Gutters and Roofing for Kensington
Gutter and roof installation, cleaning, repairs and rejuvenation. Family-owned since 2002, trusted by thousands of returning Bay Area homeowners.
Kensington, in short
Where do I get a building permit in Kensington?
Kensington is not a city, so its building applications go through Contra Costa County’s planning department, not a city’s. The County’s Kensington Municipal Advisory Council advises on building permit applications under the Kensington Planning Ordinance, and the applicant does not need to schedule its hearing. The County requires a permit before a re-roof begins; applications go in online through its ePermits Center, where contractors connect their state license to their account. The County’s fees come from its Land Development Fee Schedule, which sets building fees such as plan review by the value of the improvement.
The story of Kensington
Kensington, the hillside community along “the Arlington”.
Kensington is an unincorporated town that has had a district of its own since 1946, and a hillside of walking paths since it was subdivided in 1910.
The El Cerrito Historical Society says Don Francisco Castro received a provisional land grant of over 19,000 acres in April 1823, in what is now the cities of Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito and Kensington. A radio talk of 1936, republished by the Contra Costa County Historical Society, says the rancho roughly embraced what are now El Cerrito, Kensington and a large part of Richmond.
The El Cerrito Historical Society’s timeline dates the opening of the cemetery on Colusa Avenue to 1908, just up the hill from the Seven Mile House, and says a horse-drawn carriage met visitors at the streetcar stop; the cemetery’s own page gives April 1908 as its founding.
The Berkeley Path Wanderers Association says Kensington’s walking paths were created when the area was subdivided in 1910, with the streetcar in mind.
The El Cerrito Historical Society’s timeline says El Cerrito incorporated in 1917 after a close vote of 158 to 131, and that the backers of the new city left Kensington out of it.
The Property Owners Association’s page says the Kensington Improvement Club, founded in 1921, was the first volunteer organization in Kensington.
The University of California says the Blakes and Mabel Symmes moved to the Kensington hillside site of Blake Garden in 1922 and transformed it into gardens. The Blakes deeded the house and garden to the University in 1957 and it passed to the University in 1962; the property was originally 22 acres, and the garden is half its original size today.
The Fire Protection District’s history page says the unincorporated town of Kensington began a volunteer fire department in 1928, and that the district later hired a staff of professional firefighters under a fire chief.
The Local Agency Formation Commission’s 2009 account says the district was formed in 1946 as the Kensington Police Protection District, re-organized in 1953 as the Kensington Community Service District, and given park and recreation services in 1955 and trash collection in 1979.
The Kensington Community Council says it became an independent nonprofit in 1960 at the request of the district governing board, to oversee Kensington’s recreation programs and the publication of the Outlook.
The Local Agency Formation Commission’s 2009 account says the Kensington Municipal Advisory Council was established in 1989 by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.
The fire district’s history page says that in 1995 it entered into a contract with the City of El Cerrito for all fire prevention, fire suppression and emergency services within Kensington.
The fire district’s history page says it started paramedic service in 2001, which it calls the first engine-based Advanced Life Support service in West Contra Costa County.
The County’s page says Kensington residents steered the development of the Kensington Planning Ordinance, adopted in 2004.
The community paper wrote in June 2011 that Kensington’s centennial fell that year.
The services district says that as of October 1, 2025 the police-and-services district and the fire district consolidated, and the district now names itself the Kensington Community Services District.
The Outlook says the Pathkeepers now work with the Kensington Community Services District to maintain the Ardmore, Beloit and Coventry paths that were acquired for public use in 2025, and that they will suggest a new round of path acquisitions.
Fire safety
Your fire department
The El Cerrito-Kensington Fire Department, the City of El Cerrito’s fire department, provides Kensington’s fire service under a contract with the Kensington Community Services District. The 1995 agreement says the City provides fire protection services, voluntary home safety inspection services, hazardous materials services and emergency medical services, and enforces the fire code adopted by the district. The district’s page says the original contract was signed in 1995 with updates in 2005, 2009, 2019 and 2022, and the third amendment runs the term to midnight June 30, 2030, with the district able to extend it five years by written notice on or before December 31, 2027. The services district’s own page says that as of October 1, 2025 the Kensington Fire Protection District consolidated into the Kensington Community Services District.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Find out which fire hazard zone you are in
The Fire Protection District’s standards file tells owners to look up their property on CAL FIRE’s address search, using the address search icon. The State’s map of recommended fire hazard severity zones for local areas, dated March 24, 2025, shows all three classes in Kensington: measured against the Census outline of Kensington, about 29 percent of its area falls in the Very High zone, about 11 percent in High, about 12 percent in Moderate, and about 44 percent is marked non-wildland. The district’s pages put all of Kensington, or the vast majority of it, in the Very High zone, so look up your own address.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
See 10 more
The district’s fire hazard severity zone ordinance
The district adopted Ordinance 2025-01 on July 16, 2025, according to its signed text. The ordinance designates the fire hazard severity zones within the district “as recommended by the California Director of Forestry and Fire Protection”, incorporates the district’s maps by reference, and says the official maps are available on the District’s website. In the resolution as proposed to the boundary commission, the fire district’s ordinances stay in effect after the consolidation until the new board changes them.
July 16, 2025
Clear leaves and needles from roof and gutters
The district’s standards file, which is undated and cites Ordinance 95-1, says two zones make up the required 100 feet of defensible space and that all Kensington property owners must comply. Zone 1 reaches 30 feet from buildings, structures and decks in all parts of Kensington, and the file’s rule for it is: “Remove dead or dry leaves and pine needles from your yard, roof and rain gutters.” The district’s checklist repeats that sentence.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
30 to 100 feet: the Very High areas
Zone 2 runs from 30 to 100 feet and, in the file’s words, applies “in only those areas within Kensington designated as the Very High Fire Hazard Severity (VHFHS) Zones”. In Zone 2 the file asks for weeds and grass cut to a maximum height of 6 inches and for other fire hazardous vegetation to be kept no higher than 18 inches above the ground. It says clearing by heavy methods such as grading, discing, trenching or dozing needs special permits from the County, and that disposal by burning is not permitted.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Trees near the house
The file says no part of a tree may be closer than 10 feet from any chimney opening, and that trees, shrubs and other vegetation adjacent to or overhanging any structure are to be kept free of dead limbs and other combustible matter such as vines and loose papery bark.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
The district’s advice on gutters and roofs
The district’s advice page on rain gutters says: “Rain gutters attached to the edge of your roof are perfect for catching embers during a wildfire.” It adds: “Even houses with fire-rated roofs are vulnerable to this type of ember attack.” To keep your home safe, it says: “Remove all dried leaves, pine needles, or other materials from your rain gutters before fire season.” Its page on roofs says: “A house with a wood shake roof and siding is often more likely to be destroyed during a wildfire.”
