the wind path
Altadena's fires ride wind out of the canyons. The north and east faces of your home collect embers first; harden those five feet before the rest.
Landscaping questions, answered
Will Zone Zero force Altadena to cut down its deodars and mature trees?
No, that is not what the current draft says. The April 2026 Board of Forestry draft scaled back earlier blanket vegetation restrictions after public concern about mature trees and shade. The zone regulates what sits on the ground within 5 feet of the structure. A healthy, well-maintained tree whose trunk stands outside the zone is a different question from mulch against the siding. Verify specifics with LA County once local rules publish.
What actually has to leave the first 5 feet?
Combustible mulch, dead or dying vegetation, woody shrubs against the wall, firewood stacks, and combustible planter boxes. Hardscape, stone, gravel, bare soil, and low-fuel plantings placed per the final rules are the replacements.
I am replanting a rebuild lot from bare dirt. What should I do differently?
Design the first five feet as hardscape from the start: decomposed granite, pavers, stone, or bare-earth pathways against the structure, with planting beds beginning beyond the 5-foot line. On a bare lot this costs nothing extra and permanently removes the most common future violation.
Does gravel or rock mulch comply?
Yes. Rock, gravel, decomposed granite, and pavers are noncombustible and are the standard Zone 0 ground covers. Rubber and bark mulch are combustible and do not comply inside the zone.
Keep the garden. Lose the fuel.
A free assessment shows you exactly which five feet change and which sixty stay exactly as you love them.