The Downtown Brentwood arch over Oak Street with its shops and palms at golden hour

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Brentwood, in short

Where can I get sandbags in Brentwood?

At the City’s self-filling sandbag station, next to the City’s Recycled Water Fill Station on Elkins Way. During rain events, Brentwood residents can use it; the limit is 10 bags a household, while supplies last. For more information, call Public Works at (925) 516-6000.

The story of Brentwood

Brentwood, located 55 miles east of San Francisco, with what the City calls “a long and storied history in agriculture and farming production.”

Brentwood was laid out after the Brentwood Coal Mines opened and a railroad was planned, the East Contra Costa Historical Society says. Irrigation moved farming here from dry-land grain to irrigated alfalfa and dairies, and the City says it was incorporated in 1948.

The East Contra Costa Historical Society says the Miwok and Yokut peoples lived in this region before settlers came.

The Society says Jose Noriega was given the land grant known as Rancho Los Meganos by the Governor of California.

With the opening of the Brentwood Coal Mines and the proposed plans for a railroad in the area, the Society says, the rancho owners began laying out the new town. The first building in it was a blacksmith shop that opened in 1874, followed within a few years by a saloon, a merchandise store and a warehouse, and in 1878 by the first post office.

Although there have been other suggested explanations, the Society says, the popular belief is that Brentwood was named for John Marsh’s ancestral home in Essex County, England.

Brentwood’s rich soil and weather conditions, the Society says, showed that all kinds of vegetables, fruit and nut trees, and other agricultural products could be produced in vast quantities.

Devastating fires in 1891, 1903 and again in 1915 destroyed many of the town’s businesses, the Society says, but the owners were not deterred and rebuilt as soon as possible.

The Brentwood Courier was the first newspaper for the community when it began publishing in 1892, the Society says.

In 1902, the Society says, Liberty Union High School was established so that local East County students could further their education past the 8th grade.

In 1910, the Society says, a British company bought the rancho. It planned and installed the first irrigation system, mapped out the town and subdivided farm land, moving agriculture from dry-land grain farming to irrigated alfalfa and dairies.

The Society says the Brentwood Hotel was built in 1913 to replace one destroyed by fire.

The Brentwood Library opened a reading room and lending library in 1915, the Society says.

By a large margin, the Society says, residents voted in 1926 to establish a water district to serve the town with a domestic water supply.

The fire bucket brigade gave way to the Brentwood Volunteer Fire Department after wells were installed in 1927, the Society says.

Brentwood did not have a hospital until 1929, when a doctor opened Brentwood Hospital, the Society says.

By the end of the 1920s, Balfour, Guthrie had, in the Society’s words, California’s largest dry-yard and packing shed.

In 1947, the Society says, a group of local business owners formed the Brentwood Improvement Association and started a campaign to incorporate. The City says Brentwood was incorporated in 1948.

The Society says Brentwood’s water tower on Walnut Boulevard, the tallest structure in the city, served the community for many years; it no longer is used for its original purpose, but now serves as a cell phone tower.

On December 17, 2025, the City marked the completion of Fields of Time, a monument on Brentwood Boulevard, with a ribbon-cutting celebration.

Read the full story of Brentwood

Fire safety

The State’s map and Brentwood

The District’s page on its fire hazard maps lists a Brentwood map, “LRA Brentwood Map (PDF)”, one of the State’s 2025 maps for local areas, which the State released in four phases between February 10 and March 24, 2025. Read by eye from that map, a Very High patch lies inside the city line in the south-west of Brentwood, High and Moderate show along the south-west and southern edge, and most of the city is grey, labeled “Unzoned LRA”. This is our own reading of the picture, and it names no neighborhood or address. To see which class your own address is in, use the District’s Brentwood map.

District page and map read Oct 29 2026 (the map by eye)

The City’s fire code

The City’s municipal code adopts by reference the 2025 California Fire Code (section 15.06.010 A) and the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (section 15.06.020 A), each as amended by the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District’s ordinances 2025-14 and 2025-15, and names the District’s Fire Chief to enforce the Fire Code. The code’s source line is Ord. 1090, 12/9/2025.

