Pasadena’s Fast-Track Wildfire Inspection Program for Renters Expires April 11

A temporary City of Pasadena program requiring landlords to hire environmental professionals to inspect and clean up wildfire contamination in rental units expires April 11, 2026, according to the City’s Planning and Community Development Department.

The Fast-Track Remediation Program covers rental properties north of the I-210 Freeway and west of Sierra Madre Boulevard.

Under its terms, when tenants file complaints about smoke, ash, or soot damage with the Code Compliance Division, landlords must retain an environmental consultant or certified industrial hygienist to inspect the unit and determine whether remediation is needed, according to the City of Pasadena’s website.

The City then schedules a reinspection to confirm the work is complete.

The program implements Senate Bill 610, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on October 10, 2025, which established that the presence of wildfire debris in a rental unit, regardless of volume, constitutes a substandard condition until the debris is confirmed non-toxic, according to the California Legislature’s official record. State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) authored the bill.

The fast-track process grew out of a January 2026 settlement between the City, the Pasadena Tenants’ Union, and two tenant plaintiffs, Brenda Lyon and Marley Otto, according to a Morrison Foerster LLP press release. Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County and Morrison Foerster filed the underlying lawsuit in May 2025, alleging the City had not conducted meaningful inspections for tenants whose homes were contaminated after the Eaton Fire.

The City said it has been conducting inspections throughout.

“The City conducts a thorough inspection for every resident tenant who complains of smoke, ash, or soot, and has done so throughout the litigation,” according to an official City statement reported at the time of the settlement.

Before SB 610 took effect, City officials said their authority to declare a violation based solely on ash and to compel remediation was unclear, according to previous reporting. The new law removed that uncertainty.

Lena Silver, director of policy and administrative advocacy at NLSLA, said the settlement created accountability.

The Eaton Fire exposed hundreds of rental households to toxic particulate matter, according to NLSLA.

Complaints outside the fast-track geographic zone are handled through the City’s standard process, in which City staff inspect and issue Orders to Comply requiring remediation as needed, according to the City’s website.

Tenants who believe their unit may be affected can request an inspection by contacting the Code Compliance Division or visiting the City’s website.

When the fast-track period ends, the City will adopt what it describes as “more robust inspection and remediation procedures” for all areas, along with a training program for inspectors, according to the settlement terms reported by Local News Pasadena.