Fire Department
Inspection
Preparation
Defensible Space Snapshot
Your home’s wildfire compliance requirements.
No guessing. No waiting. No commitment.
You have a compliance problem.
- Your Problem
The annual clearance notice from VCFD or LACoFD arrives in the mail. Suddenly, there are an involuntary home project and a compliance deadline on your personal calendar.
- The To-Do List
ResearchFigure out exactly what work needs to be done to pass inspection.
CoordinateCall local fire department to confirm the inspection logistics.
More ResearchInvestigate what happens if your home does not pass inspection.
CompileBuild a spreadsheet of vendors who may be able to complete all or some of the mitigation work you researched.
ShopCollect disparate quotes from gardeners, landscape contractors, handymen and seasonal brush clearance crews from your spreadsheet.
HireIf there is a written contract, negotiate the scope of work to match what you researched, coordinate a schedule that works with your busy life and the compliance deadline, and simply accept there will be no guarantees.
- Common Solutions
Do nothingCross your fingers, ignore the notice and hope you do not get caught, fined or dropped by your insurance carrier.
Do-it-yourselfSpend your weekend with pruners, a rented brush cutter and an overflowing green bin, hoping you have trimmed all the right things to the right height.
Become a Project ManagerCobble together a patchwork crew of your regular gardener, a local handyman, and whoever put up that mysterious “Brush Clearance” sign on the corner. You may need to spend a day or two managing them, communicating the compliance specifications you researched and double checking their work.
- Common Failures
EnforcementThe fire department follows through on the enforcement notice they sent.
Opportunity CostHomeowners often undervalue their own time when taking on projects.
Unintentional Non-complianceA homeowner or the hired vendor overlooks one or more of the fire authority’s defensible space requirements.
Your defensible space inspection. Done.
Bring us your compliance problem. Mustard Construction assesses your home, tailors a scope of work, completes that work promptly and leaves you with reliable documentation of the work that was done.
The Mustard Process
Assess
We start with the property and the exact defensible space inspection standards that apply. We thoroughly document the current condition of your property and assess it using the standards VCFD and LACoFD use.
Scope
We turn the thorough assessment into a scope tailored to your home passing the fire department’s defensible space inspection. Mustard Construction’s Wildfire Compliance Scope gives you a clear path forward so you know what work, timeline and guarantees you are approving.
Mitigate
We promptly carry out the approved scope to prepare your home for its upcoming inspection before the compliance deadline. We own the project from start to finish. One contract, one point of contact.
Document
We close the project with Mustard Construction's Done Report, a thorough documentation of the completed mitigation work at your home. It gives brokers, insurance carriers and fire authorities a reliable record to review.
What homeowners say
“For years I relied on my gardener for our annual clearance inspection. I called Mustard Construction this year. They knew the requirements and handled it without me having to manage a thing or double check their work.”
Explore your options
You start the consultation with a compliance problem.
You finish the consultation with a clear path forward.
