Woodside Fire Protection District offers a very detailed home assessment of residential properties in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI). This program provides the basis of specific requirements and recommendations for the property owner to reduce their home ignition potential. This is a complimentary service that we offer to all residents in our district.

 2,000 parcels will be inspected per year. Properties will be on a 3-year rotation. Please schedule your assessment in order to have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with a defensible space inspector. Based on these assessments, the inspector will provide recommendations to effectively mitigate ignition vulnerabilities that increase your property's and structure's chances of survival and contribute to preventing community wide wildland urban fire disasters. 

Please click on the link "Inspection Zones for 2024" below to see the zones that will be inspected. Please note, if your zone is not being inspected this year, we will be adding an online assessment tool so you can get a jump start to provide more time to comply with the new Fuel Mitigation Ordinance No. 24-01, view the ordinance here: Prevention Ordinances and Resolutions | Woodside FPD, CA (woodsidefire.org) 

Inspection Zones for 2024 will be Zones 1, 2, 3, and 4:  INSPECTIONS STARTED JUNE 1st, 2024!

Zone 1: Woodside Hills & Woodside Heights

Zone 2 & 3: Emerald Hills, Woodside and Redwood City

Zone 4: Woodside North

This map is an interactive map that allows you to search with your address by selecting the magnifying glass on the top right corner.

If this is not your inspection year, you can take advantage of our Home Self-Assessment Checklist. This will assist in giving you time to prepare and get a jump start on compliance with the Fuel Mitigation Ordinance. Download: How-to Prepare My Home Checklist

GUIDELINES Download: The Guidelines for Defensible Space and Home Hardening (An interpretation to Fuel Mitigation Ordinance No. 24-01)

  **If a home assessment has been completed, your report will be emailed to you within 48 hours.  You can view your report by clicking here and entering your 6-digit access code provided to you.

Learn about the Home Assessment Process

The inspection is not scary.

Our goal is to educate you and help you protect your home. We will help you understand the difference between compliance with our ordinance vs. insurance requirements and what they are looking for.

Inspectors are all trained the same and are constantly researching current information including laws and codes.

Step-by-Step Process:

1. Inspectors will ring your doorbell and ask for permission to inspect your property.
• If you are not home the inspector will leave a door hanger, letting you know they were there and requesting you call to schedule your home assessment.
• If we do not hear from you within 2 weeks, you will receive a letter requesting you schedule your home assessment to avoid reinspection fees and legal processes. Please note, by local ordinance a home assessment is required.
2. Based on the report, you may need to address one or more discoveries (violations).
• Please take pictures of the corrected items and upload photos to the inspection website.
3. Inspectors may clear violations virtually or may have to return to your home for a reinspection to verify corrections were made.
4. You have 12 months to comply so long as you are making substantial progress.
5. A citation may be issued if you have not completed the required changes.

NOTE:

• Only inspections in current zones will be inspected this year.
• To assist in expediting the process, please call to schedule your home assessment so that you may walk along with the Inspector when you are available.

CALL US                                           EMAIL US

650-851-1594                                 info@woodsidefire.org

  **If a home assessment has been completed, your report will be emailed to you within 48 hours.  You can view your report by clicking here and entering your 6-digit access code provided to you.

If this is not your inspection year, or if you would like to prepare for your upcoming inspection, you can take advantage of our Home Self-Assessment Checklist.

This will assist in giving you time to prepare and get a jump start on compliance with the Fuel Mitigation Ordinance. Download: How-to Prepare My Home Checklist

Watch this video "This Evaluation Can Save Your Life" for a better understanding of what's entailed in an inspection. 

Courtesy of Fire Safe Marin

June 2024 to July 2026                               

 *NEW* $7,500.00 (a 50% increase) each calendar year is available per household on a first come, first served basis until budgeted funding has been depleted. Each property owner may receive 50% reimbursement on approved items and/or work completed.

Program Mission: The Home Hardening and Defensible Space program should collectively protect the entire district’s community while developing a fair program that allows every resident to participate.

Program participation requires completion of a home assessment by WFPD. To schedule yours, call 650-851-1594 or email info@woodsidefire.org. See details at the end of this flier.

Your property must meet Zone 0 defensible space requirements and home hardening improvements as determined by your WFPD assessment before incentive reimbursement for other work can be considered. This program can be used to cover much required work. See details at the end of this flier for a full explanation.

