CHECK OUT OUR 5-STAR REVIEWS

VILLA HOME INSPECTIONS LLC
Home
Inspections
  • Whats Included
  • Packages
  • Pre Listing Inspection
  • Multi-Family Inspections
  • Commercial Inspections
  • Balcony Inspections
Services
  • 3D Virtual Tour
  • Sewer Camera Inspections
  • Mold Inspections
  • Repairs Request Report
  • Thermal Imaging
  • Moisture Inspection
  • Pool Inspections
  • Foundation Inspections
  • Indoor Air Quality
  • 11th Month Inspection
  • Home Reinspection
About Us
  • Reviews
  • Our Staff
  • Contact Us
Blog
FAQ's
Request Quote
Professionals
AB38 Home Hardening
Soft Story Requirements
Downloads
Videos
Espanol
Book
Employment
Professional Development
Los Angeles Inspections
San Gabriel Valley
San Fernando Valley
Orange County Inspections
Giving Back
VILLA HOME INSPECTIONS LLC
Home
Inspections
  • Whats Included
  • Packages
  • Pre Listing Inspection
  • Multi-Family Inspections
  • Commercial Inspections
  • Balcony Inspections
Services
  • 3D Virtual Tour
  • Sewer Camera Inspections
  • Mold Inspections
  • Repairs Request Report
  • Thermal Imaging
  • Moisture Inspection
  • Pool Inspections
  • Foundation Inspections
  • Indoor Air Quality
  • 11th Month Inspection
  • Home Reinspection
About Us
  • Reviews
  • Our Staff
  • Contact Us
Blog
FAQ's
Request Quote
Professionals
AB38 Home Hardening
Soft Story Requirements
Downloads
Videos
Espanol
Book
Employment
Professional Development
Los Angeles Inspections
San Gabriel Valley
San Fernando Valley
Orange County Inspections
Giving Back
More
  • Home
  • Inspections
    • Whats Included
    • Packages
    • Pre Listing Inspection
    • Multi-Family Inspections
    • Commercial Inspections
    • Balcony Inspections
  • Services
    • 3D Virtual Tour
    • Sewer Camera Inspections
    • Mold Inspections
    • Repairs Request Report
    • Thermal Imaging
    • Moisture Inspection
    • Pool Inspections
    • Foundation Inspections
    • Indoor Air Quality
    • 11th Month Inspection
    • Home Reinspection
  • About Us
    • Reviews
    • Our Staff
    • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • FAQ's
  • Request Quote
  • Professionals
  • AB38 Home Hardening
  • Soft Story Requirements
  • Downloads
  • Videos
  • Espanol
  • Book
  • Employment
  • Professional Development
  • Los Angeles Inspections
  • San Gabriel Valley
  • San Fernando Valley
  • Orange County Inspections
  • Giving Back
  • Home
  • Inspections
    • Whats Included
    • Packages
    • Pre Listing Inspection
    • Multi-Family Inspections
    • Commercial Inspections
    • Balcony Inspections
  • Services
    • 3D Virtual Tour
    • Sewer Camera Inspections
    • Mold Inspections
    • Repairs Request Report
    • Thermal Imaging
    • Moisture Inspection
    • Pool Inspections
    • Foundation Inspections
    • Indoor Air Quality
    • 11th Month Inspection
    • Home Reinspection
  • About Us
    • Reviews
    • Our Staff
    • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • FAQ's
  • Request Quote
  • Professionals
  • AB38 Home Hardening
  • Soft Story Requirements
  • Downloads
  • Videos
  • Espanol
  • Book
  • Employment
  • Professional Development
  • Los Angeles Inspections
  • San Gabriel Valley
  • San Fernando Valley
  • Orange County Inspections
  • Giving Back
AB-38 Home Hardening and Fire Prevention

AB-38 HOME HARDENING & FIRE PREVENTION

WHAT IS AB-38?

Assembly Bill 38 established that, as of July 1, 2021, changes and additions to the California Civil Code require a seller of real property located in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone to provide the buyer with documentation stating the property is in compliance with defensible space (and home hardening) requirements set by either the state or local ordinance.


The law allows, that if documentation demonstrating compliance cannot be obtained by the close of escrow, the seller and buyer can enter into a written agreement showing that the buyer agrees to obtain documentation of compliance from the state or local jurisdiction within one year of the close of escrow.


The law also earmarks money to help property owners, whole communities and local governments retrofit existing housing, commercial, and public properties in wildfire hazard areas 


Additional Reading: "It's Fire Season: Protect Your Home from Wildfires"

Read AB-38

FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONE?

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

While most of California is subject to some degree of fire hazard, there are specific features that make some areas more hazardous. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is required by law to map areas of significant fire hazards based on fuels, terrain, local weather, and other relevant factors. These designations referred to as Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ), mandate how people construct buildings and protect property to reduce the risk associated with wildland fires. 


The Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps denote lands of similar hazards where the state has financial responsibility for wildland fire protection, known as a State Responsibility Area or SRA. By law, only lands zoned as Very High Fire Hazard Severity are identified within areas of California where local governments have financial responsibility for wildland fire protection, known as Local Responsibility Area or LRA.  

Finding My FHSZ

You can locate your property on the map and determine which zone your home is in.

Locate Your Property
AB-38 Home Hardening Defensible Space Zones

Defensible Space

Defensible space, coupled with home hardening, is essential to improve your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire. Defensible space is the buffer you create between your house and the grass, trees, shrubs, or any wildland area that surround it. This space is needed to slow or stop the spread of wildfire.