Code read in Chrome Oct 29 2026

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Weeds and brush on your lot

The City’s code says: “The city of Brentwood hereby adopts the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District’s Weed Abatement Minimum Standards.” The District’s weed-abatement page says: “Every parcel owner, regardless of property type – including residential, commercial, and vacant land – is ultimately responsible for managing the hazardous vegetation on their parcel”. That page is called Weed Abatement (Annual Program) and posts the deadlines under a year heading, so check it for this year’s date.

City code and District page read Oct 29 2026

Overgrown vegetation and dead trees

The City’s nuisance chapter lists “Overgrown vegetation; dead, decayed or diseased trees, or other vegetation; or weeds” among the unlawful conditions of a property (section 8.00.030 A.2).

Code fragment read Oct 29 2026 (asked once)

Embers and the roof

The District’s Defensible Space brochure says fire could burn to a home through several scenarios, including “ember ignition of vegetative debris on the ground and ember ignition of vegetative debris on the roofs.”

Brochure undated; its text in the county sheet, read Oct 7 2026

Roofs and gutters

CAL FIRE’s page on defensible space tells homeowners: “Remove all dead and dying plants, weeds, and debris (leaves, needles, etc.) from your roof, gutter, deck, porch, stairways, and under any areas of your home.” It is a statewide page; the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District serves Brentwood.

CAL FIRE page, county sheet read Oct 7 2026 (asked twice)

Zone 0, the State’s rule: where it stands

The State’s rule for the first five feet around a home, called Zone 0: adopted by the Board; in final review with the Office of Administrative Law; no effective date known. This is the status on our standing check of October 22, 2026.

Standing check of Oct 22 2026; the standing row still showed that date when re-read Oct 29 2026 04:38

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Brentwood this month

Leaf season: from October to January the City gives Brentwood residents free clear leaf bags, so fallen leaves do not reach the storm drains.

The Brentwood blog starts when there is enough local news to keep it current.

Culture and history

The East Contra Costa Historical Museum

The Historical Society’s museum, on Sellers Avenue, is open Saturdays and the third Sunday of each month from spring through October, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, with free admission. The grounds hold restored fire engines, Model T Ford trucks and tractors under the Pole Barn, a clamshell dredger and a caboose.

Society’s pages read Oct 29 2026 (the season ends with October: refresh before use)

Brentwood Farmers’ Market

The market runs every Saturday, year-round, from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm in downtown Brentwood, on First Street.

Association page read Oct 29 2026; the City’s page agrees

See 5 more

Starry Nights in Brentwood

The City says that since 2000 its summer concert series in City Park “has connected families and friends and provided a free, fun-filled event that has become a Friday night summer tradition.”

City page read Oct 29 2026 (it takes applications for the 2027 series)

The Veterans Day Parade

The City holds the Veterans Day Parade in Downtown Brentwood every year, “to honor the men and women who have served our country”; this year it is Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 9:30 am.

City page read Oct 29 2026; the 2026 date is still ahead (drop this line if the page is staged after Nov 7)

Christmas on the Farm

The Historical Society lists Christmas on the Farm among its yearly events, on the first Sunday in December; its calendar gives December 6, 2026, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Society’s calendar read Oct 29 2026

A coal-mine and railroad town

Brentwood was laid out after the Brentwood Coal Mines opened and a railroad was planned, the Historical Society says. More in The story of Brentwood, below.

Society’s page undated; read Oct 29 2026

Farms and irrigation

Irrigation moved farming here from dry-land grain to irrigated alfalfa and dairies, the Society says. More in The story of Brentwood, below.

Society’s page undated; read Oct 29 2026

Community

East Contra Costa Historical Society

The Society says it was organized in April 1970 by a group of citizens from all over the eastern end of Contra Costa County who were interested in local history and in preserving the John Marsh stone house. It runs the museum on Sellers Avenue.