Summary of Incentives Eligible for Reimbursement:

A partial list, details follow.                                                             

1. Zone 0 (0’-5’) hardscape material and plant removal/relocation. Adding deck skirting.
2. Combustible roof replacement.
3. House vent replacement/retrofit. Adding chimney spark arrestors.
4. Gutter guards and vinyl gutter replacement.
5. Replacement/retrofit of single paned windows and skylights, combustible siding and skirting, non-fire rated garage doors and exterior doors, caulking exterior gaps 1/8” or more.
6. Enclosing open eaves. Adding fire rated shutters.
7. Replacement/retrofit of attached combustible decks, fencing, patio covers, carports, balconies (ordinance requires minimum of 6 feet from a structure be non-combustible)
8. Proper address marking. Clearing driveways 13.5’ overhead and 5’ from edge.
9. Removal/mowing of hazardous ladder fuels: brush, broom, thistle, annual grasses.
10. Hazardous and dead tree removal. Limbing up and thinning trees.
11. Adding an automatic gas shut off valve.

 You will not be reimbursed for: (A partial list) 

• New Structures, plants or watering systems.
• Re-locating combustibles (eg: firewood piles)
• Labor for work that you do yourself.

Fire Safety Incentive Program Detail:

 1.) Immediate/Ember Resistance Zone 0 (0’-5’) – This zone extends from zero to five feet from buildings and flammable structures, including the area under and around all attached decks. This zone requires the most stringent wildfire fuel reduction to keep fire or embers from igniting materials that can spread the fire to your home. Guidance and incentives for this zone:

a) No combustible bark or mulch, such as wood chips, should be in this zone. Reimbursement toward materials and installation costs to create a hardscape of non-combustible material or mulch such as gravel, stone, pavers, concrete. Materials will be reimbursed at the lesser of $2.50/sq ft or 50% of actual cost.

b) Limit plants in Zone 0 to low growing, nonwoody, properly watered and maintained plants if next to non-combustible decking or siding; no plant material if next to combustible decking or siding. Reimbursement toward labor to remove and/or transplant plants from Zone 0. Non-reimbursable expenses include watering systems, new plantings and plant maintenance.

c) Reimbursement toward replacing existing combustible fencing, gates, carports, etc. attached to or within 6 feet of a structure with noncombustible alternatives. See “7.) Existing Attached Structures” below for incentive details.

d) Reimbursement toward adding fireproof skirting to the underside face of decks that are three feet or less from the ground to keep leaves and debris out.

e) No firewood or lumber can be in this zone unless in a non-combustible enclosure. Note that relocation and new structures are non-reimbursable expenses.

  2.) Roof Assembly – Reimbursement toward the cost of replacing an existing combustible roof with a rated non-combustible roof. For small roofs such as for  carports, ADU’s or outbuildings, reimbursement will be capped at the lesser of 50% of the cost of a Class A foam or asphalt shingle roof or the actual cost; if using other roof types (slate, tile, standing metal seam, etc.), pre-approval will require that you obtain proper vendor invoicing with cost breakdown.

  3.) House Vents & Chimney Spark Arrestors – Reimbursement toward materials and installation costs to replace/retrofit exterior house vents that have screen openings over 1/8” and spark arrestors with screen openings over 1/4” with fire rated vents such as Brandguard and Vulcan, or screens made of a non-combustible, ember resistant mesh with a maximum opening of 1/8” for house vents and 1/4” for chimney spark arrestors, such as Wildfire Defense Mesh (ask for WFPD 20% discount, a limited time offer).

  4.) Gutters and Gutter Guards - Reimbursement toward materials and installation costs to install non-flammable gutter guards to prevent leaf buildup, and to replace vinyl gutters with metal gutters. While gutters should be cleaned regularly, note that this is not a reimbursable expense.

  5.) Exterior Windows/Skylights/Doors/Garage Doors & Siding/Skirting – Reimbursement toward materials and installation costs of replacing single-paned windows and skylights with double-paned tempered glass windows/skylights, replacing non- fire rated exterior doors and garage doors with fire rated non-combustible exterior doors and garage doors, replacing or improving existing combustible exterior siding, walls and skirting with a rated non-combustible material, and for caulking or filling exterior gaps of 1/8” or more on all exterior surfaces to prevent ember intrusion from wildfires

  6.) Open Eave Enclosure & Fire Rated Shutters – Reimbursement toward materials and installation costs of enclosing open eaves with a rated non-combustible material and of adding fire rated shutters only if covering non-fire-safe windows. Note: An eave is the underside of a roof that extends beyond the external walls of a building; open eaves are susceptible to attic ember intrusion from wildfires.

  7.) Existing Attached Combustible Structures – These may act as a wick to bring fire to your house and primary structures. Reimbursement toward materials and installation costs of replacing or retrofitting combustible decks, patio covers, balconies, carports and fencing with rated non-combustible materials. Fence replacement reimbursement will be limited to six feet from a structure. Consideration will be given to replacing existing combustible structures that are within six feet of a house/primary structure.