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Home hardening in the ordinance
The ordinance’s Appendix A is a list of home-hardening items, among them vents covered with “noncombustible, corrosion-resistant metal mesh screens over exterior vents”. The ordinance rests its certificate of compliance on Public Resources Code section 4291 and 14 CCR sections 1299.01 to 1299.05, the state’s defensible space rules, and does not tie the certificate to the Appendix A list.
July 16, 2025
Zone Zero, in the district’s words and the State’s
The Fire Protection District’s page on the five-foot zone says it is “currently not required by law” and that “The regulation is still in development”. The State’s Board of Forestry page, which carries no date, says: “The Board and Board staff continue to work with the Office of Administrative Law on a final review of the Zone 0 Regulations Rule Package.”
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
The yearly fire inspection
The district’s standards page says protecting the home is the property owner’s responsibility and that fire department personnel will check for compliance with the standards in May or June; the page is undated. The district’s pages say the El Cerrito-Kensington Fire Department conducts annual vegetation management property inspections. The City of El Cerrito’s page says that once notices of non-compliance are mailed, property owners will have 30 or more days to bring their property into compliance before being re-inspected. The City of El Cerrito’s page says the inspections cover all properties in the Very High Hazard Severity Zone in the El Cerrito and Kensington neighborhoods.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
Notices, citations and abatement
The fire district declared by resolution in 2025 that weeds, rubbish, litter or other flammable material on designated private properties constitutes a public nuisance, with a public hearing set for September 17, 2025, and the resolution provides that the fire chief or designee shall abate such conditions if the owner does not. The services district’s Ordinance 2026-01, adopted March 12, 2026 according to its signature block, lets the district enforce any of its ordinances by administrative citation, in place of or in addition to any other remedy allowed by law. Ordinance 2025-01 says a violation “shall constitute an infraction punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars”, and that a violation is a public nuisance which may be abated.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Red Flag Days
The services district’s Red Flag paper says: “Historically, Red Flag Days are rarely proclaimed for Kensington due to the fog and moisture typically generated by its proximity to the ocean.” It says the Board of Supervisors is delegating control of the streets in Kensington for red flag parking restrictions: the fire chief will note streets for red flag no parking, and the police chief will oversee the enforcement of those streets on declared red flag days.
Paper dated May 14, 2026
Need a hand with this? Gutter guards
-
From the Kensington blog
The paths nobody owned
Read the whole post: The paths nobody ownedKensington’s neighbors count eleven little public paths between the houses, stairs and walkways that cut from one street to the next. For more than a century, nobody officially owned them.
They go back to the streetcar days. In 1911 and 1912, the developer of Kensington Park and Berkeley Highlands dedicated the streets and the paths to Contra Costa County. The paths were there so people could walk to the Key System streetcars on Arlington Avenue. The No. 7 line ended about a block past the Berkeley line, and it ran until 1948. After that, people kept walking the paths to the shops on Arlington and at Colusa Circle.
But the County never accepted the paths. In 1995 it wrote that it had never meant to own them. So neighbors kept them up themselves.
Owning nothing had its problems. In 2006 a drainage pipe under one path started failing and causing trouble next door. The County held off, since it didn’t own the land. With the neighbors’ permission it put in a temporary fix, and by 2012 a permanent drain was going in.
Then a group of neighbors, the Kensington Pathkeepers, pushed to give the paths a real home. In March 2025 the district board voted 5-0 to try. That June the County formally accepted three paths, Ardmore, Beloit and Coventry, and in July it deeded them to the district. On July 26 more than 50 neighbors gathered on the Ardmore steps to celebrate. New signs went up, and in January 2026 the board set aside money for path repairs.
A century on, the paths finally have someone looking after them. On a house, that job falls to the gutters and downspouts. Before the rains, make sure they’re clear and the water goes where it should. If ladders aren’t your thing, that part’s ours.
Culture and history
The Arlington and the Circle
The County’s General Plan profile says Kensington is located along Arlington Avenue (“the Arlington”), a winding thoroughfare that connects to Berkeley on the south and El Cerrito on the north. It describes a small commercial district on the Arlington just north of the Berkeley city limit, and a second on Colusa Circle in the lower part of Kensington, near the border with El Cerrito. The community paper also writes “the Circle” for Colusa Circle.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Blake Garden
The University of California says visitors are welcome at Blake Garden during open hours, with no entrance fee or reservation required. The garden’s story is in The story of Kensington, below.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
See 8 more
Colusa Circle: the market, the Halloween Harvest and the Art Crawl
The Kensington Farmers’ Market’s page gives its hours as Sundays 9 am – 2 pm at Colusa Circle and says the market is dedicated to improving quality of life by creating a welcoming, community-centered space. The October 2026 Outlook calls the Kensington Farmers Market and Colusa Circle Halloween Harvest annual. The Colusa Circle Merchants Association held the first Colusa Circle Art Crawl on Saturday, July 25, 2026, and plans the next for Saturday, July 24, 2027.
Sundays; the Halloween Harvest is annual (the October 2026 Outlook and the market’s own calendar); the Art Crawl: July 25, 2026, a plan for July 24, 2027 (the September 2026 Outlook); pages read again Oct 20, 2026
Kensington Park’d
The Kensington Community Council’s events page describes Kensington Park’d as a food truck night with live music at Kensington Park every 2nd Friday, May through October, from 5 to 8 pm. The September 2026 Outlook says its first season was to close with two Friday events, on September 11 and October 9, 2026, and that a second season is planned.
May through October; the first season’s last night was listed for October 9, 2026; events page read again Oct 20, 2026
The fall parade and picnic
The Kensington Community Council says it has been a Kensington tradition for over 60 years to hold a parade and picnic at the Community Center in October. The October 2026 Outlook calls it Kensington’s annual parade and picnic and says the parade proceeds up the Arlington to the Kensington Community Center.
