Berkeley EMBER Law: Transforming Your Landscape for Fire Safety 🔥

Berkeley's new EMBER ordinance is fundamentally changing how hillside homeowners must approach their landscaping. For properties in the Grizzly Peak and Panoramic Hill areas, the law requires complete transformation of the five-foot zone immediately surrounding all structures. This guide will help you understand exactly what landscaping changes are required and what alternatives are available.

Understanding Zone 0: The Five-Foot Rule

Zone 0 is the most critical area for wildfire protection. This five-foot perimeter extends from the exterior walls of your home, garage, deck, shed, and any other structures on your property. During wind-driven wildfires, embers can travel miles ahead of the main fire. When these embers land near a home and find combustible materials within five feet, they can ignite secondary fires that spread from structure to structure faster than firefighters can respond.

What Must Be Removed from Zone 0

All in-ground plants must be removed, including ornamental grasses, perennial flowers, shrubs, ground covers, and succulents planted in soil. Climbing vines that touch your home or structures are prohibited. Combustible mulches like wood chips, bark mulch, and pine needles must be replaced. Wooden fences or gates that attach to your house, wooden planter boxes against your foundation, and timber retaining walls within five feet must all be removed or replaced with non-combustible alternatives. Firewood and lumber storage must be relocated beyond the five-foot zone.

What You Can Have in Zone 0

Hardscaping materials form the foundation of your Zone 0 landscape. Gravel in various colors and sizes, decomposed granite, river rocks, decorative stones, concrete pavers, flagstone, slate tiles, brick pavers, and poured concrete pathways are all compliant. Container plants are allowed in non-combustible pots made of ceramic, concrete, metal, or terra cotta. Plants must be well-watered and positioned so canopies don't touch your home's exterior walls. Existing tree trunks may remain if their canopies are pruned to clear your roof by at least 10 feet. Fencing must be non-combustible metal or masonry and cannot be attached to your home.

Design Strategies for Beautiful Compliant Landscapes

Creating an attractive Zone 0 landscape requires thoughtful design expertise. At Farallon Gardens, we understand how to create visually appealing fire-safe landscapes using layered hardscaping, varied materials, strategic container placement, and thoughtful color and texture combinations. Our designers work with you to develop a custom plan that creates beauty within the constraints of fire safety and establishes smooth transitions from the compliant zone to the rest of your property.

Plant Selection for Container Gardens

Farallon Gardens specializes in container garden design for fire-safe landscapes. We have extensive knowledge of plants that thrive in containers and tolerate Berkeley's Mediterranean climate. Our team selects appropriate combinations of low-water options, plants with high moisture content, fire-resistant varieties, and specimens that provide year-round visual interest. We create container gardens that are both beautiful and compliant with EMBER requirements.

Maintaining Your Zone 0 Landscape

The Berkeley Fire Department conducts annual inspections, so proper maintenance is essential for continued compliance. Farallon Gardens offers comprehensive maintenance services to keep your Zone 0 landscape inspection-ready year-round. Our maintenance program includes blowing all hard surfaces, removing leaves and debris from hardscaped areas, installing and maintaining automated smart irrigation systems to maintain high moisture content, pruning plants to prevent growth from touching your home, removing dead flowers and foliage promptly, replenishing gravel as it settles, and maintaining the required 10-foot clearance between tree canopies and your roof.

Addressing Common Challenges

Berkeley's hillside properties present unique challenges. For steep slopes, terracing with stone or concrete retaining walls creates level areas while providing structural support. Privacy concerns when removing screening vegetation can be addressed with non-combustible metal or masonry fencing, or mobile privacy screens using large container plants. We select deer-resistant species if deer pressure is severe. For shaded areas, we choose shade-tolerant options that will thrive in lower light conditions.

Working with Landscape Professionals

EMBER compliance requires specialized knowledge of fire-safe landscaping, Berkeley's unique hillside challenges, and the specific requirements of the ordinance. With over 20 years of experience serving east bay communities, Farallon Gardens is fully licensed and insured, and we specialize in EMBER compliance transformations for hillside properties.

Since the EMBER law went into effect in January 2026, annual inspections are now underway, making professional compliance more important than ever.

At Farallon Gardens, we provide comprehensive EMBER compliance services from initial consultation to project completion. Our team handles every aspect of your Zone 0 transformation—site assessment, custom design, plant removal, hardscaping installation, container garden creation, and ongoing maintenance planning. We understand Berkeley's hillside challenges and work with you to create fire-safe landscapes that are both beautiful and fully compliant.

Timeline and Compliance

The EMBER ordinance went into effect January 1, 2026, for properties in designated high-risk zones. If you haven't yet achieved compliance, it's important to act now. Homeowners should confirm their property's status using city fire zone maps, measure and document current Zone 0 areas, and begin the transformation process immediately. Annual inspections are now underway, and professional installation ensures your property meets all requirements without the stress of managing the project yourself.

Moving Forward

EMBER compliance protects not just your property but your entire neighborhood. When every home in a high-risk zone has properly maintained Zone 0, the community becomes dramatically more resilient against wildfire. Your landscaping transformation is an investment in safety, community resilience, and the long-term viability of hillside living in Berkeley. With thoughtful design, quality materials, and appropriate plant selection, Zone 0 becomes an attractive outdoor space rather than a regulatory burden.

We know these tasks seem daunting, but Farallon Gardens will do all the heavy lifting to ensure your property is EMBER compliant. To schedule a consultation, contact us today at info@farallongardens.com.