Society’s page read Oct 29 2026

Brentwood Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber says it was established in 1952 and is “made up of a voluntary partnership of businesses and professionals”.

Chamber’s page undated; read Oct 29 2026

See 1 more

Student sculptures at Sand Creek Road and O’Hara Avenue

Students in Liberty High School’s Public Art and Design Academy made two sculptures there: “Tri-Fish” (2024), which the City says represents “the chinook salmon that used to migrate up Sand Creek”, and “Birds of Beauty” (2025), which “features native bird species found in the local ecosystem, including the golden eagle, blue heron, long-billed curlew, and barn owl”.

City page read Oct 29 2026

City rules and regulations

Building codes

The City adopted the 2025 California Building Standards Code by ordinance 1090, adopted December 9, 2025 (Municipal Code section 15.04.010), with the City’s amendments; the fees for permits are “those established by resolution of the city council”. The City’s Building FAQ handout, revised January 1, 2026, lists the “2025 California Residential Code” and the “Brentwood Municipal Code” among the codes it applies.

Code read in Chrome Oct 29 2026; handout revised January 1, 2026

Re-roofs and the City’s permits

The City’s Building FAQ handout lists “Re-roofing” among its “Some typical projects requiring permits:”. The City says it is “now accepting all building permit applications electronically”.

Handout revised January 1, 2026; portal page read Oct 29 2026 (asked once)

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Street trees

The City’s tree page says a “street tree” is “any tree which grows within or which overhangs any public street or right-of-way”. Its code says: “All street tree maintenance shall be the responsibility of the property owner.” and “No permit is required for routine maintenance.” The tree page asks residents to keep an adequate clearance over sidewalks and streets, 10 feet over sidewalks and 15 feet over the street. The City also provides a list of approved replacement trees in its Urban Forest Guidelines. The Guidelines are an 86-page PDF, revised 1/2025, and call themselves “A Document to Specify Street Tree Species, Planting Locations, and Future Maintenance”; for which trees are approved on a street, ask the City’s Parks and Recreation office.

City pages read Oct 29 2026

Trees on your own lot

No rule on trees on private lots turned up in the City’s code chapters we read. Title 17, the zoning title, has no chapter on tree preservation in its list of chapters; its landscaping chapter, 17.630, is the water-efficient landscaping chapter and has a section on shade trees.

Chapters read Oct 29 2026

When you buy or sell The District’s home-sale inspection

The District’s page on its home-sale inspection says that on and after July 1, 2021, when a parcel with a structure is sold in a High or Very High fire hazard class, the seller shall provide documentation to the buyer that the property received and passed the inspection. An initial inspection typically needs the Fire Inspector on site for one to two hours. The State’s sale rule is Civil Code 1102.19, and the District’s map shows part of Brentwood in those classes.

District PDF undated; read by the county run Oct 7 2026; Brentwood map read Oct 29 2026

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Storms, flood and drainage

Leaves, the curb and the free bags

The City’s street-sweeping page says: “Homeowners are responsible for cleaning up leaves on their property and along the curb in front of their home.” In an effort to minimize the impact of fallen leaves in storm drains, the City offers free clear leaf bags to all residents between October and January: two rolls of 5 bags a day, while supplies last, picked up Monday to Friday at City Hall, the Community Center on Oak Street, the Senior Center on Griffith Lane or the Corporation Yard on Elkins Way. Bags go curbside on organic waste pick-up days only, and the City says: “No prunings or trimmings allowed.”

City pages read Oct 29 2026; the What’s New item is dated 5/20/26; the season is October to January

The City’s account of its 2005-06 flood

The City’s 2012 hazard-plan annex says: “The City experienced extraordinary amounts of rain which caused the sudden and unexpected flooding on December 31, 2005 and January 2, 2006, of several residential neighborhoods and a public park.” It adds: “This was due in large part to debris and vegetation that collected in a portion of Sand Creek.” It is the City’s account of the past, written in January 2012, not today’s conditions.

