Fwd: Protect your home from wildfire: remove vegetation with City services
Diane Tokugawa
Begin forwarded message:From: City of Berkeley <ne...@news.berkeleyca.gov>Subject: Protect your home from wildfire: remove vegetation with City servicesDate: April 2, 2026 at 5:02:09 PM PDT
Get seasonal help disposing of vegetation such as shrubs, brush, tree limbs, wood, bushes to clear your home of excess and flammable debris
April 2, 2026
SERVICES. RESOURCES. COMMUNITY.
News from the City of Berkeley
Protect your home from wildfire: remove vegetation with City services
Get seasonal help disposing of vegetation such as shrubs, brush, tree limbs, wood, and bushes to clear your home of excess and flammable debris.
Prepare for wildfire season by using a free City of Berkeley service that will take away shrubs, limbs, brush, and other “hard” vegetation you gather from your property.
Residents can sign up online for this service, known as our “Berkeley Chipper Program." Register for a neighborhood chipping event or sign up to get an email when the next nearby event is scheduled.
If you live in a higher-risk area of the Berkeley Hills and pay a fire district surcharge, you can also request a neighborhood vegetation debris bin. These bins are for collective use, so coordinate with neighbors to help move even larger amounts and a greater variety of cleared vegetation.
The Berkeley Chipper program is funded by voter-approved Measure FF. Chipper is one of several programs offered through Fire Safe Berkeley, led by the Berkeley Fire Department. Berkeley Fire’s comprehensive wildfire protection plan includes annual inspections of certain hillside properties to help identify fire risks, increased public education about fire prevention, and services like the chipper program.
“Nobody has to do this alone. Neighbors can work together. Trimming trees, and clearing brush, leaves, and vegetation within five feet of structures, decks, and stairs can help to significantly reduce the risk around your homes,” said Assistant Fire Chief Colin Arnold, of the Wildland Urban Interface Division. “Berkeley belongs to all of us, and together, through actions big and small, we can reduce the wildfire risk of entire neighborhoods.”
Make an appointment for the citywide chipper service. To see if you qualify to receive a vegetation debris bin for your neighborhood, call 3-1-1 or (510) 981-2489 outside City limits.
Berkeley Chipping Program
Use the chipper website to find upcoming chipping events in your neighborhood. Follow the instructions to make a reservation.
If you do not see an event in your neighborhood, sign up to receive emails about future appointments for your area.
You can sign up for more than one neighborhood event. Be sure to complete the full sign-up process for each date and check that you receive an email confirmation for each event.
Please place your pile for pick up by the time specified in your confirmation email from the Berkeley Chipper online system.
Your un-bagged, curbside vegetation debris pile should not exceed 25 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet. Please be sure it does not block a roadway or driveway. Keep the pile at least 10 feet away from a utility pole or fire hydrant. Your pile must be in an accessible area not blocked off by fences, closed gates, or other similar objects.
Hard vegetation you can put in your pile includes:
- Shrubs and bushes
- Brush
- Tree limbs
- Wood and woody bushes
- Cypress, juniper, and firewood
Debris you cannot put in your pile includes:
- Construction materials, such as lumber
- Trash or any bagged materials
- Metal objects, such as nails or fencing
- Poison Oak
- Blackberry brambles
- Regular yard waste from weekly green bin
- Leaves
- Lawn clippings
- Bamboo roots and roots covered with dirt, rocks, or gravel
- Limbs and firewood larger than 8” in diameter
Please review all program rules on the chipper website before making a reservation. Pickups are available on scheduled dates for each neighborhood. For one-time debris pickups, consider a temporary 2–6 cubic yard dumpster rental.
The Chipper Program is event-based and fills up quickly depending on your neighborhood’s location. Scheduling before the program ends in mid-December will help ensure you are able to use the services.
Certain hills residents can request a vegetation debris bin
If you live in certain higher risk locations, you can request a 20-cubic-yard debris bin to help remove excess vegetation. Eligible areas include the Grizzly Peak or Panoramic Mitigation Areas and other High or Very High Hazard Severity Zones in the Berkeley hills. Coordinate with your neighbors to share the vegetation debris bin. Bins are placed in the public right-of-way and are available for everyone in your neighborhood.
