Hillside Brush Law Approved : Glendale: Property owners must remove dry growth or the city will do the work and add costs to property bills.

Under a new Glendale fire prevention program that received tentative approval this week, firefighters will check 13,000 hillside lots and order the removal of brush that could fuel a fast-moving blaze.

If property owners do not comply with the removal orders within 15 days, the city will send crews to do the work, then add the cost to the owner’s property tax bill, officials said.

The proposed ordinance would require the removal of all dead trees. In most cases, weeds and other vegetation within 100 feet of a building would be allowed to grow only three inches high. The height limit would not apply to ornamental shrubbery or plants that would not easily fuel the spread of fire.

The ordinance would also require an owner to cut tree limbs that hang over roofs and could endanger the structure if the limbs catch on fire.

“If we don’t do this, we’re going to be criticized,” said Mayor Larry Zarian, one of four council members who voted for the plan. “It is imperative that this program start.”

The so-called “vegetation management plan” was proposed by Fire Chief John Montenero and Fire Marshal Chris Gray in the wake of the June 27 College Hills fire that destroyed or damaged 64 Glendale houses and caused more than $15 million in damage. Firefighters said flammable roofs and dry vegetation near the houses helped spread the fire and contributed to the high property loss.

In a 4-1 vote, the council allocated $165,000 to begin the brush inspections and authorized fees designed to make the program eventually pay for itself. An ordinance adding the guidelines to the city’s building and safety code was introduced this week and will be returned for final approval next week.

Montenero argued that without mandatory inspections, property owners will not voluntarily eliminate the tree limbs and other vegetation that could carry flames to their houses.

“Unless we eradicate a certain amount of this brush hazard, we will have another College Hills fire,” he said.

Councilwoman Ginger Bremberg charged that the new rules are a “sledgehammer” tactic and were being enacted without sufficient public review.

“This is absolutely outrageous,” Bremberg said. “Nobody has any idea what’s going to be imposed on them. People have spent thousands and thousands of dollars putting in their landscaping. Do you want them to end up with half a tree?”