Every October; pages read again Oct 20, 2026
The Kensington Outlook
The Kensington Community Council says the Outlook has come out in 10 issues each year since 1960 and is mailed free of charge to every household in Kensington.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
A land grant in 1823
The El Cerrito Historical Society dates the provisional land grant that took in what is now Kensington to April 1823. More in The story of Kensington, below.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
El Cerrito’s vote in 1917
The El Cerrito Historical Society says the backers of the new city left Kensington out when El Cerrito incorporated in 1917. More in The story of Kensington, below.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
A volunteer fire department in 1928
The Fire Protection District’s history page says the unincorporated town of Kensington began a volunteer fire department in 1928. More in The story of Kensington, below.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
The services district’s history
The Local Agency Formation Commission’s 2009 account dates the founding of Kensington’s services district to 1946, and the district’s own page says it and the fire district consolidated on October 1, 2025. More in The story of Kensington, below.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Community
Kensington Community Council
A private nonprofit that offers recreational programs and community events for all ages; its recreation programs include the Kensington After School Enrichment Program and Summer Day Camp.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Friends of the Kensington Library
A nonprofit that says it has worked to improve library services in Kensington since 1959; its book sales in May and October are suspended during the library’s closure.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
See 7 more
Kensington Property Owners Association
It says it has been a trusted, independent, nonpartisan voice in the Kensington community since 1972.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Kensington Improvement Club
The club published the book Kensington, Past and Present, which the 2011 Outlook calls a handbook on the history and governmental structure of Kensington.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Firesafe Kensington
Its own site says: “We support the unincorporated town of Kensington in Contra Costa County, California.” It offers free educational property visits led by trained Kensington volunteers; see Programs.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
The Kensington Firewise network
The network describes itself as “the network of Firewise Communities in Kensington, California, an unincorporated town in Contra Costa County”, organized by neighborhood volunteers and supported by district officials and first responders. It is a volunteer network and not an official body; the Fire Protection District’s page links two of its groups, Redtail Ridge and Wildcat. Its site lists 22 Recognized Firewise Communities and 8 more in development, and Firesafe Kensington’s page says Kensington has grown from 4 to 23 Firewise Communities.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Firewise communities in Kensington: all 30 labels
The network’s recognized communities are Academic Hill, Arcove Island, Arlmont, Beloit, Blakemont, Colgate-Columbia, College District, Edgecroft, Eldridge, Highland Hilltop, Kingston, Maybeck, Purdue, Redtail Ridge, Rincon, Shakespeare Cluster, Sunset, Tilden, Trinity & Cambridge, Westminster, Wildcat and [a Firewise community]. Its communities in development are Anson, North Highland, Norwood, Colusa, Stratford, Cerrito Canyon, Lenox and Arlington.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Arlington Community Church
The church says it was founded in 1932 as a Sunday School for the newly formed village of Kensington, bought its property at Arlington and Rincon in 1945, and dedicated its original building in 1948. It says it built a labyrinth in 2020 that is open to everyone, at any time of day.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
West Contra Costa Fire Safe Council
Its page says it offers wildfire preparedness education and resources for the residents of West Contra Costa County; the page lists no upcoming events and does not name Kensington.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
City rules and regulations
Building permits come from the County
Kensington is unincorporated, and the County’s planning department processes building applications for it, according to the County’s advisory council page.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Re-roof permit and inspections
The County’s residential re-roof requirements say a permit is required before a re-roof begins, and that applications go in online through the County’s ePermits Center, where contractors connect a state license to their account. Every re-roof gets two inspections: one in progress, to check ventilation, flue clearance and material installation, and a final one after all work is complete, where the inspector checks, among other things, that overflow drains are cleaned. The County’s Land Development Fee Schedule sets building fees, plan review among them, by the value of the improvement.
See 8 more
Kensington’s own planning rule
The County says “Kensington is unique in the County in having its own planning ordinance which provides protection to views, light, privacy and size, among other factors, and strikes a balance between the rights of property owners and impacts to neighbors”, and that Kensington residents steered the development of the ordinance, adopted in 2004. The County code has a chapter for it, Chapter 84-74, the -K Kensington Combining District, and the County’s page says the Kensington Planning Ordinance “regulates renovations and new construction, providing guidelines for such things as size, privacy, light, and view protection”. The chapter’s purpose clause promotes the community’s values of preservation of views, light and solar access, privacy, parking, residential noise levels and compatibility with the neighborhood with regard to bulk and scale. A building permit application for development or expansion of a building’s envelope that is not exempt is reviewed under the chapter’s procedure; the chapter exempts development within an existing building or structure that does not expand its envelope, and requires a hearing only where the proposed development’s gross floor area exceeds a threshold set by a formula on parcel area.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
The Kensington Municipal Advisory Council
The County’s page says the council’s primary function is making advisory recommendations on building permit applications, applying the criteria in the Kensington Planning Ordinance, and that the applicant, or an architect or contractor, does not need to schedule a hearing. The Local Agency Formation Commission’s 2009 account says the council was established in 1989 by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Fire plan review for building jobs
The services district’s staff memo of January 8, 2026 says the El Cerrito-Kensington Fire Department completes fire plan reviews for the Kensington community through a third-party provider, with fees charged for the service, and that applicants are notified when they submit for a permit that their project requires the review.
Memo of January 8, 2026
Trees that block a view
The County’s page says the Kensington Tree Obstructing View ordinance “applies only in unincorporated Kensington, and not in El Cerrito, Berkeley or anywhere else”. It says the County does not enforce the ordinance and enforcement is up to residents through a civil process, and that the first steps involve initial reconciliation or voluntary mediation between the tree owner and the neighbor. The County code says a claimant has no right to a view greater than the view that existed when the claimant acquired the property. The County’s page says the original ordinance was adopted in 1984 and updated in 2024.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
County tree permits
The County code says: “Any person proposing to trench, grade or fill within the dripline of any protected tree or cut down, destroy, trim by topping or remove any protected tree shall apply to the department for a tree permit, not less than ten days prior to the proposed tree removal or tree alterations.” A tree is protected on any property in the unincorporated area when it is a native tree on the code’s list, 20 inches or more around, next to a riparian, foothill woodland or oak savanna area or part of a stand of four or more trees. No permit is needed for routine pruning that is not topping or removal, or for a tree that creates a hazard needing immediate action. Cutting or trimming trees on a County road right-of-way takes a written County permit.
