The Mountain Home Maintenance Calendar

The short version

• Before the rains (September and October): clear gutters, downspouts, ditches, drains, and culverts; deal with dead limbs over the house; book roof and tree work early. Early October is the single most important maintenance weekend of the year.
• Before fire season (spring): clear defensible space out to 100 feet, the amount required by Public Resources Code 4291, while the growth is still green and easy to cut.
• Before Public Safety Power Shutoff season (June): start the generator and run it under load, and test it outdoors only, never plugged into house wiring without a proper transfer switch.
• Year-round: test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms monthly, and replace any alarm over 10 years old.
• On septic, like most of Boulder Creek: inspect at least every three years and pump the tank every three to five.

Owning a home in Boulder Creek runs on two seasons, not four: the wet one and the dry one. Get your drainage, roof, and trees ready before the rains, get your defensible space and generator ready before fire season, and most of the year takes care of itself.

What follows is that rhythm, month by month. One caveat before we start: every parcel here is different. A house on a sunny ridge and a cabin in a creek-bottom redwood grove have different problems, so treat this as the rhythm, not a rulebook, and lean on the pros and the official sources linked below for anything specific to your property.

January and February: Storm Season, Eyes Open

Deep winter is less about projects and more about watching your systems work. During and after each big storm, walk the property when it's safe to do so. Check that gutters are overflowing nowhere, that downspouts are moving water away from the foundation, and that the ditches and culverts draining your driveway are running clear. A culvert that plugs mid-January is how driveways disappear, and clearing leaves now is far cheaper than repairing washout later.

Keep an eye on the trees you flagged in fall. Saturated ground plus wind is when limbs and whole trees come down. If anything falls into power lines, stay away and call 911; our emergency contacts list has the numbers for everything less urgent, including county road dispatch at (831) 477-3999.

Indoors, make this the season you're strict about alarms. The U.S. Fire Administration says to test smoke alarms monthly, whatever type you have, and if anything in your house burns fuel or you run a generator, a carbon monoxide detector near every sleeping area is non-negotiable. The CDC counts more than 400 American deaths a year from CO, a gas you can't see or smell.

March and April: Assess the Damage, Start the Fire Work

When the storm train slows down, take stock. Look at the roof from the ground with binoculars for lifted shingles, debris dams, and moss that holds moisture against the roofing. Check decks, railings, and stairs for winter rot. Note where water pooled or cut channels this winter and fix the grading or drainage while the memory is fresh; the county's storm preparedness page links a good home drainage guide if you want a starting point.

This is also when defensible space season begins in earnest, while the vegetation is still green and soft. CAL FIRE's defensible space guidance organizes the work in zones:

• The first 5 feet from the house should be ember-resistant, with hardscape instead of combustible mulch and nothing dead or dry against the structure.
• Within 30 feet, keep things lean, clean, and green.
• Out to 100 feet or your property line, reduce fuel, with grass mowed to four inches or less.

State law, Public Resources Code 4291, requires 100 feet of defensible space, and it's a year-round obligation, not a one-day deadline. Spring is when the work is most pleasant and the growth is easiest to cut.

May and June: Finish Defensible Space Before the Heat

By late spring, the goal is to have the heavy defensible space work done: dead vegetation removed, tree branches limbed up at least 6 feet from the ground per CAL FIRE, wood piles relocated out of the first 30 feet, and the roof and gutters cleared of needles again, because they're ember beds in summer and dams in winter. CAL FIRE and its partners conduct defensible space inspections in the State Responsibility Area that covers much of our valley, so if an inspector visits, this is the work they're looking at. Don't count on a warning before an inspection, and don't need one.

June is also generator month, because Public Safety Power Shutoff season arrives with the dry winds. Start the generator, run it under load, check your fuel supply, and reread the two safety rules that matter most: outdoors only, more than 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents per the CDC, and never plugged into house wiring without a proper transfer switch. Your owner's manual sets the maintenance schedule; the habit of testing before you need it is the part we'll insist on. The whole setup is covered in our power outage plan.

July and August: Vigilance, Water, and the Small Stuff

High summer is maintenance-light and awareness-heavy. Keep the first five feet around the house bare of dry debris, since redwood duff keeps falling all summer. Confirm your CruzAware alert registration is current, especially if you've changed phones or carriers, and make sure your PG&E outage alerts are set.