Find out more

LOCAL ORDINANCES

 Many local government agencies have local ordinances for defensible space or weed abatement. These local ordinances will often be more stringent than the State’s minimum requirements listed above (e.g., San Diego County requires 50 feet of clearance in Zone 1). Check with your local fire department or fire protection district for any additional defensible space or weed abatement ordinance requirements.

Search Local Ordinances

C.A.R. FORM FHDS

C.A.R. FORM FHDS

Draft Version. The following form can be easily filled out with a little understanding about what each item in the form is referring to. Our guide will help provide you some better understanding and great tips on how to harden your home against wildfires.

Download PDF

HOME HARDENING TIPS

AB-38 Home Hardening Wildlife Home Retrofit Guide

Wildfire Home Hardening Retrofit Guide

Here are ways you can harden your home and make it more fire-resistant. Ways to Begin Retrofits to Your Home

Download the Guide

Roof

The roof is the most vulnerable part of your home. Homes with wood or shingle roofs are at high risk of being destroyed during a wildfire.  

  • Build your roof or re-roof with materials such as composition, metal, clay or tile. Block any spaces between the roof decking and covering to prevent embers from catching. 
  • Remove accumulated vegetative debris from the roof.

Vents

Vents on homes create openings for flying embers.  

  • Cover all vent openings with 1/16-inch to 1/8-inch metal mesh. Do not use fiberglass or plastic mesh because they can melt and burn. 
  • Use Ember and flame-resistant vents (WUI vents).

Eaves and Soffits

Eaves should be boxed in (soffit-eave design) and protected with ignition-resistant* or noncombustible materials.

Windows

The heat from a wildfire can cause windows to break even before the home is on fire. This allows burning embers to enter and start fires inside. Single-paned and large windows are particularly vulnerable.  

  • Install dual-paned windows with one pane of tempered glass to reduce the chance of breakage in a fire. 
  • Consider limiting the size and number of windows that face large areas of vegetation. 
  • Install screens in all usable windows to increase ember resistance and decrease radiant heat exposure

Walls

Wood products, such as boards, panels, or shingles, are common siding materials. However, they are flammable and not good choices for fire-prone areas.  

  • Build or remodel your walls with ignition-resistant* building materials, such as stucco, fiber cement wall siding, fire retardant, treated wood, or other approved materials. This is especially important when neighboring homes are within 30 feet of the home. 
  • Be sure to extend materials from the foundation to the roof. 
  • Smaller spaces, such as the roof-to-wall area, should have their siding replaced with non-combustible material.

Decks

Surfaces within 10 feet of the building should be built with ignition-resistant*, non-combustible, or other approved materials.  

  • Create an ember-resistant zone around and under all decks and make sure that all combustible items are removed from underneath your deck. 
  • If a deck overhangs a slope, create and maintain a defensible space downslope from the deck to reduce the chances of flames reaching the underside of the deck.

Rain Gutters

Keep rain gutters clear or enclose rain gutters to prevent the accumulation of plant debris.

  • Install a corrosion-resistant and non-combustible metal drip edge for additional protection of the combustible components on your roof’s edge. 
  • Use a noncombustible gutter cover to prevent the buildup of debris and vegetation in the gutter

Patio Covers

Use the same ignition-resistant* materials for patio coverings as a roof.

Chimney

Cover your chimney and stovepipe outlets with a non-flammable screen. Use metal screen material with openings no smaller than 3/8-inch and no larger than 1/2-inch to prevent embers from escaping and igniting a fire.  

  • Close the fireplace flue during fire season when the chimney is not being used.

Garage

Have a fire extinguisher and tools such as a shovel, rake, bucket, and hose available for fire emergencies.  

  • Add a battery back-up to the garage door motor so that the garage can easily be operated if power is out. 
  • Install weather stripping around and under the garage door to prevent embers from blowing in. 
  • Store all combustible and flammable liquids away from ignition sources. 
  • Treat windows and vents in the garage the same way as if it was a part of the house.

Fences

The best practice is to separate your fence from your house or upgrade the last 5-feet of the fence to a non-combustible material to reduce the chance of the fence bringing fire to your home.

READY, SET, GO!

Having a plan of action BEFORE a wildfire approaches your neighborhood can be the difference between saving your belongings, memories, and pets and the safety of you and your loved ones.

WILDFIRE ACTION PLAN

AB-38 Wildfire Action Plan

Download PDF

VISIT US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Proudly serving Los Angeles, Burbank, Arcadia, Monrovia, Orange County, Newport Beach, Corona

OUR SERVICE AREA

 

  • Los Angeles County Home Inspections
  • Orange County Home Inspections
  • San Gabriel Valley Home Inspections
  • San Bernardino County Home Inspections
  • Riverside County Home Inspections
  • Arcadia, Duarte, Monrovia, Claremont, Glendora, La Verne, San Dimas, San Gabriel, Temple City, Sierra Madre, Covina, West Covina,  San Marino, South Pasadena, Rancho Cucamonga, Los Angeles, Corona, Whittier
  • We do not unfortunately service the West San Fernando Valley & High Desert (Palmdale, Lancaster)
  • We do not service the City of Pasadena


Website created by InspectorGrowth.com

Copyright © 2020 Villa Property Inspections LLC - All Rights Reserved.    

  • Home