California bill seeks to set new standards for cleaning homes after toxic fires

The fires that tore through urban Los Angeles County in January 2025 didn’t just destroy thousands of homes — they left thousands more filled with toxic ash. Now, a state bill aims to set new standards for post-fire contamination testing and cleaning.

Assemblymember John Harabedian, who represents Altadena, introduced AB 1642 this week. The proposed legislation calls on the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control to set new standards for removing post-fire contamination from homes, schools and workplaces.

“When it comes to our families' health we trust science, not insurance company guesswork,” Harabedian said in a news release. “Public health will be the standard, not the exception.”

Many cleaned homes are still contaminated

Public health departments have warned residents that smoke from the Eaton and Palisades Fires carried hazardous materials — including lead, asbestos and heavy metals — from burned homes into other nearby properties.

But homeowners and renters living near the burn zones have in many cases had to battle their insurance companies and landlords for testing and remediation.

Resident groups and local scientists have been testing homes before and after professional remediation. One group found that even after cleaning, 63% of tested homes contained lead on their floors at levels far above EPA safety limits.

Nicole Maccalla, director of data science for the group Eaton Fire Residents United, praised the new legislative push. She said last year’s fires were categorically different from fires in more rural areas.

“They weren't just wildfires — they were actually urban fires,” Maccalla said. “We're really at the forefront here in California of trying to identify clear standards so that we can be sure families and residents are safe in their homes and neighborhoods.”

What happens next 

Currently, California law does not set uniform rules for re-occupying contaminated homes after fires based on risks to human health. Lawmakers are treating the bill as an urgency measure, meaning it would take effect immediately if approved.

If passed into law, the bill would instruct the California Department of Toxic Substances Control to establish emergency regulations around testing and removal of contaminants by July 1, 2027.

In response to the L.A. fires, state lawmakers have already clarified that landlords are responsible for cleaning contaminated apartments after disasters. This came in response to some tenants’ inability to get landlords to remediate their homes.

This week, Pasadena officials settled a lawsuit alleging the city failed to protect renters’ right to a habitable home following Eaton Fire contamination.

The settlement will require the city to carry out faster inspections and improve enforcement procedures. The deal is similar to another settlement tenant groups reached with L.A. County last year.