Is Zone 0 Required in Westlake Village?
What is your Westlake Village address's fire hazard zone?
Enter your address to check it against the published Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps. A hazard zone is not a Zone 0 rule: confirm any requirement with LA County Fire and the city.
In November 2018 the fire reached the edge of the village
The Woolsey Fire came within sight of Westlake Lake. After igniting near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory on November 8, 2018, it crossed the 101 near Liberty Canyon in the early hours of November 9 and burned through the hills that ring this city. Westlake Village went under mandatory evacuation. Residents were not cleared to return until repopulation began on November 13.
The neighborhoods inside the city were largely spared. The hills around them were not, and news crews reported structures lost in the wider Westlake area, most of it across the county line. That is not luck to count on twice. Wind-blown embers can travel far ahead of a flame front and land in mulch beds, wood fences, and dry plants pressed against siding. The first five feet.
Westlake Village was master-planned in the 1960s around a lake, but its edges, the Three Springs hillside above Triunfo Canyon Road and the streets facing the open ridges toward Agoura, sit directly against the terrain Woolsey burned. If your street touches that open space, the first five feet of your house is where prevention works.
What is in force, proposed, and recommended →What is required, proposed, and recommended
As of September 19, 2026, here is where each rule stands for Westlake Village. No statewide Zone 0 regulation is in force.
Existing defensible-space law
Roofs and gutters kept clear of leaves and needles; branches within 10 feet of a chimney outlet removed (PRC §4291, Gov. Code §51182). We have not identified a local Zone 0 ordinance for Westlake Village.
The statewide Zone 0 draft
The Board of Forestry approved a final draft on August 19, 2026. OAL file 2026-0828-03E is listed as withdrawn on September 8, 2026. There is no effective date and no statewide deadline.
Clear and harden the first five feet
Mulch, dead plants, and stored items out; ember-resistant vents in. LA County Fire also lists a 100-foot defensible-space radius as a recommendation.
LA County Fire is the fire authority in Westlake Village
The Los Angeles County Fire Department is the fire authority for Westlake Village. The county's Defensible Space program lists the city, and the city's wildfire page references LA County Fire. That program lists chimney clearance as required and a 100-foot defensible-space radius as a recommendation. It does not present Zone 0 as a requirement.
The county line matters here more than almost anywhere. The community called Westlake straddles two counties: this site covers the Los Angeles County city of Westlake Village. Neighbors across the line in Thousand Oaks and North Ranch answer to the Ventura County Fire Department, a different fire authority. Confirm with LA County Fire and the city before acting on any deadline.
Quick answers for Westlake Village homeowners
Is Zone 0 required in Westlake Village?
As of September 19, 2026 we have not identified a local Zone 0 ordinance for Westlake Village. No statewide Zone 0 regulation is in force either. Required now: existing defensible-space law. Proposed — not in force: the statewide Zone 0 draft. Recommended now: clearing and hardening the first five feet. This is not a finding that no rule exists here. Confirm with LA County Fire and the city before acting on any deadline.
Is Zone 0 a statewide law in California?
Not in force. AB 3074 directed the state to create an ember-resistant zone. The Board of Forestry approved a final draft on August 19, 2026, but OAL file 2026-0828-03E is listed as withdrawn on September 8, 2026. As of September 19, 2026 there is no statewide Zone 0 regulation in force in California. The draft has no effective date.
Who is the fire authority in Westlake Village?
The Los Angeles County Fire Department. The county's Defensible Space program lists Westlake Village, and the city's wildfire page references LA County Fire. The county page lists chimney clearance as required and a 100-foot defensible-space radius as a recommendation. It does not present Zone 0 as a requirement.
What is required now?
Existing California law (Public Resources Code §4291 and Government Code §51182) still applies: roofs and gutters must be kept clear of leaves and needles, and branches within 10 feet of a chimney outlet must be removed. We have not identified a local Zone 0 ordinance for Westlake Village.
What should I do now?
Recommended now: clear combustible material from the first five feet (mulch, dead plants, stored items), keep roofs and gutters clear, fit ember-resistant vents, and use a noncombustible connection where a fence meets the house. These are recommendations, not a Westlake Village requirement, and they are worth doing whatever happens to the statewide draft.
Have a question about your property?
Send a request and the team will follow up by email.