Accessory dwelling units
The County’s page says its new accessory dwelling unit ordinance includes standards specific for Kensington, in accordance with community characteristics underlying the planning ordinance, such as the average small lot size, high density and hillside location.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
When you buy or sell Fire inspection before a sale
Before the sale of any real property within a high or very high fire hazard severity zone on the district’s map, Ordinance 2025-01 says, the owner must request a defensible space and home hardening inspection from the El Cerrito-Kensington Fire Department and provide the buyer with a certificate of compliance or a noncompliance report. An owner in those zones may also request the inspection voluntarily; a full pass earns a certificate of compliance valid for up to six months, and a failure gets a written noncompliance report summarizing each area of noncompliance. The certificate rests on compliance with Public Resources Code section 4291 and 14 CCR sections 1299.01 to 1299.05. The ordinance describes Assembly Bill 38, effective January 1, 2021, as requiring sellers of real property in high or very high fire hazard severity zones to give buyers documentation of compliance with applicable defensible space standards before the sale, and says the district may set a fee for the inspection by resolution. The State’s sale rule is Civil Code section 1102.19, which says that on and after July 1, 2021, a seller of real property in a high or very high fire hazard severity zone, as identified by the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection, must give the buyer documentation that the property is in compliance with Public Resources Code section 4291 or local vegetation management ordinances.
July 16, 2025
When you buy or sell Sewer lateral certificate
The Stege Sanitary District’s page says owners are required to obtain a “Certificate of Compliance” for their sewer laterals upon transfer of title (sale of property), a significant remodel of $100,000 or more, or a change in the size of the water meter. It says that since October 18, 2011 the EBMUD Regional Ordinance governs within the Stege Sanitary District’s service area as it relates to sewer lateral compliance. EBMUD’s page, which names no city or district, lists the same three triggers: buying or selling a property (transferring title), finalizing a permit for building or remodeling work worth more than $100,000, and changing the water meter size. The Stege page does not name Kensington; the district’s page says it provides sanitary sewer services to Kensington, El Cerrito and a portion of the Richmond Annex in Richmond.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Need a hand with this? Roofing
Storms, flood and drainage
Sandbags near you
The City of El Cerrito’s page says the sand pile and bags are available for El Cerrito and Kensington residents and businesses only, October through April, in an enclosure just inside the gate of the El Cerrito Recycling Center on Schmidt Lane; you fill the bags yourself. The City’s page and the Fire Protection District’s sandbag page both limit a household or business to a maximum of ten bags per year and ask you to bring proof of address; the City’s page asks you to check in at the Recycling Center front desk, Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM. The City’s page says its pile is for flooding from high flows in the public right-of-way; for other flooding it sends residents to their local building supply yard, landscape supply company or hardware store.
The City’s page undated, read Oct 15 and again Oct 20, 2026; the fire district’s page, dated Feb 12, 2026, read again Oct 20, 2026
The County’s sandbags
The County’s sandbag page, for residents of unincorporated Contra Costa County, lists a sand cradle on the south side of the West County Detention Facility parking area on Giant Highway in Richmond, open 24 hours, 7 days a week, and says bags and sand are available for free; you need to bring a shovel. The page does not name Kensington; it reaches Kensington because Kensington is part of the unincorporated county.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
See 3 more
Rain in the sewer lines
The Stege Sanitary District says old, cracked sewer laterals allow rainwater and groundwater to infiltrate the sewer system, and that the EPA and RWQCB are requiring EBMUD, residents of six East Bay cities and residents of the Stege Sanitary District to fix old, cracked sanitary sewer pipes so they do not let in rainwater, which can overwhelm wastewater treatment facilities.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
What the district’s hazard plan says about rain and trees
In the Fire Protection District’s annex, heavy rainfall ranks fourth and urban or flash flooding fifth of 20 hazards, with total risk scores of 56 and 55, against 68 for earthquake, 63 for wildfire and 59 for landslide; creek flooding ranks sixteenth, with 24. The annex says that, due to severe weather, there is significant potential for falling trees, and that the narrow streets and above ground electrical utilities would be greatly impacted.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Landslides on the hillsides
The Fire Protection District’s annex says several mapped landslide areas are within the district response area, including its public safety building, its temporary fire station and buildings used by the community for shelter. The County’s technical appendix says landslides in the county typically occur during and after severe storms, and have caused damage to homes, public facilities, roads, parks and sewer lines. The state geological survey’s California Landslide Inventory maps 8 landslide features whose outlines cross Kensington’s Census outline, 4 of them marked historic.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Need a hand with this? Gutter cleaning
Programs, loans and insurance
Check back Ember vent mesh (KEEP): check back
The Kensington Community Services District’s Kensington Ember Exclusion Program (KEEP) “provides ember-resistant vent mesh materials and guidance to support residents in completing retrofit projects that reduce vulnerabilities in soffits, attic vents, and foundation openings”, and the page lists $15,000 in initial KCSD funding to launch a pilot. It gives materials only: the terms say “The program provides materials only and does not include labor, installation, repairs, inspections, design assistance, or cost reimbursement.” It covers Kensington only, for existing primary residential structures and accessory dwelling units; the applicant must be the property owner or an authorized representative, and participation is limited to one application per parcel unless otherwise approved by the District. The stated application window, April 1 to May 31, 2026, has ended; award notifications were to be emailed on June 12, 2026, and neither page says anything about a second round. The terms say that once project completion is verified, “an Acknowledgment Letter will be provided which can be submitted to an insurance provider as documentation of wildfire mitigation efforts”, and also say: “KCSD makes no representation regarding performance, code compliance, or insurance eligibility.”
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
Check back Hazardous vegetation reimbursement grant: check back
The Kensington Community Services District’s Hazardous Vegetation Removal Reimbursement Grant provides reimbursement funds after hazardous vegetation is removed from Kensington properties, paid by check; its page gives the filing period as 3/1/2026 to 5/31/2026, which has ended, with funding for projects available in the 2026-2027 fiscal year. Each property can be reimbursed up to $2,000 for project work quoted at $2,000.00 or below; larger projects from $2,001 to $7,500 are funded at 75% of the project value with a 25% property owner cost share, and projects exceeding $7,500 per parcel have a maximum reimbursement of $5,625. Eligible work is the removal of highly flammable plants such as bamboo, juniper and eucalyptus, preferably within 30 feet of the residence or 10 feet from roadways; vegetation removal completed before grant approval, general maintenance, hardscaping and replanting are not eligible. Applicants must be residents or property owners within the district, obtain a quote and apply online, and a site visit is scheduled; a parcel that was previously awarded funds through the program is ineligible for future reimbursement.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
See 27 more
Free educational property visit (Firesafe Kensington)
Firesafe Kensington offers free educational property visits led by trained Kensington volunteers, who walk around your property with you and discuss fire behavior, home hardening, landscaping and neighborhood recommendations; the visit takes 20 to 60 minutes, depending on your needs. It assesses only properties in Kensington that you own or occupy, and says: “We are not insurance or real estate assessors and do not provide formal reports.”
