What's on a wildfire season prep checklist?
Updated August 2026
Wildfire prep is about embers, not a wall of flame: clear the roof and gutters of every dead leaf and needle, keep the first 5 feet against the house completely noncombustible, screen all vents down to 1/8-inch metal mesh, and thin vegetation out to 30 to 100 feet. Wind-blown embers, which can land more than a mile ahead of a fire, ignite the majority of homes lost, so hardening the house comes before any single defensive line.
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Clear the roof, gutters, and valleys of debris | Yearly, pre-season | 2 hrs · DIY |
| Screen or box all vents to 1/8-inch metal mesh | Once, then check | $5–15 per vent |
| Confirm a Class A roof and ember-resistant siding | Once | Inspection |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Remove all mulch, plants, and stored fuel | Ongoing | 2 hrs · DIY |
| Use gravel, pavers, or bare soil in this strip | One-time | Materials |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Space and prune shrubs, remove dead plants | Yearly | Half day · DIY |
| Move woodpiles, propane, and furniture back | Ongoing | 1 hr · DIY |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Thin trees, limb up 6–10 feet, cut dry grass | Yearly | $300–1,000 pro |
What neglect costs
In wildfire country the cost of neglect is total loss, and the triggers are almost always small: pine needles in a gutter that catch an ember, a wood mulch bed against the siding, an unscreened attic vent that lets embers inside. Hardening a home, a Class A roof, 1/8-inch vent screens, a noncombustible first 5 feet, and clean gutters, is what survives when a neighbor's does not. It is also increasingly what keeps a policy renewable, since insurers in high-risk zones now inspect for defensible space. The work is a weekend and a few hundred dollars against the whole house. If storm season also reaches you, the hurricane checklist shares the same tree-and-gutter work.
Leave these to a pro
Hire out the tall and heavy vegetation work: an arborist to thin trees, remove ladder fuels, and limb up canopies 6 to 10 feet off the ground runs $300–1,000 or more depending on the lot, and it is dangerous DIY near a chainsaw and a slope. A roofer can confirm or upgrade to a Class A assembly, and a gutter service ($100–250) keeps the roofline clear if you would rather not climb. Many fire departments and states offer a free defensible-space assessment, worth booking before you spend a dollar.
This whole checklist ships as reminders in OnOtto: every task above, on the right schedule for your home, snooze-proof.
Load this checklist as remindersFrequently asked questions
What is defensible space and how far should it go?
Defensible space is the managed buffer around a home that slows a fire and gives it room to survive, and it is organized in zones. Zone 0, the first 5 feet, should be completely noncombustible. Zone 1, out to 30 feet, is lean and green: spaced plants, no dead material, nothing that carries flame to the house. Zone 2, from 30 to 100 feet, is thinned trees and short grass that break up the fuel. Many fire-prone states now require the full 100 feet where the lot allows.
Why does screening vents matter so much?
Because embers, not the flame front, destroy most homes, and an open attic or crawl-space vent is a direct path inside. A gable or soffit vent with coarse or no screening lets wind-driven embers into the attic, where they land on insulation and start a fire from within that no one is watching. Covering every vent with 1/8-inch noncombustible metal mesh (never plastic or fiberglass) blocks embers while still letting the vent breathe. It is a cheap upgrade, a few dollars per vent, with outsized payoff.
What is the 5-foot noncombustible zone?
Zone 0 is the strip of ground within 5 feet of the house, and the goal is that nothing there can catch and carry flame to the walls. That means no bark mulch, no shrubs against the siding, no firewood stacked under the eaves, and no combustible fencing tying directly into the house. Replace those with gravel, pavers, concrete, or bare soil, and keep it swept clear of leaves and needles. It is the single highest-value zone, because it is where an ember pile ignites the structure itself.
Does home hardening help me keep insurance?
Increasingly, yes. In high-risk fire areas, insurers now inspect for defensible space and home-hardening features, and many will decline to renew, or refuse to write, a policy on a property that has not cleared its zones or screened its vents. Some states and carriers offer premium discounts for documented mitigation, a Class A roof, 1/8-inch vent screens, ember-resistant siding, and a clean 100 feet. Photographing your work and keeping records helps at renewal, so treat hardening as protecting both the house and its coverage.