New February 1 law bans plants or privacy fences within five feet of American homes

A NEW law has forced homeowners to pay up to thousands of dollars – or risk losing their insurance.

Homeowners will be forced to remove their fences and tear up their landscaping under the strict new regulations starting on February 1, 2026.

One year after the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, California, cities across the state are implementing new rules to prevent future fires.

The Zone Zero law regulations ban all flammable materials – including plants, trees, and fences – from within a five foot radius of all structures in fire-prone areas.

Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order after the 2025 wildfires saying cities must comply with the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s rules by the end of the year.

But action on updating homes to be in accordance with the Zone Zero law has been slow due to push back from residents across the state.

In San Diego, homeowners are worried about the cost associated with remodeling wooden fences, patios, and decks – all of which are now banned from being within five feet of their homes.

Around two-thirds of San Diego is in a high-risk fire zone, meaning the majority of the city’s population of a million people will be affected.

“It’s extremely stressful from the financial standpoint,” resident Pamela Begeal told local ABC affiliate KGTV.

“We understand that we do have to do something to mitigate fire danger.

“However, the fact that they’re only giving us one year to come up with this amount of money to do this amount of renovations and remodeling is going to be very difficult for most San Diegans.”

Bob Ilko, a community leader, said the cost of becoming Zone Zero compliant can range from $2,000 to $20,000 per home.

He added that he paid $7,700 to update his house.

“When you take a step back, you see that this is going to have a massive impact,” Ilko told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

“We’re all going to fight over suppliers, vendors, landscapers and installers.”

The regulations will go into effect only for newly constructed structures beginning on February 1.

Pre-existing homes and buildings will have until February 2027 to become Zone Zero compliant.

City officials said they plan to focus more on education than enforcement, and don’t plan on handing out fines immediately.

Even without city enforcement, homeowners will likely still have to comply or risk losing their fire insurance.

“If we don’t do it, then the insurance is going to impose it anyway,” said Deputy Fire Chief Tony Tosca.