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
Free smoke detector installation
The fire department says it will install smoke detectors free of charge for elderly and disabled Kensington and El Cerrito residents; residents must purchase and provide their own smoke detectors prior to installation.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
Loan to replace a private sewer lateral, up to $30,000
The Stege Sanitary District offers a no-interest deferred payment loan of up to $30,000 to replace a private sewer lateral, repaid over a period not to exceed 10 years, with no pre-payment penalty, through the annual property tax bills issued by the County. The lateral must be on a property served by the district and must not have triggered the Regional PSL Program by buying or selling the property, building or remodeling in excess of $100,000, or changing the size of the water meter. The owner submits a signed application and three lateral replacement bid estimates from qualified contractors dated within 90 days; if approved, the owner signs a notarized Contractual Assessment Agreement, which is recorded as a lien against the property. The loan funding goes directly to the plumbing contractor, up to $30,000, and the loans are offered on a first-come, first-served basis to the extent of available funding.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
Wildfire Preparedness Workbook
The Fire Protection District offers a free workbook that presents an opportunity for residents to receive helpful information making Kensington a safer community; you can download it or request a physical copy.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Fall clean-up and door-to-door hazardous waste
The district and its hauler, Bayview Refuse, aim to provide an annual curbside collection service each fall for the disposal of various household waste items, separate from regular weekly collections; the page gives no date, no list of accepted items and no limit. Bayview Refuse can also collect hazardous, universal and electronic waste at the door through its Door to Door program for Kensington residents and take it to the West County Hazardous Waste Facility; cost and conditions are not on the page.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
County-wide Check back Con Fire’s Measure X wildfire programs: check back
The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District’s page describes a Measure X wildfire prevention initiative, and says its Low-Income Exterior Hazard Control 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 page lists Community Chipping Days “Available to Firewise Communities or neighborhoods with at least 10 participating homes”, and a Home Hardening Outreach Program marked “Coming soon – check back for details on how to apply.”
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
County-wide Check back Diablo Firesafe Council cost-share: check back
The Diablo Firesafe Council’s page says: “Up to $3,500 of cost-share funds is available to reduce your fire risk.” It also says: “DFSC has temporarily closed the applications for the Partners in Wildfire Prevention fuel reduction grant match.” and “No new applications can be submitted at this time.”; the page carries the line “Update May 2025:” and says it will reopen the application form when new funding is available. It says the Council may assist Alameda County or Contra Costa County property owners with vegetation management projects in areas designated as Priority Hazard Zones; the page does not say which areas those are or name Kensington.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
County-wide Diablo Firesafe Council: Five Easy Actions
The Council says it offers a free program called Five Easy Actions to residents in Alameda and Contra Costa County, “an informative, 90-minute hands-on talk to discuss home hardening for your FIREWISE group”.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Check back Air District wildfire chipping: check back
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s page says: “The Air District is not currently accepting applications for chipping services.” and “Program services will resume when additional funding becomes available.” It names qualifying properties within the Air District’s nine Bay Area counties and does not name Kensington.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
County-wide Resource Conservation District wildfire site visit
The Contra Costa Resource Conservation District’s page offers a site visit with its Fire Resilience Coordinator “to discuss wildfire prevention options available in your community”, and says it “provides free chipping services to qualifying properties within the County”.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
County-wide Streamside Management Program for Landowners
The California Urban Streams Partnership says that if you are a Contra Costa County resident with a creek on the property, its free creek-side site visits are available to you at no charge; the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District provides the funding.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
County-wide County weatherization for income-qualified households
The County’s weatherization FAQ says the program is available to all parts of the Contra Costa County, costs you nothing, and that if anything is repaired or replaced it is done at no cost to either the homeowner or tenant; qualification is based on the gross monthly income for the home.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
BayREN EASE Home: weatherization for income-qualified homes
BayREN’s EASE Home program covers 80% of the cost for essential weatherization upgrades, including insulation and duct sealing; your portion is capped at 20% of the project cost, and all participants must use a BayREN partner contractor. 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% AMI; the page does not name Kensington, and its income tool offers Contra Costa among its county options.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
BayREN Home Energy Score rebate
BayREN’s page says: “Talk to the assessor about the $250 BayREN rebate.” and that Home Energy Score costs vary depending on factors such as location and home size. The page states no eligibility condition and names no county.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
Check back PG&E Energy Savings Assistance: check back
PG&E’s page says participants must live in a house, mobile home or apartment that is at least five years old, and that the program will improve the energy efficiency of your home at no cost to you.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
State-wide State weatherization through a local provider
The California Department of Community Services and Development says it works with community-based local service providers throughout the state, installing weatherization and energy efficiency measures for low-income homeowners and renters who qualify under the federal Weatherization Assistance Program: sealing holes and cracks around doors, windows and pipes, checking that your home is properly insulated, repairing or replacing windows, checking that heating and air conditioning systems run smoothly, and repairing or replacing water heaters. Its LIHEAP weatherization “provides free energy efficiency upgrades to low-income households to lower their monthly utility bills while also improving the health and safety of the household’s occupants”. Eligibility depends on income, household size, energy use and other factors, and the local provider decides; the 2026 income guidelines effective July 1, 2026 list monthly income of $2,660.00 for 1 person and $5,500.00 for 4; the Department’s page lists the other household sizes. To apply you use the Find Services in Your Area function to find the agency in your area and contact it, or call the help line to speak to a live operator.
