Zone Zero Landscaping in Pacific Palisades
Most Palisades yards are starting from zero. Design Zone 0 in.
Across the burn area, lots are being replanted from bare ground. That means almost nobody in the Palisades has to rip out an established landscape to comply. The five-foot band can be hardscape from the first sketch: decomposed granite paths, stone borders, gravel margins that read intentional against new construction.
Landscape architects working the rebuild are already drawing this way, and the coastal-modern palette common in new Palisades plans, gravel, sculptural agaves set out past five feet, low stone walls, happens to be close to what the regulation wants.
About trees and shade
The state draft softened its early vegetation language after public pushback, much of it about mature shade trees. The April 2026 draft focuses on combustible ground cover and dead material in the zone rather than blanket tree removal, and local rules may allow well-maintained trees with limbs kept clear of the structure. In a community mourning burned sycamores and eucalyptus along its streets, that nuance matters. Verify tree-specific requirements with LAFD before cutting anything.
Hardscape only
Gravel, pavers, DG, stone, bare soil. No combustible mulch, no dead material, no plantings against the wall.
Lean and green
Irrigated, spaced, low-fuel plantings. This is where the garden lives: succulents, low natives, well-watered beds.
Reduced fuel
Existing defensible-space law: thinned vegetation, ladder fuels removed, canyon-edge lots managed to the property line.
Landscaping questions, answered
Do I have to remove mature trees?
In most cases, no. The April 2026 draft scaled back blanket vegetation removal after public comment, partly over the loss of shade trees. Well-maintained trees with canopies kept clear of the roof and limbs pruned away from the structure are expected to be workable. Confirm specifics with LAFD before removing anything mature.
What can I plant in the first five feet?
The direction of the draft regulation is little to no live vegetation in Zone 0. Think hardscape: gravel, decomposed granite, pavers, stone. Low-water, low-fuel plantings belong in Zone 1, from 5 to 30 feet out.
Is bark mulch really banned that close to the house?
Combustible mulch inside the ember-resistant zone is exactly what the rule targets. Ember tests show bark mulch beds igniting against walls. Rock, gravel, or decomposed granite give the same finished look without the fuel.
I'm replanting a fire-damaged lot from bare soil. Where do I start?
From the house outward. Fix the 0-5 ft band as hardscape first, then design Zones 1 and 2 around spacing and maintenance. Replanting from scratch is the one silver lining of a rebuild: nothing has to be undone.
Replanting after the fire?
A licensed landscape contractor can lay out a Zone 0 compliant plan from bare soil, hardscape band, plantings, and spacing, in one free assessment.