Los Angeles • Sunland-Tujunga
Sunland-Tujunga Homeowners Face California’s New Zone Zero Deadline
Zone Zero Los Angeles / Sunland-Tujunga
The Neighborhood
Zone Zero in Sunland-Tujunga
Sunland-Tujunga sits in the northeastern San Fernando Valley, pressed directly against Angeles National Forest, with a semi-rural, equestrian character that sets it apart from the flatter Valley communities to its west.
Because Sunland-Tujunga borders Angeles National Forest along nearly its entire northern and eastern edge, most of the community falls within Los Angeles's Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, among the most extensively mapped neighborhoods in the city.
California's regulation targets the 0 to 5 foot ring around every structure, known as Zone Zero or Zone 0, requiring this ember-resistant zone to stay clear of combustible mulch, plants, and debris.
Who Enforces This
Los Angeles Fire Department
Zone Zero enforcement in Sunland-Tujunga falls to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the same authority responsible citywide. Because much of the community borders Angeles National Forest directly, LAFD's Brush Clearance Unit prioritizes Sunland-Tujunga in its annual spring inspection sweep.
Local Fire History
Why Sunland-Tujunga Takes This Seriously
The La Tuna Fire burned through La Tuna Canyon along Sunland-Tujunga's southern edge in September 2017, at the time the largest wildfire in the city of Los Angeles in decades, forcing evacuations across the community. The 2009 Station Fire, the largest fire in modern Los Angeles County history at roughly 160,000 acres, also burned along the Angeles National Forest edge nearby. Sunland-Tujunga's wildland border isn't a one-time exposure. It's a standing condition.
Bolton Hall Museum
The historic Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga, a community landmark since 1913, sits close to the wildland-urban interface that defines the neighborhood's fire risk. It's operated by the Little Landers Historical Society and serves as a point of reference for how long this community has lived directly against the forest edge.
Frequently Asked
Sunland-Tujunga Zone Zero Questions
Why is so much of Sunland-Tujunga in the Very High zone?
Because the community borders Angeles National Forest directly along most of its northern and eastern edge. That's a different exposure than a neighborhood with hillside pockets; here, the wildland interface runs along nearly the whole community line.
What was the La Tuna Fire?
A September 2017 wildfire that burned through La Tuna Canyon along Sunland-Tujunga's southern edge. At the time, it was the largest fire the city of Los Angeles had seen in decades, and it forced evacuations across the surrounding area.
Does the Zone Zero rule apply to equestrian properties too?
Yes. The 0 to 5 foot ember-resistant ring requirement applies to the structure itself, barns and outbuildings included, regardless of whether the surrounding property is used for horses or landscaping.
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