Read by the county sheet Oct 7, 2026; the income table read again Oct 20, 2026
State-wide Check back California Safe Homes: check back
The Department of Insurance’s release of December 30, 2025 says it is “establishing a new grant program within the Department of Insurance to assist qualifying residents” with “fire-safe mitigation measures within five feet of their homes”.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
State-wide Check back Earthquake Brace + Bolt: check back
The program page says it provides up to $3,000 toward a code-compliant seismic retrofit to a qualifying house, only on wood-framed, pre-1980 homes with a raised foundation, and that registration is open for a limited time each year. Its 2025 ZIP-code list for Northern California does not name Kensington; it says “Eligibility based on ZIP Code only, city provided as reference.” and lists 94707 and 94708, which are the ZIP codes on the addresses of the fire district, the services district and the elementary school; the sheet read the list partly from a page image. The page invites you to sign up to be notified when registration opens.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
State-wide Check back Earthquake Soft-Story: check back
The program page says ESS-qualified homeowners can receive a grant of up to $13,000 toward a seismic retrofit for homes with a living space above the garage; the house must be built before 2000, have a living space over the garage, have no more than two stories, and not already have a completed soft-story retrofit. Its 2025 ZIP-code list for Northern California has a row for Kensington with 94706, the only Contra Costa place on it, and lists 94707 and 94708 under Berkeley; eligibility is by the home’s own ZIP code. The sheet read that list from a page image.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
County-wide Check back Neighborhood Preservation Program: check back
The County’s page says: “Due to overwhelming interest in the program, the Neighborhood Preservation Program currently is not taking new applications.” The program offers rehabilitation loans of up to $70,000, one at 1% simple interest over 15 years, amortized, and one at 1% simple interest over 30 years, deferred; grants of up to $15,000 are for mobile home owners and, the page adds, some single-family owners without enough equity. To qualify you must not live within the incorporated limits of Antioch, Concord, Pittsburg or Walnut Creek, must have owned and lived in your Contra Costa County residence for at least 6 months, and your home must not be in a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Check back Habitat for Humanity home repair: check back
Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley’s Home Repair Program says services are currently available in select cities in Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties; its Contra Costa choices include “Other Unincorporated Contra Costa County Area”, which the page does not define, and Kensington is not named. Under Critical Repairs the page lists roof repairs, upgrading electrical systems, replumbing, flooring replacement and replacing windows.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
Check back Safe at Home (Rebuilding Together East Bay Network): check back
The program’s page says Safe at Home “is designed to improve aging-in-place outcomes for low-income older adults”, with “Fully-subsidized home modifications & repairs”, grab bar and railing installation, and lighting, HVAC and plumbing work.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
EBMUD rebates
EBMUD’s rebates page says its rebates are available to both residential and non-residential customers with potable water service. It lists a Lawn Conversion Rebate of up to $2.00 per sq. ft., a Treebate Pilot Rebate of up to $100, a Landscape Design Assistance Program Rebate of $200, a Flowmeter Rebate of up to $200, a Graywater Rebate of up to $100, and free Mulch and Compost Coupons and Water-Saving Devices; the page names none for rain barrels, cisterns, rainwater, gutters, downspouts, roofs or drainage.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
State-wide Check back Accessory dwelling unit grant (CalHFA): check back
CalHFA’s page describes grants up to $40,000 to reimburse pre-development and non-recurring closing costs for accessory dwelling units, and says: “The latest round of ADU funding has been fully allocated.”
Read Oct 14-15, 2026; read again Oct 20, 2026
Insurance The Fire Department’s ISO class
The City of El Cerrito’s page says that in April 2022 the City and the Kensington Fire Protection District received a Class 1 Public Protection Classification from the Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO). It says the ranking leads to an overall Public Protection Classification, which is “one element used to determine fire insurance rates”, and that the next survey will be around 2032.
April 2022; the City’s page is undated
Insurance State fire-risk listing
The Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s 2026 Fire Risk Reduction Community List, effective July 1, 2026, names “El Cerrito-Kensington Fire”, the City of El Cerrito and the City of Berkeley, among other local agencies.
Effective July 1, 2026
Insurance State-wide Safer from Wildfires
The Department of Insurance’s Safer from Wildfires page lists ten measures: “Class-A fire rated roof”; “5 foot ember resistant zone, including fencing”; “Ember- and fire-resistant vents”; “Non-combustible 6 inches at the bottom of exterior walls”; “Enclosed eaves”; “Upgraded windows”; “Cleared vegetation, weeds and debris from under decks”; “Removal of combustible sheds and other outbuildings to at least a distance of 30 feet”; “Defensible space compliance”; and “Being safer together”.
Read Oct 14-15, 2026
Who serves your home in Kensington
- Fire: The El Cerrito-Kensington Fire Department, the City of El Cerrito’s department, under a contract with the Kensington Community Services District, which took in the Kensington Fire Protection District on October 1, 2025, according to the services district’s own page.
- Police and parks: The Kensington Community Services District runs the Kensington Police Department and Kensington Park.
- Water: East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), according to the services district’s plan and its list of other special districts; EBMUD’s board page puts Kensington in one of its wards.
- Sewer: The Stege Sanitary District collects it, and EBMUD treats the wastewater.
- Garbage: Bayview Refuse & Recycling, under a franchise agreement with the services district.
- Electricity: PG&E’s service-area page names Kensington in the first of its two Contra Costa lists and not in the second; the page has two tabs, Electric Service Territory and Gas Service Territory.
- Air: The Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which covers the nine Bay Area counties, Contra Costa among them.
- Flood control: The Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, which, in its own words, “covers all of Contra Costa County, including its cities”.
- Permits and planning: Contra Costa County’s planning department; the County’s Kensington Municipal Advisory Council advises on building permit applications.
- Assessor: The Contra Costa County Assessor’s Office, which offers a free informal value review for anyone who thinks a property’s assessed value is too high.
Useful links: West Contra Costa Unified School District · Kensington Community Services District (police, parks, fire, waste) · Kensington Community Council and the Kensington Outlook · Contra Costa County’s Kensington Municipal Advisory Council · East Bay Regional Park District (Tilden and Wildcat Canyon regional parks) · Firesafe Kensington (a volunteer non-profit) · CAL FIRE address search for fire hazard zones (from the district’s standards file) · Kensington Community Services District: Emergency Preparedness (County Community Warning System and Nixle)
The homes of Kensington
Kensington’s median home was built in 1945, and about 96.4 percent are one-unit detached homes, our own calculations from the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 tables. About 86.8 percent of occupied homes are lived in by their owners.
1910 to 1914
The first subdivisions
The Bancroft Library’s catalogue entry for a 1914 photograph album describes “Streets and homes in Thousand Oaks, Kensington Park, Berkeley Highlands, and Northbrae areas of Berkeley and Kensington, Calif.”
1940s and earlier
Most of the homes
The County’s profile says most homes date from the 1940s and earlier; by our own calculation from the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 table, about 59.7 percent of the housing units, and about 61.0 percent of the owner-occupied homes, were built in 1949 or earlier.
