Nearly 1,000 LA fire property owners who chose to clear debris themselves are overdue

After the L.A. fires, property owners had the option to let the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers handle debris removal, or they could choose to take care of it on their own dime.

For those who didn’t join the program, the deadline has passed — and L.A. County says 980 lots stlll haven't been cleaned up.

What was the process?

Property owners who opted out of government help were given until June 30 to clear debris.

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To do that, they had to get county approval, a fire debris removal permit and a certified contractor to handle cleanup. These steps had other deadlines attached. The L.A. County Department of Public Works is aware of those who have fallen behind or didn’t participate at all.

Nearly 2,000 property owners officially opted out of government clean up, while others essentially opted out by not filling in the necessary paperwork.

How many lots aren't finished?

Over a thousand lots have been cleared privately, but almost just as many still aren't done, according to county spokesperson Lisette Guzman.

As of Tuesday evening, "980 properties in unincorporated areas of the county have not fully completed private debris removal," she said in a statement.

Between the two fire zones, that's 272 in Eaton and 708 in Palisades. (LAist reached out to the city of L.A. to check for additional lots under their purview but has not heard back.)

As for the paperwork, Guzman said 692 of these property owners received the permit to begin private debris removal.

"The county and cities continue to work closely with property owners in completing this process, and more properties are cleared each day," Guzman said.

What could happen next?

County public works hasn't been able to reach everyone who's overdue. Guzman says they've been notifed a "number of different ways about this pending deadline and the need to select and move forward with a debris removal option."

Overdue properties could be declared a public nuisance. If that happens, the county could later remove fire ash and debris and charge the property owner for the work.

If the bill's not paid, it could be recovered through a property lien.