Home hardening grants in California: which pay for a metal fence or gate

For most homeowners, the practical step is a call to the local fire district or Fire Safe Council to ask whether a resident grant is open this year. The full cost picture is in what Zone 0 compliance costs.

Which local programs pay for Zone 0 fence or gate work?

• City of San Rafael. The clearest fence terms in the state. Residents of San Rafael and the Marinwood Community Service District get 50% of the cost, up to $1,250 per gate or 5 feet of fence, to switch fencing or gates that connect to a structure to noncombustible material, for no more than 2 areas per property. Replacing all parallel wood fences within 5 feet of a structure gets 50% up to $2,500 per shared fence line, and a combustible gate in a continuous wood fence “may be eligible with pre-approval.” Fence work requires pre-approval and a defensible space evaluation, and treated wood does not qualify. One parcel can receive up to $15,000 over the 10-year tax measure period. The city publishes no deadline or remaining budget, so confirm funds and current caps with the fire department before you budget.
  • Worked example: a hypothetical $3,000 metal side gate where a wood gate meets the house. 50% is $1,500, so the $1,250 cap applies and you pay $1,750. A 5 foot aluminum section on the other side of the house would be the second of the two allowed areas.
• Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council, Santa Paula. Its Neighborhood Resilience Funding program covers “noncombustible fence/gate replacement in Zone 0” along with vent screens and Zone 0 vegetation removal, “without any out-of-pocket cost” for eligible homes. It is limited to “The Oaks” neighborhood of Santa Paula. No dates are set.
• Sleepy Hollow Fire Protection District, Marin. Its 2026 Zone Zero pilot removes Zone 0 vegetation and combustibles at no cost, including “the portion of a wooden fence connected to a structure.” It covers removal only, not replacement fencing or gates. Applications opened May 15, 2026, first come, first served, “until the project budget is exhausted.”
• Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority. Its board approved a $24.1 million budget on May 21, 2026, with over $3 million for town and city reimbursements, resident grants and direct assistance, under a “house out” plan that starts with Zone 0. Its resident grants list a noncombustible gate or fence section attached to a structure as eligible; terms are on Zone Zero in Marin. Most Marin grant programs require a recent wildfire risk assessment and reimburse after approved work is done.

Other fire districts and Fire Safe Councils run programs that open and close with each budget year. Local Zone 0 rules are covered in Zone 0 rules by city.

Is there a California home hardening program?

One state program takes applications today, if you live in the right place: the California Wildfire Mitigation Program (CWMP), run jointly by Cal OES and CAL FIRE under AB 38 (2019), with the Department of Insurance joining in 2026. A second state program, the California Safe Homes grant, exists in law but has not opened.

Who can apply to the California Wildfire Mitigation Program?

Only the legal owner of a property inside a current project area, at the time of application. You also have to allow a home assessment and sign a right-of-entry agreement. Renters cannot apply. Non-primary residences and manufactured or mobile homes are eligible.

Current project areas:

Each county has a local partner, such as El Dorado County’s Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience or the Shasta County Fire Safe Council. The assessment produces a report of “required, recommended, and optional measures,” and contractors carry out the work, which may include retrofits inside the house. The program sets no published income limit, cost share or dollar cap, and an application “does not guarantee participation.”

Does the CWMP pay for fences?

The program names no specific measures, fences included. If you are in a project area, ask your local partner whether the assessment can list the house end of an attached wood fence or a wood side gate as a required measure.

What is the California Safe Homes grant?

AB 888 (Calderon) created it. It was chaptered on October 10, 2025 as Chapter 536, Statutes of 2025, and took effect January 1, 2026. The Department of Insurance said on December 30, 2025 that the program will help with fire-safe roofs and “Zone Zero” work within five feet of homes and “will cover part or all the costs.”

Under the chaptered text, an individual applicant must:

• have the home insured by an admitted insurer or the FAIR Plan;
• live in a ZIP Code that overlaps a high or very high fire hazard severity zone;
• have income no higher than the low-income limit for their county.

Roof replacement comes first in the bill’s priority list, followed by “the creation of a five-foot noncombustible zone around the structure.” Fences are not named, but a fence within 5 feet of the house sits inside that zone, so fence work may qualify once the department sets its rules.

Can you apply for a Safe Homes grant now?

No. The state budget put $3 million toward starting the program, grant amounts have not been set, applications have not opened, and there is not yet enough money to fund grants. The Department of Insurance has published no application. Treat any contractor or website that says it can sign you up as unverified until the department does.

Do you need a grant to meet a Zone 0 deadline?

Existing homes get 3 to 5 years for an attached fence or gate, counted from the day the state rule takes effect (dates), which leaves room for a program to reach your area.

Two limits apply. From the effective date, any new fence or gate within 5 feet of the house must be noncombustible, so holding out for a grant does not help if the fence is coming down anyway. And San Diego has its own, earlier dates (San Diego rules).

What pays back fence work if no grant does?

Insurance discounts, in part. Since 2022, insurers that price for wildfire risk must credit noncombustible materials within 5 feet of the building, fences and gates included, and CDI’s Safer from Wildfires program calls replacing wood fencing connected to the home with metal “critical” (Safer from Wildfires, item by item). For the cost side, compare quotes against aluminum fence cost per foot and side gate replacement cost.

What should you do before you pay for fence work?

1. Check the CWMP table above. If you are in an open project area, apply before you hire anyone, since the program assesses the home first and its contractors do the work.
2. Call your fire district or local Fire Safe Council and ask two things: is a resident grant open this fiscal year, and does it require a defensible space evaluation first?
3. Get pre-approval in writing where the program requires it. San Rafael requires it for fence work.
4. Keep the invoice naming the material and length. The same paperwork supports an insurance discount claim.