After World War II
Growth, then build-out
The 2017 El Cerrito-Kensington wildfire action plan says El Cerrito and Kensington experienced their major growth post World War II and that both communities are primarily built out.
Through 1979
Almost all before 1980
By our own calculation, about 85.7 percent of the housing units were built in 1959 or earlier and about 94.0 percent in 1979 or earlier; about 6.0 percent were built in 1980 or later.
Today
Single-family homes at relatively high density, being upgraded
The County’s profile says almost all the homes in Kensington are single-family and that densities for that style of development are relatively high, and the services district’s plan puts them at five to seven units per net acre. The County’s profile says there is significant construction activity to upgrade and expand existing homes.
Older roofs and gutters need a different hand: Gutter Repair · Roof Repair · Gutter Installation
The story of Kensington
History and character
The El Cerrito Historical Society says Don Francisco Castro received a provisional land grant of over 19,000 acres in April 1823, in what is now the cities of Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito and Kensington. A radio talk of 1936, republished by the Contra Costa County Historical Society, says the rancho roughly embraced what are now El Cerrito, Kensington and a large part of Richmond.
The El Cerrito Historical Society’s timeline dates the opening of the cemetery on Colusa Avenue to 1908, just up the hill from the Seven Mile House, and says a horse-drawn carriage met visitors at the streetcar stop; the cemetery’s own page gives April 1908 as its founding.
The Berkeley Path Wanderers Association says Kensington’s walking paths were created when the area was subdivided in 1910, with the streetcar in mind.
The El Cerrito Historical Society’s timeline says El Cerrito incorporated in 1917 after a close vote of 158 to 131, and that the backers of the new city left Kensington out of it.
The Property Owners Association’s page says the Kensington Improvement Club, founded in 1921, was the first volunteer organization in Kensington.
The University of California says the Blakes and Mabel Symmes moved to the Kensington hillside site of Blake Garden in 1922 and transformed it into gardens. The Blakes deeded the house and garden to the University in 1957 and it passed to the University in 1962; the property was originally 22 acres, and the garden is half its original size today.
The Fire Protection District’s history page says the unincorporated town of Kensington began a volunteer fire department in 1928, and that the district later hired a staff of professional firefighters under a fire chief.
The Local Agency Formation Commission’s 2009 account says the district was formed in 1946 as the Kensington Police Protection District, re-organized in 1953 as the Kensington Community Service District, and given park and recreation services in 1955 and trash collection in 1979.
The Kensington Community Council says it became an independent nonprofit in 1960 at the request of the district governing board, to oversee Kensington’s recreation programs and the publication of the Outlook.
The Local Agency Formation Commission’s 2009 account says the Kensington Municipal Advisory Council was established in 1989 by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.
The fire district’s history page says that in 1995 it entered into a contract with the City of El Cerrito for all fire prevention, fire suppression and emergency services within Kensington.
The fire district’s history page says it started paramedic service in 2001, which it calls the first engine-based Advanced Life Support service in West Contra Costa County.
The County’s page says Kensington residents steered the development of the Kensington Planning Ordinance, adopted in 2004.
The community paper wrote in June 2011 that Kensington’s centennial fell that year.
The services district says that as of October 1, 2025 the police-and-services district and the fire district consolidated, and the district now names itself the Kensington Community Services District.
The Outlook says the Pathkeepers now work with the Kensington Community Services District to maintain the Ardmore, Beloit and Coventry paths that were acquired for public use in 2025, and that they will suggest a new round of path acquisitions.
Kensington, roof and gutters
Kensington is hillside ground. A University of California report of 2020 for the fire district calls it a hillside community bordering Berkeley, El Cerrito and Tilden Regional Park, largely developed with single family detached homes. The Community Services District’s plan says the district’s topography is steep, with canyons and swales, and contains many roads which are narrow, and that its homes are primarily single-family residences, at five to seven units per net acre. The Census Bureau gives Kensington 0.96 square mile of land. The same 2020 report found extremely narrow streets, under seven feet at the narrowest points on many segments, particularly in the southeast quadrant of Kensington, and a minimum lane width under ten feet on the majority of streets.
Yearly rain averages about 25.3 inches at the two nearest federal weather stations to the Census Bureau’s centre point for Kensington, Berkeley (26.12 inches) and Richmond (24.41 inches), by our own calculation from NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals. At both, December is the wettest month and July the driest, and the five months from November to March hold 83 to 84 percent of the year’s rain, with October to April about 95 percent. For a point at the Community Services District’s office rather than a weather station, NOAA’s Atlas 14 gives 2.10 inches of rain in 24 hours for a 1-year storm, 4.07 inches for a 10-year storm and 6.44 inches for a 100-year storm.
The County’s General Plan profile lists drought, extreme heat, human health hazards, landslides, seismic hazards, severe weather and wildfire among Kensington’s hazards, and does not list flooding. The profile says the Community Center, the Library and the commercial centres along Colusa Avenue and Arlington Avenue are vulnerable to damage from landslides, seismic hazards, severe weather and wildfire. The Fire Protection District’s annex to the 2024 hazard mitigation plan says its planning team found no flooding vulnerability unique to the district: the district’s vulnerability and impacts are consistent with those experienced throughout the County. The County’s 2003 Watershed Atlas says Cerrito Creek runs along the Contra Costa-Alameda county line, draining the hills of El Cerrito and the unincorporated community of Kensington before it empties into the Bay.
The County’s profile says Kensington is close to Wildcat Canyon and Tilden Regional Parks and to the Hayward Fault. The Fire Protection District’s annex says the Hayward Fault runs through a significant portion of the district, and that the narrow roadways and steep terrain could negatively impact evacuation in an earthquake. The County’s technical appendix calls the fault 45 miles long. The annex also says several mapped landslide areas lie within the district.
The County’s profile says residents enjoy the community’s mature trees. A University of California report of January 2020 says many streets in Kensington have significant tree cover, names large stands of trees around Arlington Avenue near the Community Center and north of Sunset Drive, and says tall trees along Rugby Avenue at the county line could block that route in an emergency. A District staff report of August 13, 2026 says eucalyptus is a wildfire hazard that exists in Kensington, and that eucalyptus trees and their debris can contribute to wildfire intensity and ember production there; the report’s recommended action was to explore and develop program concepts, with no budget appropriation requested. A volunteer report to the District Board, put before it on July 9, 2026, says that given the Community Center’s location beneath a dense tree canopy, the roof surface, drains, gutters and downspouts are highly susceptible to the accumulation of pine needles, leaves, branches and other combustible debris, and that the large oak trees on the west side of the building extend over the roof. The July 9 minutes record only a discussion of that report, with no vote or adoption.
