Debris Removal Program Approved for Unincorporated Areas

At Tuesday’s (12/26/2017) meeting the Board of Supervisors approved the County’s participation with the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) Debris Removal Program for Fire Damaged Properties, undertaken by CalRecycle on behalf of the County.  This program is available to homeowners with destroyed or significantly damaged structures located within the unincorporated areas. Also known as Phase II of the debris removal process, CalRecycle will coordinate the removal of structural debris, automobiles, building slab and foundation, and approximately 6” of soil from the property.  Additionally, CalRecycle will complete the necessary soil testing for contaminants to confirm background standards are met.

Debris Cleanup under the CalRecycle Program can be completed at no up-front cost to the property owner, with only those insurance proceeds specifically set aside for debris removal in the property owner’s insurance policy required to be paid to the County, to partially reimburse the State for the cost of the debris removal.   If no such specific debris amount is specified in the owner’s policy, only those insurance proceeds remaining after rebuilding is complete, if any, is due to the County.   CalRecycle estimates that Phase II teams could be on-site removing debris as soon as mid-January.  The City of Ventura is separately considering their options for debris removal at an upcoming City Council meeting.

Unincorporated area residents choosing not to participate in the voluntary CalRecycle program will be required to submit a Ventura County Local Program Fire Clean-up application and work plan to ensure the work is completed pursuant to the same standards

Additional information and forms and instructions for homeowners wishing to participate in the Phase II CalRecycle debris removal program will be available on this website shortly.