Defensible Space Brush Chipping & Debris Removal Program

In the interest of fire prevention, life safety, and property protection, the Los Altos Hills County Fire District (Fire District or LAHCFD) contracted with Santa Clara County FireSafe Council (FSC) to deliver the Defensible Space Brush Chipping & Debris Removal Program to Fire District residents. The Fire District encourages residents to make their homes more defensible against wildland fire by removing hazardous brush and tree limbs. Upon pruning these hazardous materials, Fire District residents may sign up for the Defensible Space Brush Chipping & Debris Removal Program, which provides brush chipping and disposal services at no cost. Currently, the Fire District is accepting requests for brush chipping and disposal services in Area 2 of the Fire District, which will take place in February 2021, or during the following months, as conditions allow. (See Area Map.)

Sign up for Area 2 brush chipping and disposal services NOW

When Will My Area Be Chipped?

View the tentative 2021 Brush Chipping schedule at the bottom of the page, or click here to learn when your Area will be chipped.

How Does the Chipping Program Work?

The Brush Chipping program is available twice a year to residents of the Fire District. During registration for their property Area (see map), residents will select their preferred chipping date range from three options. Brush piles must be cut and stacked with 10-feet of residents’ driveways’ entrance to the roadway on a level area by the date specified during registration. Residents also indicate whether they would like their brush chips left on their property or hauled away. To comply with safety measures, residents may only retain debris chipped on their property.

A representative from the FSC will visit the residence by the date specified during registration to measure, tag, and photograph the brush piles. Once piles are inspected, measured, and tagged, please do not add any more brush to the piles or create new piles. Contractors then inspect the brush pile measurements and photographs and bid to provide the brush chipping and disposal services. The contractor who is awarded the contract by the FSC will chip the debris and leave or haul the chips, as specified by the resident, during the chipping date range selected at registration.

A representative from the FSC will attempt to contact residents at least one day in advance of visiting the residence for measurements, tagging, and photographing of brush piles, and will attempt to notify residents when contractors will be on-site to conduct the chipping. Name, phone number, and email must be provided at the time of registration to ensure that the FSC can contact the resident with this information.

All dates provided during registration are dependent on weather, red flag, and other safety conditions, such as COVID-19 quarantine measures. The Fire District, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, and Brush Chipping Program service providers will make every effort to adhere to the dates provided during registration; however, they must comply with all required safety measures, thus services may be delayed from time to time.

How To Register For This Program

• Approximately one month before each chipping program, residents receive a letter with a card to return to request a chipping service date range (See table below for approximate dates)
• To participate, return the request card per the instructions in the letter or sign up online- Request for Area 2 Defensible Space Brush Chipping & Debris Removal Services NOW OPEN
• Arrange to have your brush piled and ready to be measured, tagged, and photographed by the deadline specific to your brush chipping window
• A representative from the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council will contact you in advance of visiting your property to measure, tag, and photograph your brush piles and to notify you when contractors will be on-site for the chipping

We encourage all Fire District residents to participate in this very successful program, which helps you keep your home safer by reducing potentially dangerous fuel from brush and tree branches.

How Residents can help the District, FSC, and Contractors who Provide Chipping Service

• Please cooperate, be respectful, and maintain appropriate interactions at all times with personnel and contractors acting on behalf of the Fire District and FireSafe Council
• We appreciate service personnel receiving thanks and courteous treatment from residents
• If contacted by an FSC representative, please return calls or emails
• If gates are locked, please have gates unlocked or a person available to allow the contractor access to the brush pile for chipping on the day of service
• If you have any questions or comments about the services provided, please contact us at www.lahcfd.org or call the Los Altos Hills County Fire District at 650-949-1044
• We look forward to providing you with these no-cost Defensible Space Brush Chipping and Debris Removal Program Services to make your home and property more defensible against a wildland fire by removing hazardous brush and small tree limbs.

Illustrations of Defensible Space Zones and Shelter in Yard Zero to 5 foot Zone

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Tentative 2021 Defensible Space Brush Chipping & Debris Removal Schedule