The Fire Protection District’s plant page lists 20 kinds of trees as highly flammable, among them acacia, three eucalyptus and pine, and seven as drought-tolerant, among them coast live oak, and calls its lists “only guidelines”; it does not say that any of them stand in Kensington. The Forest Service says coast live oak sheds its old leaves in spring as the new ones come and drops most of its acorns in fall, and that Tasmanian bluegum, the District’s BlueGum, has bark that peels in large strips and heavy litter fall; both are species reviews, not pages about Kensington.
The Fire Protection District’s standards file, which is undated, asks every Kensington owner to remove dead or dry leaves and pine needles from the yard, the roof and the rain gutters, within 30 feet of buildings, structures and decks. The District’s advice page on rain gutters says: “Rain gutters attached to the edge of your roof are perfect for catching embers during a wildfire.”
The median home was built in 1945, and about 59.7 percent of the housing units were built in 1949 or earlier, our own calculation from the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 tables. The County’s profile says most of Kensington’s homes date from the 1940s and earlier, and that there is significant construction activity to upgrade and expand them.
We have been working on Bay Area roofs and gutters since 2002. If yours hasn’t had a look in a while, we’d be glad to come by.
Landmarks and parks
Kensington Park
A 10-acre park owned by the Community Services District, with the Community Center (also called the Youth Hut), two full-size tennis courts, four picnic sites and a playground.
Blake Garden
A University of California garden that occupies 10+ acres of rolling terrain in Kensington, featuring large rock outcroppings, several reaches of Cerrito Creek, and sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay.
The cemetery on Colusa Avenue
The County’s profile and the boundary commission’s records place it in Kensington or in the Kensington district, though its mailing address says El Cerrito. Its own page calls it “a small, country cemetery in the Berkeley Hills”.
Kensington Library
The County Library’s page says the library is closed for a remodel starting July 24, 2026, until an estimated February 2028; the County’s notice in the July-August 2026 Outlook had said that, starting July 23, the more than 60-year-old building would close for at least a full year.
Kensington Hilltop Elementary School
The County’s profile names Kensington’s elementary school among the features important to the community, and the April 2026 Outlook announced the 78th Annual Kensington Hilltop Elementary School Carnival for Saturday, May 9, 2026.
The Kensington paths
Ardmore, Beloit and Coventry are among the town’s walking paths.
Tilden and Wildcat Canyon regional parks
The County’s profile says Kensington’s proximity to Tilden and Wildcat Canyon Regional Parks provides “premier outdoor recreational opportunities for residents”; the park district describes Tilden as one of its three oldest parks, with 2,079 acres.
Colusa Circle
The home of the Sunday farmers market.
How we can help in Kensington
Why Sunshine Gutters and Roofing
- Family-owned since 2002, trusted by thousands of returning Bay Area homeowners
- Licensed (CSLB #1053780), bonded, with $2 million in general liability coverage
- Our own crew, never subcontractors
- We keep track of local regulations, fire safety rules and insurance programs
- We show you what we found, with photos, so you decide what happens next
The year in Kensington
| April | The City of El Cerrito’s sandbag season for Kensington residents ends (October through April) |
|---|---|
| May | Fire department vegetation checks, May or June (the district’s standards page) Kensington Park’d food truck nights, every 2nd Friday, May through October (first season 2026; a second season is planned) |
| July | Colusa Circle Art Crawl (first held July 25, 2026; next planned July 24, 2027) Driest month at the two nearest federal weather stations |
| September | Free family movie in the park, each fall |
| October | Fall parade and picnic, every October Halloween Harvest on Colusa Circle, every year The City of El Cerrito’s sandbag season for Kensington residents begins (October through April) |
| November | Rainy season: November through March holds 83 to 84 percent of the year’s rain at the two nearest federal weather stations |
| December | Wettest month at the two nearest federal weather stations |
Kensington questions
What Kensington homeowners ask us
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Kensington?
Yes. The County requires a permit before a re-roof begins, and applications go in online through its ePermits Center. Kensington is unincorporated, and the County’s planning department processes building applications for it, according to the County’s advisory council page. If you wish, we can also pull the permit for you, as most of our customers ask us to.
Do I need an inspection from the fire department to sell my house in Kensington?
If the house is in a high or very high fire hazard severity zone on the district’s map, yes. Before the sale, the owner must request a defensible space and home hardening inspection from the El Cerrito-Kensington Fire Department, then give the buyer the certificate of compliance or the noncompliance report. A full pass earns a certificate valid for up to six months.
When does the fire department check my property for fire safety in Kensington?
The district’s standards page, which is undated, says fire department personnel will check for compliance with the standards in May or June, and the El Cerrito-Kensington Fire Department conducts an annual process of vegetation management property inspections. The City of El Cerrito’s page says that once notices of non-compliance are mailed, property owners will have 30 or more days to bring their property into compliance before being re-inspected.
What do I have to clear from my roof and gutters for fire safety in Kensington?
The district’s standards for the first 30 feet from buildings, structures and decks say: “Remove dead or dry leaves and pine needles from your yard, roof and rain gutters.” The district’s advice page on rain gutters adds: “Remove all dried leaves, pine needles, or other materials from your rain gutters before fire season.” The standards file is undated.
What our customers say
Get a free estimate
We usually respond promptly within the day. Phone first for emergencies: (510) 525-0880.
Where we work
Kensington neighbourhoods we serve
The Arlington
The County’s General Plan profile says Kensington is located along Arlington Avenue (“the Arlington”), a winding thoroughfare.
Colusa Circle
The profile’s second commercial district, in the lower part of Kensington near the border with El Cerrito; the community paper also writes “the Circle”.
College District
A Firewise community of 104 homes, the October 2025 Outlook says, made up of Yale, Stanford and Cambridge avenues to the Beloit Path, Vassar and Rugby avenues to the Berkeley border, and Yale Circle.
Redtail Ridge
A Firewise community that the October 2025 Outlook calls the third one in Kensington; the Fire Protection District’s page lists it as Redtail Ridge Firewise.
Cerrito Canyon
A canyon and hillside area the Outlook names; the Firewise network lists it among its communities in development.
Also serving nearby: El Cerrito · Berkeley · Richmond · Albany