  8.) Home Access – Reimbursement toward materials and installation costs for clearly marking your property address with reflective non-combustible material that is visible from the street (minimum of 4-inch numbers on a contrasting background), for clearing driveway of overhanging trees up to a height of 13.5 feet and of vegetation at least 5 feet on each side, for providing proper “KNOX” gate access for emergency responders and WFPD, for consideration and creation of a turnaround for emergency vehicles, and for private bridges being rated and posted by an engineer.

  9.) Brush and Ladder Fuel Mitigation – Reimbursement for labor to pull, cut back or remove hazardous ladder fuel brush such as French and Scotch broom, coyote bush, thistle and annual grasses, also highly flammable plants such as juniper, bamboo and old woody plants such as rosemary, some hedges, etc.

  10.) Hazardous Trees, Tree Pruning & Stump Removal – Reimbursement for costs to prune and thin trees, to remove dead trees, branches and hazardous trees such as the ‘flammable five” Eucalyptus, Pine, Acacia, Juniper and Cypress. Remove tree limbs within 5 feet of structures and within 10 feet of chimneys, overhead electrical facilities/lines and above roofs. To prevent fire from reaching treetops, limb up all tree branches a minimum of 6 to 10 feet from the ground; for smaller trees limb up 1/3 of the tree height from the ground.

Reimbursement for stump removal only in Zone 0 (0’-5’) and Zone 1 (5’-30’).

11.) Automatic Gas Shut Off Value - Reimbursement toward materials and labor for valve installation that will shut off gas automatically in an earthquake.

 Program Requirements: 

 Program participation requires a home assessment by WFPD. To schedule your inspection, call 650-851-1594 or email infor@woodsidefire.org with Subject LTCMD Fire Safety Inspection Request. Just twelve slots will be available monthly through December 2024, so schedule soon. Beginning January 2025, WFPD will be conducting a home assessment for every property in Los Trancos and Vista Verde that has not been recently inspected. It is important that you be present to benefit from the information and have your questions addressed. If your property was last inspected on or after 1/2023, no new assessment is required until 1/2025.

Your property must meet Zone 0 defensible space requirements and home hardening improvements as determined by your WFPD assessment before incentive reimbursement for other work can be considered. The WFPD Inspector will provide guidance and prioritize your needs during the assessment. To maximize program benefits, be present, ask questions and collaborate with the inspector on a plan. This program covers much required work. 

I have an emergency and my home cannot be assessed in time, can I participate? Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis for emergencies, such as a tree that’s fallen near a roadway or structure. Contact Woodside Fire at (650) 851-1594 or email info@woodsidefire.org with Subject: LTCMD Incentive Emergency Request.

 Is my property eligible?                                                                                                                                     

 All properties with the following tax rate areas comprise the Los Trancos County Maintenance District and are eligible to participate in this program: 019160, 070006, 070030, 070034, 070035, 070036, 070037, 070038, 070041, 070042. Your tax rate area is noted on your property tax bill.

Next Steps: I have my assessment and am ready to get some work done, what’s next? 

Get pre-approval**:                                                                                                                                             

 Figure out what incentive you would like to take advantage of, get a rough dollar estimate for the project(s), log into your FireAside account, find the related item(s) and upload a written request for pre-approval. Pre-approval is required to be sure that your project is eligible, and funds are available. You will receive an email from WFPD regarding approval. 

For work not included in your FireAside report, such as newly fallen limbs or trees, call (650) 851- 1594 or email info@woodsidefire.org with Subject: LTCMD Incentive Request and include a description. WFPD will add the item to your report, if appropriate, allowing you to upload ‘before’ pictures and request pre-approval per above steps.

Plan to complete your project(s) within 90 days of receipt of your pre-approval to ensure funds availability. If you need an extension, contact Michael. Note that if you do the work yourself, you can be reimbursed only for supplies. 

Incentive work is complete, how do I request reimbursement?**                                                 

 When a project for which you’ve received approval is complete, log into your FireAside account, find the related item(s), upload ‘after’ pictures showing your completed work and upload a copy of receipts and invoices. For clarity or if helpful, upload a summary/explanation. If one receipt/invoice is for multiple items on your report, upload the same receipt/invoice for each item along with pictures.

When will I receive reimbursement?

You will receive 50% of the money you spent on pre-approved work up to a max of $7,500 annually. (E.g., spend $3,000, receive $1,500; spend $17,000, receive $7,500, the maximum.) WFPD issues checks quarterly whenever possible: 

• April/May reimbursement for claims submitted by March 15
• July/Aug reimbursement for claims submitted by June 15
• Oct/Nov reimbursement for claims submitted by September 15
• Jan/Feb reimbursement for claims submitted by December 15

**The process for getting pre-approved and reimbursed through your FireAside account is new and may change. For the most up-to-date information go to https://www.vistaverdepv.org/fireprogram

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