Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council Neighborhood Chipping

Cut brush within about 100 feet of your home and roads and stack it at the curb; a contractor chips it on site and hauls it away.

• Cut vegetation within about 100 ft of structures and roadways
• Chippable material longer than 3 ft and under 16 inches in diameter
• Stack at curb with cut ends toward the road (narrow private roads may use a drop-off site)
• Leaves, succulents, pine needles, palm fronds, stumps, thorny branches, vines, bamboo, root balls, grasses and small trimmings cannot be chipped
• Set out material by the deadline for your area

1. 1Check the address map on the council page to confirm your home is in a project area
2. 2Watch for the postcard with your neighborhood's dates
3. 3Set out material at the curb by your deadline (no pre-booking)
4. 4Optional: contact the project coordinator for vegetation marking or a home evaluation, or call (805) 220-9037

Chipping in each area takes up to a week; roll-off containers where provided stay 7 days

Per-neighborhood deadline on postcard

not published

• https://sbfiresafecouncil.org/chipper/ (official page)
• https://www.independent.com/2026/03/18/annual-neighborhood-chipping-program-to-begin-april-6th/

Last checked October 17, 2026. See something out of date? Tell us.

Sow is not affiliated with any of these agencies or utilities. Amounts and rules change, often at the start of a fiscal year, so confirm the details on the official page before you start a project. How we research these programs