Home / Home Hardening
Beyond the Five Feet · City of MalibuHome Hardening for Malibu Homes: What Is Required and What Is Recommended
Woolsey's embers did not knock on the front door
When the Woolsey Fire ran to the coast in November 2018, homes ignited from embers that entered through vents, gathered in gutters, and lodged under roof edges, sometimes hours after the front passed. The Franklin Fire in December 2024 pushed the same wind-driven ember pattern through Malibu Canyon.
Ember research, including IBHS's, points the same way: wind-blown embers, not flame fronts, are a leading cause of home ignitions in fires like these.
The good news: hardening is a parts list, not a rebuild. Most of the highest-value items cost less than a fence panel.
Harden in this order alongside clearing the first five feet
Sequence beats budget. This is the order that buys the most survival per dollar on a coastal canyon lot.
Ember-resistant vents
Highest value per dollar. Marine-grade mesh matters here: salt air eats standard steel.
Clear the five feet
Required now under Ch. 17.53 on permitted projects, Recommended now elsewhere: nonflammable mulch, no flammable fences at the wall, nothing stored against walls.
Gutters & edges
Screens, bird stops, debris schedule. A clean roofline removes the fuel embers need at your most vulnerable height.
Decks, doors, glazing
Screen under-deck areas, seal the garage door, consider dual-pane upgrades on the exposure facing the canyon wind path.
Home hardening questions, answered
What single upgrade matters most on a Malibu home?
Ember-resistant vents. Post-fire investigations across wind-driven fires consistently find ember entry through attic and crawlspace vents as a leading ignition path. Vents are also among the cheapest hardening upgrades, and the city's free assessments flag them first.
Is home hardening required?
Partly. Existing state law requires roofs and gutters to be kept clear of leaves and needles (PRC section 4291 and Government Code section 51182), and Malibu's Chapter 17.53 regulates the first five feet on projects requiring permits. No statewide Zone 0 regulation is in force. Vents and other building hardening items are Recommended now, and they fail or survive together with the first five feet in an ember storm. Treat them as one project.
Does salt air change the materials I should use?
Yes. Malibu's marine layer corrodes standard steel mesh and fasteners. Specify corrosion-resistant, marine-grade components for vents, flashing, and metal fencing so hardening work survives the coast, not just the fire.
Can I get a free assessment from the city before spending anything?
Yes. The City of Malibu's Fire Safety Liaisons offer free home wildfire hardening assessments through City Hall.
Close the gaps before the wind finds them
Send a request and the team will follow up by email.