Check your Zero Waste statement to see if your bill includes a Fire District Surcharge fee. Those eligible can request a vegetation debris bin from June 9 through September 11. Vacant lots and properties that do not pay the Fire Surcharge are not eligible.
- Confirm eligibility and schedule an appointment by calling (510) 981-2489 or 311 on weekdays, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, not including holidays.
For smaller amounts of debris, you can also purchase pre-paid paper plant-debris bags (with a City of Berkeley logo) from:
- Ace Hardware, 2020 Milvia Street
- Berkeley Transfer Station, 1201 Second Street
These paper bags are picked up year-round during the regular weekly compost bin service.
By removing brush, branches, and trees from around your home—either on your own or through our chipper or vegetation debris programs—you help better protect your neighborhood and our city from wildfire.
Links
- City services:
- Wildfire information:
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Make your home less vulnerable to wildfires
Berkeley homeowners can upgrade their windows, roofs, eaves, and vents to prevent a wildfire’s sparks, embers or heat from setting your home ablaze.
Changing building features or materials to be more fire resistant is particularly important the closer a home is to undeveloped areas like forests and regional parks.
A wildfire’s heat and embers often surge ahead of a blaze and expose vulnerabilities built into a home.
- An ember blown by winds can fall through a vent to set a home on fire – so covering vents with metal mesh is critical.
- The heat alone from a nearby wildfire can be so intense that it ignites certain building materials. As a result, multi-pane tempered windows and fire-resistant roofs can help safeguard your home.
- Embers can collect on roofs, in gutters, and along the foundation, igniting vegetation and debris which can spread fire to the roof or other parts of the structure. Sealing gaps, clearing, and enclosing gutters lowers the chance of embers entering these vulnerable areas.
Making the materials of your home more resistant to heat and embers – a term often referred to as “home hardening” – might save it from a wildfire.
Prepare for – and know how to respond to – winter storms
Winter rains and winds can lead to flooding, downed power lines, and fallen trees. Know how to reduce flooding risks near your home and who to call to report those hazards.
Minimize flooding and water damage around your home by clearing gutters, downspouts, driveways, and drains. If your property has ever flooded, use sandbags to help divert water. Residents and merchants can pick up some from the City.
You can also “adopt” a storm drain near your home to reduce flooding in your neighborhood.
Reporting hazards quickly can help the City and other agencies respond.
- Report fallen trees by calling 3-1-1 (510-981-2489 outside City limits)
- Report downed power lines to 9-1-1 and then notify PG&E
- For street hazards like clogged storm drains, street flooding, non-working street lights and traffic signals, call (510) 981-6620
Storm season is also a reminder to make sure you’ve signed up for AC Alert emergency notifications and have an updated emergency kit.
Reduce lithium-ion battery fire risk for electric skateboards, scooters, and bikes
Know how to safely care for, replace, and re-charge lithium batteries, which are common in household devices.
Berkeley has had eighteen fires linked to lithium-ion batteries involving e-skateboards, e-scooters, and e-bikes since 2023. Although incidents are down in the city, these dangerous fires continue to happen around the region and nation.
Simple tips can help keep you and your household safe:
- Use the original manufacturers’ chargers, batteries, or replacements and store them away from extreme heat, cold, and other flammable items.
- Charge batteries directly in an electrical wall outlet for only as long as it takes to reach a full charge, then disconnect from power source.
- Watch warning signs of battery overheating like swelling, leaking, odd noises, smoke, or unusual odors. If you see any of these, don’t touch the device. Evacuate immediately and call 9-1-1.
Lithium battery fires often start without warning, spread fast, and burn for extended time periods. If a fire breaks out, evacuate the area immediately and call 9-1-1.
Use only certified batteries and chargers on the current list from the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory. Charge batteries safely in an open space and stop using or replace any battery that shows signs of damage.
We're here to help
Use our Report & Pay tool to access City services quickly.
Or call (510) 981-2489, or 3-1-1 inside City limits.
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