Annex dated January 17, 2012; read Oct 29 2026

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FEMA’s record for the City

FEMA’s open record for the City of Brentwood (community 060439) shows it in the National Flood Insurance Program, with its currently effective flood map dated 03/21/17. To see the flood zone for your own address, use FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center.

FEMA record pulled Oct 29 2026

Where roof water may go

The City’s sewer, nuisance, weed and building chapters hold no sentence about where roof or gutter water may go. Title 13 of the code, Sewers, holds two chapters, the sewer system and recycled water. If the City has a stormwater rule somewhere else in its code, we did not find it.

Chapters read in Chrome Oct 29 2026

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Programs, loans and insurance

Habitat for Humanity’s Home Repair Program, roof repairs named

Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley says its Home Repair Program’s “Services are currently available in select cities in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara counties”, and its city list includes Brentwood. Its list of critical repairs names “roof repairs”. The page gives no income limits or cost, and it offers a “Request for Service”.

Habitat’s page read Oct 29 2026

County-wide Con Fire’s Low-Income Exterior Hazard Control Program

Con Fire’s Measure X page says the program “assists eligible low-income property owners with exterior hazard removal, including overgrown or dead vegetation, weeds, combustible debris, and tree litter” and “Provides up to $1,500 in hazard control or weed abatement work”. The District serves Brentwood, but the page names no town and gives no open or closed word.

District page read Oct 29 2026

See 12 more

County-wide Check back Con Fire’s Home Hardening Outreach Program: check back

The District’s page on the program says: “Coming soon – check back for details on how to apply.” The program is to provide education and resources to help homeowners make their homes more resistant to wildfire.

District page read Oct 29 2026

County-wide Con Fire’s community chipping days

Con Fire’s Measure X page says of its community chipping days: “Available to Firewise Communities or neighborhoods with at least 10 participating homes, these events help residents dispose of branches, brush, and vegetation safely to reduce fuel buildup.”

District page read Oct 29 2026

County-wide Check back County Neighborhood Preservation Program: check back

The County’s Neighborhood Preservation Program “provides financial assistance to low-income homeowners for home rehabilitation projects”, for owners who do not live inside the cities of Antioch, Concord, Pittsburg or Walnut Creek, so Brentwood is not excluded. The County’s page says: “Due to overwhelming interest in the program, the Neighborhood Preservation Program currently is not taking new applications.” It asks you to “continue to check back for more information”.

County page read Oct 29 2026

PG&E Energy Savings Assistance

PG&E’s Energy Savings Assistance program says renters and homeowners can “Upgrade or repair heat pump water heaters, furnaces, lighting-even refrigerators. All at no charge.*” for income-qualified households living in a house, mobile home or apartment at least five years old. The page names no county or town, and PG&E’s service-area page lists Brentwood in its Contra Costa lists. The page shows an “Apply now” button; refresh before use.

PG&E’s page as read in the county sheet, Oct 7 2026

BayREN EASE Home

BayREN says its EASE Home Program “covers 80% of the cost for essential weatherization upgrades, including insulation and duct sealing”, with your portion capped at 20% of the project cost. To qualify you live in a single-family home (four or fewer units) built before 2010, are a PG&E customer and have a household income under or at 120% of the area median. Its income tool lists Contra Costa among the nine Bay Area counties.

BayREN’s page as read in the county sheet, Oct 7 2026

City water rebates and the free Water Use Evaluation

The City’s Convert for Cash Water Conservation Rebate Program offers “Up to $1,000 rebate for Single-Family Residential” to owners of property with a City of Brentwood water account, for replacing lawn with water-wise landscaping and for some water-saving items, and the page says the City is “now accepting applications”. No rain barrel, roof or gutter is named. The City also offers a free Water Use Evaluation at your residence: call (925) 516-6000 or use the City’s online request form.

