MONTECITO, CA – Montecito Fire Department’s 17th annual Neighborhood Chipping Program will begin February 9, 2026. This important fire prevention and preparedness program assists community members with maintaining and increasing defensible space ahead of high wildfire season by reducing vegetation within 100 feet of their homes and along roadways. 

The Neighborhood Chipping Program is offered to 1,870 residents in Montecito’s Very High Fire Severity Zone. Reducing the volume of flammable vegetation creates more defensible and survivable space around a property and increases the entire community’s resiliency to wildfires.   

Residents are asked to stack cut vegetation on the curb to be chipped and hauled to a recycling center by our designated contractor, Frontcounty Tree Care Inc. Montecito Fire Department’s Wildland Fire Specialists are available to provide guidance to residents on optimal ways to trim back vegetation along driveways and roadways to create safer evacuation routes for the community and clear access for first responders.  

During the Neighborhood Chipping Program, fire department personnel will identify low-hanging tree branches and tag them for removal to prevent limbs from obstructing first responder access.

In advance of the program, residents were mailed a postcard with specific dates that work will be done in each selected neighborhood. The postcard provides instructions for homeowners, including their responsibilities for cutting vegetation, how and where to place cuttings and what material cannot be chipped (vines, grass, palms, succulents, firewood, other small trimmings). Those materials may be disposed of in any of the 20 roll-off containers stationed throughout Montecito.

The Interactive Neighborhood Chipping Map allows residents to type in their address to learn the start date of chipping in their neighborhood.  

The 10-week Neighborhood Chipping Program will conclude the week of June 15. Community members may schedule a complimentary Defensible Space Survey with a member of the Montecito Fire Prevention Bureau by calling 805-969-7762 or emailing prevention@montecitofire.com.

Montecito Fire Department partners with the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council to fund the Neighborhood Chipping Program through a state-sponsored wildfire prevention grant that is part of California Climate Investments.

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