Los Angles County is bringing down the hammer on unincorporated property owners with uncontrolled debris on their land from the January fires to book a private contractor to clear their land by June 30 or expect a bill from Los Angeles County for the work.

The urgency abatement ordinance was approved by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors by a 4-0 vote on Tuesday, April 29.

This order applies only to those property owners — mostly in the unincorporated community of Altadena hit by the Eaton fire ,where some 9,414 structures were destroyed by the devastating conflagration on Jan. 7-Jan. 8 — who did not allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform the cleanup work.

These property owners who “opted out” of that no-cost service were required to manage their own debris removal, property clearance and disposal of ash, soil and other materials themselves, out of pocket. For the “non-responsive” properties that have not yet completed this work, the debris presents a health hazard to the community and can damage the natural environment, said federal officials.

“The most dangerous thing for this community is to leave debris on parcels in an uncontrolled environment,” said Col. Eric Swenson, commander of the Army Corps’ Los Angeles Wildfires Recovery Field Office, speaking from cleared property in west Altadena where rebuilding of a home had begun on Monday, April 28.

Rain can aggravate the hazards, Swenson said, pointing to downpours on Saturday, April 26 that moved debris from burned out homes from the Palisades fire into local waterways. “It is very important we get that debris removed as quickly as possible, so that rain events don’t carry any debris into our streams and ultimately into the ocean,” he said.

Of the 16,000 structures destroyed in the two fires, 1,715 property owners have opted out of the Army Corps clearing program, Swenson said on Monday. In unincorporated county areas, that includes about 400 who have not yet completed debris removal projects, reported Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose district includes Palisades and Malibu.

“They (who opted out) have to do it themselves,” Swenson said. “If they opted out and then do nothing, then the county will have to enforce their opt-out through some kind of abatement,” he said.

He estimated there are about 100 property owners from both fire zones who have not responded, meaning they have not taken out a permit for debris clearance and have not indicated a time-frame for the work.

There are about 230 Army Corps crews clearing properties each day in the two fire zones, Swenson estimated, not including private companies. He said the Army Corps program is at maximum capacity. Indeed, in west Altadena, excavators are digging out contaminated soils and filling large trucks with fire debris that line the narrow streets on way to landfills, while traffic is directed by flagmen at clogged intersections.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena, said 100% of properties in Altadena have indicated their choice with the county. The overwhelming majority of properties in Altadena that have chosen private contractors are working things out, she said, and only a handful have not been responsive.

She also wants the city of Los Angeles properties in the Palisades to quickly remove debris, so as not to slow the overall recovery. “I’ve talked to the mayor (Karen Bass),” Barger said. “It is important for us to align it,” she said on Monday.

“We need to make sure all the lots are cleared off so when we are doing rebuilding, it is done in a safe and in an orderly fashion,” Barger said on Monday from the land of Margot Steuber, who began rebuilding her home on her property in west Altadena.

“This urgency ordinance helps ensure that public health and safety will be safeguarded by allowing our county to move quickly when private property owners fail to act. Our collective goal is to help create and cultivate safe environments as wildfire survivors work to rebuild and recover,” Barger said.

The new county abatement ordinance is similar to those issued to residents to force brush clearing from homes as a method for reducing the risk of damage from a wildfire, something known as creating defensible space. But these abatement orders are different because they are for clearing property of burned out structures, but also, they have expedited deadlines.

Normally, the county’s nuisance abatement enforcement timeline would give non-responsive property owners until next year to complete the job. “For the health and safety of the community, that delay in correcting this health hazard is simply unacceptable,” read the motion co-authored by Barger and Horvath.

Under the new ordinance, a non-responsive owner must take out a debris-clearing permit by June 1, and the private contractor must complete the job by June 30. If not, L.A. County Public Works has the authority to clear debris themselves and recover the costs by placing a lien on the property.

Shannon Larsuel wrote in the comment box attached to the board agenda that she supports the need to remove all fire debris in a timely manner. “But I think the deadline is too soon, especially given that private contractors have had issues obtaining the required permits. The deadline should be extended to Aug. 31, 2025,” Larsuel wrote.

Altadena businessman Allen Shay said some residents in the burn areas have become homeless. Others are asking how they can pay for repairs of intact homes, while some are unclear on exactly how they can get workers to remove debris from burned out properties.

Judy Matthews, representing the Altadena Chamber of Commerce, said the success of the federal and private debris removal efforts are also critical to the health of the business community. “The current debris presents a significant health risk and removal is crucial to us in order to prevent further losses to our business community,” she said.

Mark V. Jones, a neighbor of Margot Steuber, said where he had lived, the Army Corps crew only removed debris of one burned out home, but not from two others on the same lot. “That doesn’t make sense,” he said on Monday.

Otherwise, Jones, who is living in La Crescenta, generally was pleased with the rate of property clearing in Altadena. “Of course you’d like to see more and faster but all these things take time,” he said.