The Berkeley Firewise groups had their first event of the year this Sunday, January 25 2026 with a Gates and Fences Day with vendors’ participation—and what a success it was! While the primary organizers were HelpBerkeley.org and Creston Firewise with help from Councilmember Brent Blackaby, all the Berkeley Ridge groups affected by EMBER participated in publicizing the event. All Berkeley Firewise groups and members were invited.
More than 150 people showed up over the hour and half event speaking with vendors and getting their questions answered. The hall at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church was crammed: Brent Blackaby got a spontaneous round of applause when his name was mentioned in the introductions—nice job, Brent!
Michel Thouati of Creston Firewise made a introductory presentation discussing EMBER requirements on gates and fences, as well as a brief explanation of the options available to homeowners looking to satisfy the new requirements in the Grizzly Peak Mitigation Area [a summary of the presentation is included below]. There were 7 vendors present at the event, including fencing contractors, general contractors and architects, and handymen able to install equipment purchased directly by homeowners. Dave Karp, a homeowner within Creston Firewise, was also present to explain equipment and methodology for DYI installation of 5-ft panels of gates and fences often required under our new ordinance.
We would also like to thank Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church for the unfailing and ongoing help that they provide all the Berkeley Firewise groups on the Ridge. They are great neighbors and we hope for them to be here for many, many more years!
Michel’s presentation summary: Gates and Fences Day, organized by HelpBerkeley.org and Creston Firewise
The City Ordinance (the New “EMBER”)
What EMBER requires you to do with gates and fences in Zone 0
- If you have a combustible fence or gate abutting or immediately adjacent to your house
- Replace the first 5 feet of fence or gate adjoining the house w noncombustible
What EMBER does NOT require you to do with gates and fences in Zone 0
- You do NOT need to replace gates or fences and Zone 0 that are parallel your house
- BUT you cannot repair or replace them with combustible materials
- When they fall into disrepair, you must replace them with noncombustible fencing
Your options
New fences in Zone 0 (including replacement sections in Zone 0) must be made of noncombustible material. Noncombustible material does NOT mean Class A fire-resistant material. Noncombustible materials include concrete, masonry or stucco, metal, and, in some cases, fiberboard such as Hardie Board (depending upon their certification level).
Metal options are generally steel, galvanized steel, and aluminum.
- Steel is sturdy & fairly cheap but rusts quickly, requires periodic sanding/painting.
- Galvanized steel is more resistant to corrosion than steel. Galvanization is an outer layer so any scratch may corrode. There are many grades of galvanization (ColorSteel/ ColorBond is a type of coated galvanized steel). Eventually, galvanized steel also needs repainting—-if you do it early enough (before rust shows up), you may not need to sand
- Aluminium does not corrode much, but is less rigid than steel, and costs more.
Off-the-shelf online materials vs installer vendors vs custom work
- The cheapest way to purchase fences and gates is to buy gate kits and fence sections from reputable online sites. You can buy aluminum fence sections for as low as $100/5 ft section, and decent steel gate kits for as low as $250 (or even less per kit for a 3-ft gate).
- Installation is a significant part of the cost. Each post needs a concrete anchor, requiring some digging, a concrete form, and some concrete.
- Installers can provide you with vendor-supplied fence and gate material, generally but not always of better quality.
- Custom fences and gates, built from scratch, will follow your requirements exactly, but often cost more than other versions.
- You can obtain truly beautiful custom wrought iron gates from incredibly talented Berkeley and East Bay blacksmith artists, at prices varying between $10,000 and $20,000.
Privacy vs non-privacy fences
Privacy comes at a steep cost. The installed price of non-privacy (such as picket-type) fences made of steel or aluminum may be found around $100 per linear foot for easy installs of good size, sometimes less. Privacy fencing runs in general much higher, with high end aluminum rail systems costing $350 to $400 per linear foot installed.
If you would like the handout provided at the event:
- register on the BerkeleyFirewise.org website;
- DM @ruthe with your email address and she will send you a copy.