City pages read Oct 29 2026

Free neighborhood cleanup events

The City says: “Spring Neighborhood Cleanup Events will be held on May 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd (2027).” Residents with an active garbage account can bring up to 2 cubic yards of unwanted household items, including general yard waste, free of charge to the Brentwood Transfer Station, and must register; registration opens early April 2027.

City item dated 10/9/2026; read Oct 29 2026

The City’s sewer lateral program

Public Works “has a residential lateral maintenance program in place for residents with single family homes”, for “maintenance, repair and/or replacement for the portion of the sanitary sewer lateral located between the property line and the main line”; the City says it reduces costs to the residents. The page gives no price, dates or way to sign up.

City page read Oct 29 2026

County-wide Free creek consultation for owners

The County’s Streamside Management Program for Landowners says: “If you are a Contra Costa County resident with a creek on the property, these services are available to you at no charge.”

County sheet read Oct 7 2026

Check back Earthquake Brace + Bolt: check back

The California Residential Mitigation Program, a joint body, runs Earthquake Brace + Bolt, and its 2025 Northern California ZIP list, which says “Eligibility based on ZIP Code only, city provided as reference.”, shows Brentwood with ZIP code 94513. When we read the program’s page on October 20, it said: “The EBB Program is currently closed.”

ZIP list of 2025; program page as read Oct 20 2026

State-wide Check back California Safe Homes: check back

California Safe Homes, the Department of Insurance’s statewide grant program for roofs and Zone 0, is not described as open on any State page we read.

Pointer row; California sheet rows 7-1 to 7-12

Check back Air District wildfire chipping program: check back

The Air District’s page says it “is not currently accepting applications for chipping services through the Agricultural Waste and Wildfire Prevention Chipping Programs” and that services “will resume when additional funding becomes available”; the page shows “Last Updated: 9/26/2024”. The program is for properties in the Air District’s nine Bay Area counties, Contra Costa among them.

Page as read in the county sheet, Oct 7 2026

Who serves your home in Brentwood

Fire: The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, whose Fire Prevention Bureau page names Brentwood among the places its services are provided to.
Water: The City’s Water Operations Division, which the City says is responsible for the production and delivery of the City’s drinking water supply.
Sewer: The City’s Wastewater Division, which operates the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. The City maintains the sewer lateral from the cleanout or property line to the main line, and the owner is responsible for the line from the property line back to the building.
Garbage and recycling: The City’s own Solid Waste Division, operating since 1994; the City sends one bill each month for water, sewer and garbage.
Electricity and gas: PG&E; its service-area page lists Brentwood in the Contra Costa lists of its territory.
Storm drains: The City’s Public Works Department says it is “responsible for storm drain inlet and main line cleaning”, and its Street Maintenance also maintains City-owned storm ponds, roadside ditches, and creeks and storm channels. Residents may report flooding to Public Works at (925) 516-6000. That is the City’s storm system, not roof gutters.

Useful links: Brentwood Union School District · Liberty Union High School District · Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (weed abatement and fire prevention) · City of Brentwood: Public Works (leaf bags, sandbags, street maintenance) · City of Brentwood: Community Development (permits and the electronic submittal portal) · East Contra Costa Historical Society

The homes of Brentwood

Brentwood has about 21,800 homes, and the median home was built in 2003. About 90 percent of the homes are single-family detached, and about 82 percent of the occupied ones are lived in by their owners; the figures are our own calculations from the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 tables.

Before 1980

The older homes

About 10 percent of Brentwood’s homes, 2,261 of 21,756, were built before 1980, and about 5 percent, 994, before 1960.

1980 to 1999

The homes of the 1980s and 1990s

About 25 percent, 5,526 homes, were built in these two decades.

2000 and later

The newer homes

About 64 percent, 13,969 homes, were built in 2000 or later, and 2000 to 2009 was the biggest decade of building, with 8,970 homes, about 41 percent.

Older roofs and gutters need a different hand: Gutter Repair · Roof Repair · Gutter Installation

The story of Brentwood

History and character