Defensible Space
Inspection FAQ

You do not get an install, a repair, or a promise that a fire authority, insurer, lender, or buyer will accept a private report. You do not get a bid, a government inspection, a construction quote, permit approval, code-compliance certification, an appraisal, or a warranty against fire. The report is a dated record of observable conditions on the inspection date, and some local programs will only take their own inspection, so ask the responsible fire authority what documentation it accepts before you treat a private report as transaction paperwork.

The report is not an NFPA product. Training and program enrollment are listed in About, and the report is a private photographed action plan of observable conditions on this property.

Not every California sale requires a private inspection. Buyers commonly use an inspection during their investigation and any inspection contingency in the purchase contract. In a high or very high fire hazard severity zone, California law may require the seller to provide defensible-space compliance documentation, and the responsible local authority controls what documentation it accepts. Check the specific transaction with your agent, escrow officer, lender, insurer, or local fire authority.

Not automatically. AB 38 documentation is controlled by Civil Code §1102.19 and the applicable local program, so ask the responsible fire authority or local program whether it accepts a private report and what it requires. A report is not labeled “AB 38 compliant” or “official” without written confirmation for that jurisdiction.

No. California’s Board approved a statewide Zone 0 draft, but it is not yet an effective statewide regulation. The Office of Administrative Law listed the emergency filing as withdrawn on September 8, 2026. Existing defensible-space statutes, local fire rules, building codes, HOA rules, and insurance requirements may still apply. The inspection covers observable conditions, and a withdrawn draft is not treated as current statewide law.

That cannot be promised. Some local programs only accept their own inspection, so ask the responsible fire authority what it accepts, and do it early, at listing if you can. You get a dated, organized record the transaction team can use to ask the right questions, and acceptance by a fire authority, buyer, lender, insurer, or escrow officer is not promised.

That label is not used here. California’s home-inspector statute does not provide a generic state-certified credential for this marketing claim. This is a defined wildfire-mitigation / defensible-space inspection service, and it is not presented as a CSLB-licensed contractor, engineer, architect, or government inspector. If the job needs construction, design, engineering, or an official compliance inspection, use the appropriate licensed professional or authority.

No. I do not install, repair, sell construction work, connect you to contractors, or receive compensation for contractor referrals. If the report identifies a condition to address, you choose and contract directly, and you verify any required license and permit with the appropriate California authority.

No. I inspect observable conditions, photograph them, and give you prioritized observations. I do not install, repair, replace, certify, or perform licensed construction work. If something needs correction, you choose and contract directly with the qualified trade for that work. Concealed conditions stay outside a visual, non-invasive walk.

No. Unless the agreement says otherwise, observable wildfire-mitigation and defensible-space conditions are reviewed across the property as scoped, including the structure, the ground around it, nearby structures and separation, and fire-department access, and the written agreement controls.

The written agreement controls, and unless it says otherwise, the service is visual and non-invasive and limited to observable wildfire-mitigation and defensible-space conditions identified in the scope. It does not determine structural integrity, concealed conditions, title, permits, appraisal value, insurance coverage, code compliance, or whether a property will withstand a wildfire.

One residential home and property, as scoped in the agreement: local climate at the time of assessment, surrounding environment within about a mile, on-property conditions including fire-department access, neighboring structures and separation, the structure across all three home ignition zones, a photograph behind every recommendation, and a dated written report. Construction, bids, contractor referrals, and an official fire-authority document are not included. Commercial and HOA inspections are $499 for one named building or one named common-area scope.

No. The report is a dated, photographed record of observable conditions. It is not formatted as an IBHS or California FAIR Plan submission. Take it to your carrier or broker and ask what they accept.

That is not promised. The report is a dated record of observable conditions. What a carrier does with a private file is the carrier’s decision. Ask them what they accept before you treat this as an insurance document.

Yes. Payment can come first as a booking step. The signed agreement is what authorizes the walk, so no inspection happens until it is signed.

No. The fire authority schedules its own inspection. I can walk the property earlier, so the likely problems are on paper before the official visit.

It can help you prepare. You get a dated, photographed record of observable conditions and a prioritized list of what to address, so you can make the changes that matter and show your agent what was done. What a carrier accepts, or whether it offers a discount, is the carrier's decision.

Most inspector E&O will not cover a claim from a visit that lacked a signed pre-inspection agreement. The agreement sets the scope, the point-in-time limit, and that the report is not a guarantee against fire loss, so the work is in writing for both of us. With no signature there is no inspection.