Use the slow months for the unglamorous items. Refresh the emergency kit against ready.gov's list, rotating stored water, one gallon per person per day for several days, and swapping out expired food and medications. If you're on a private well, summer is a sensible time for any pump or tank service, when a day without water is an annoyance instead of a crisis. If you're on district water, the San Lorenzo Valley Water District at (831) 338-2153 can answer system questions; our utilities guide sorts out who serves what.

September and October: The Big Push Before the Rains

This is the most important stretch of the calendar, and the one where procrastination costs real money. Before the first atmospheric river arrives, clean gutters and downspouts, clear every ditch, drain, and culvert you own, and get roof repairs done while roofers can still get to you. Walk the property and deal with dead limbs over the house, cars, and power drops; tree crews book out quickly once storms are in the forecast, so call early. If your place heats with a wood stove, have the stove and chimney serviced before burning season starts.

Two more fall jobs. First, if you heat with propane, get the tank filled before winter, when delivery schedules tighten for everyone. Second, restock the storm side of your kit: flashlights, batteries, a radio, and sandbags if your parcel needs them, which the county distributes at posted locations each storm season via the storm preparedness page. Our winter storm checklist turns this whole section into a single afternoon's work.

November and December: Switch to Storm Mode

By Thanksgiving, you want to be done preparing and into operating. Keep vehicles fueled ahead of big systems, check drainage after each of the first storms, and keep the generator's fuel fresh and its extension cords where you can find them in the dark. Test the smoke and CO alarms with the monthly routine, and if you have a 9-volt-battery alarm, the USFA says replace that battery at least once a year, so pick a date you'll remember and make it annual.

December is also a good month for the paperwork nobody enjoys: photograph the house and outbuildings for insurance, back up the photos somewhere off the mountain, and confirm your policy reflects what's actually on the parcel.

The Recurring Beat, All Year

A few items ignore the seasons. Test smoke alarms monthly and replace any alarm that's 10 years old, per the USFA. If you're on septic, like most of Boulder Creek, the EPA says to have the system inspected at least every three years and expect to pump the tank every three to five, with yearly checks for systems that have pumps or floats. Put both on a calendar you'll actually see, because neither one reminds you until it fails, and a failed drainfield is one of the most expensive surprises a mountain house can serve up.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the deadline for defensible space work?

There isn't a single statewide date. CAL FIRE frames the 100 feet of defensible space required by Public Resources Code 4291 as an ongoing obligation, maintained year-round, and its crews inspect properties in the State Responsibility Area on their own schedule. Practically, do the heavy cutting in spring and keep it maintained through fire season.

How often should a septic system be pumped in Boulder Creek?

The EPA's guidance is an inspection at least every three years and pumping typically every three to five years, more often for systems with mechanical parts. Your actual interval depends on tank size and household size, so ask your septic professional to put a recommendation in writing after the next inspection.

What's the most important maintenance month of the year?

October, and it's not close. Gutters, culverts, roof, trees, and storm supplies all need to be squared away before the first big rain, and every trade you might need is busiest right then. If you only ever plan one maintenance weekend a year, make it early October and work from our winter storm checklist.

Do I really need to test smoke alarms every month?

That's the U.S. Fire Administration's standing guidance for every alarm type: test monthly, replace 9-volt and backup batteries at least yearly, and replace the whole unit every 10 years. In a wooden house surrounded by forest, with winter fires burning and generators running, it's cheap discipline.

My property doesn't match this calendar. What then?

That's normal up here. Slope, sun, trees, water source, and road access change the priorities parcel by parcel, and this calendar can't see your land. Use it as the skeleton, then let a good local arborist, septic professional, and the official sources linked above fill in the specifics for your place.

Last reviewed July 22, 2026. This calendar links to official sources from CAL FIRE, the U.S. Fire Administration, the CDC, the EPA, ready.gov, and Santa Cruz County. Local requirements and property-specific advice come from the responsible agency and qualified professionals.

One weekend of the year carries most of this list. If you do nothing else, block out early October and work through our winter storm checklist. For utilities, permits, and county contacts gathered in one place, see the Residents guide.