Every slope.
Every season.
On the record.
Fuel modification, Zone 0, the turf deadline, insurance renewals, and the next board meeting all come back to one question: what did the community look like, and when? FlyCRE flies HOA common areas across Orange County on a schedule and keeps the answer.
- FAA Part 107 certified pilots
- Insured operations
- Four data layers on every flight
- No capture of private residences
The Norte Fire
burned in our backyard.
On October 16, 2026, the Norte Fire started near Portico Del Norte in San Clemente, the city FlyCRE calls home. Evacuation orders reached neighborhoods in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, and the fire burned about 570 acres before crews reached full containment on October 22.
It arrived during the early to middle fall window OCFA sets for the second fuel modification pass of the year. When a fire comes this close, boards, managers, carriers, and buyers all ask the same thing: what did our slopes look like before it, and when were they last maintained? That answer has to be on file before the next one.
Read the fall fuel modification checklist we published after the fire →
Source: CAL FIRE, Norte Fire incident page. Norte Fire was an Orange County Fire Authority incident.
Six questions every HOA board gets.
One dated record behind each answer.
OCFA Guideline C-05 calls for maintenance at least twice a year, once in middle to late spring and once in early to middle fall, and puts the duty on the property owner. On common area, that owner is the association.
HOA fuel modification →The Board of Forestry adopted Zone 0 rules in August 2026, then withdrew them from state review on September 8, 2026. They are not in effect. Clubhouses, pool buildings, and fences along structures are where they will land.
Zone 0 status guide →AB 1572 bars potable water on nonfunctional turf in HOA common areas starting January 1, 2029. It does not order grass removed. A dated baseline of every turf area comes first.
Turf ban deadlines →California's Safer from Wildfires framework recognizes mitigation at the structure, the ground around it, and the community. Your broker and carrier decide what counts. A dated record shows condition on a date.
Renewal documentation →Firewise USA sites renew every year to stay In Good Standing, with a risk assessment and an action plan updated on a set cycle. Before and after imagery of project areas supports each report.
Community recognition →Since July 1, 2021, Civil Code Section 1102.19 requires defensible space documentation in certain home sales in high and very high fire hazard severity zones. Owners next to association slopes may ask what was done and when.
Fall fuel modification checklist →Flights timed to
the maintenance calendar.
Most associations fly before and after each maintenance pass. The before flight records what the crew walked into. The after flight records what they left. Between passes, scheduled flights keep the record continuous, so gaps are visible instead of assumed.
- 01Baseline. A first flight records the community as it stands today, across every slope and common area you name.
- 02Before each pass. Captured ahead of spring and fall work, zone by zone.
- 03After each pass. Captured once the contractor finishes, on the same flight lines.
- 04In between. Annual plans fly every two weeks, monthly, or quarterly, set by what the site needs.
The calendar boards plan around.
Reserve studies move slower than rules.
Two maintenance activities a year under OCFA Guideline C-05, maintained in perpetuity.
Sites report the year's work annually to stay In Good Standing with NFPA.
Adopted August 19, 2026, withdrawn from state review September 8, 2026. Not in effect.
No potable water on nonfunctional turf in common interest developments.
HOA properties with more than 5,000 square feet of irrigated area certify every three years, per MWDOC.
One flight. Four ways
to see the same slope.
A map-accurate aerial view of slopes, turf, planting beds, and hardscape, with approximate areas for reference.
Surface temperatures across the site, recorded on the same date as every other layer.
Access roads, drainage, fences, and irrigation runs recorded season over season.
Vegetation across each zone and every turf area, comparable flight to flight.
Measurements are approximate, for condition tracking and reference, and are not survey-grade.
One view for
everyone at the table.
The association owns its data and decides who sees it. The board, the community manager, and the landscape contractor can all work from the same dated record instead of a folder of undated phone photos.
How FlyCRE Intelligence delivers the record →Orange County first.
Then California and the Western U.S.
Each fire authority sets its own zone widths and calendar. Compare OCFA, LA County, Riverside, and San Diego rules on our HOA fuel modification page and in the Orange County fuel modification guide.
Read before
the next board meeting.
Documenting fuel modification zones and defensible space in California.
Read the paper →
HOA board
questions, answered.
Have one we did not cover? We reply to consultation requests within two business days.
Ask FlyCRE →Does FlyCRE certify that our community is compliant?
No. FlyCRE documents conditions. Your fire authority, water provider, landscape professionals, carrier, and counsel make compliance and coverage determinations. The dated record gives them an accurate view to work from.
Do you capture homes or backyards in the community?
No. We do not capture data of private property or residences. Flights cover only what the association owns or manages: common areas, slopes, community edges, and fuel modification zones.
Does the turf ban make our HOA remove grass?
No. AB 1572 limits the use of potable water on nonfunctional turf in HOA common areas starting January 1, 2029. It does not order removal. Whether a given area is functional is a question for your water provider and landscape professionals.
Is Zone 0 in effect?
Not yet. The Board of Forestry adopted Zone 0 rules on August 19, 2026, and the package was withdrawn from Office of Administrative Law review on September 8, 2026. No refiled package is listed for review. Our Zone 0 guide tracks the status.
How often should an HOA fly?
Most associations time flights to the maintenance calendar, before and after the spring and fall passes. Annual plans run every two weeks, monthly, or quarterly, set by what the site needs.
Can our manager and landscape contractor see the record?
Yes. The association owns the data and decides who has access in FlyCRE Intelligence.
Will a dated record lower our insurance premium?
No record assures a discount or a renewal. Carriers set wildfire mitigation discounts in their own filed rates. A dated record shows the condition of your common areas on a date, for your broker and carrier to interpret.
Does FlyCRE do the slope or landscape work?
No. We do not provide maintenance, repair, inspection, or landscape services. We document the zones before and after your contractor's work.
OCFA Guideline C-05 · State Water Resources Control Board, Nonfunctional Turf · MWDOC, Nonfunctional Turf: What to Know · AB 1572 (2023) · Board of Forestry, Defensible Space Zones 0, 1, and 2 · OAL, Recent Actions on Emergency Regulations and Emergency Regulations Under Review · California Department of Insurance, Safer from Wildfires · NFPA, Firewise USA Annual Renewal · California Civil Code Section 1102.19. General information as of October 29, 2026, not legal, insurance, or compliance advice.
We protect the right to privacy.
We do not capture data of private property or residences. Our flights cover only the properties our clients own, insure, or manage, at high altitude so neighbors are never disturbed.
Put your community
on the record.
Request a ConsultationSAN CLEMENTE, ORANGE COUNTY · SERVING CALIFORNIA AND THE WESTERN U.S. · (949) 492-1175