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Programs & Support · City of MalibuWhat Free Help Exists for Zone 0 Work in Malibu?
What Malibu already gives you for free
The City of Malibu runs its own wildfire programs, and they map directly onto the first five feet.
Home wildfire hardening assessments
Free, no-obligation walkthroughs of your home ignition zone by city staff and certified volunteers, booked through the city's online scheduler. They cover ember entry points and the first five feet.
Fire Safety Liaisons
The city created the liaison role in 2021 and has expanded it since. Liaisons run preparedness programs year-round and staff the city's emergency operations during fire events.
Hazard tree removal
A free city program for qualifying hazardous trees. If a dying tree threatens your structure or the first five feet, ask the city before paying for private removal.
Woolsey rebuild households: the city has run a dedicated fire rebuild process since 2019, with rebuild-specific planning support at City Hall. If your rebuild is still in the pipeline, that team is the first call for what applies to your permit, because Malibu's Chapter 17.53 applies to projects requiring permits.
First-five-feet work that pays you back
Under California's Safer from Wildfires framework, participating insurers must recognize specific mitigation actions in pricing. The list overlaps heavily with the first five feet: clearing it, noncombustible fencing at the structure, ember-resistant vents.
Document everything. Photos before and after, and receipts. In a market where Malibu homeowners have faced non-renewals and FAIR Plan placements since Woolsey, a documented hardening file is leverage.
State home hardening assistance programs continue to develop. We do not list grant amounts we cannot verify. Ask the City of Malibu what currently applies to a Malibu address, and treat any specific dollar promise you read elsewhere with suspicion.
Assistance questions, answered
What does the City of Malibu offer for free right now?
Two standing programs: free home wildfire hardening assessments, booked through the city's online scheduling and performed by city staff and certified volunteers under the Fire Safety Liaison program, and a free hazard tree removal program for qualifying trees. Both exist today; no Zone 0 deadline is required to use them.
Is there state money for Zone 0 work?
California has funded home hardening assistance programs and continues to expand them, but funded programs change by year and by county. We do not list dollar amounts we cannot verify. Check the state's wildfire preparedness resources and ask the City of Malibu what currently applies to a Malibu address.
Can this work lower my insurance costs?
California's Safer from Wildfires framework requires participating insurers to recognize specific hardening and defensible-space actions in pricing. Clearing the first five feet overlaps heavily with that list. Document everything you do, with photos and receipts, and submit it to your insurer.
Have a question about your property?
Send a request and the team will follow up by email.