No-Cost Residential Chipping Program

Under the program, residents cut, gather and stack their own branches to be chipped at the front of their property.  A chipping contractor hired by the City of Hayward will be scheduled to come to each property to complete the chipping work.  Residential properties east of Mission Boulevard and south of D Street to the border of Union City are considered to be at relatively high risk of fire due to proximity to open spaces with grassland and brush. 

Starting Monday, May 1, 2023, the application process is open and you can click on this link 2023 Chipping Application to sign up to submitt your interest in participating. Allow 3-5 business days for Hayward Fire Department staff to email you with status of your request.  All instructions and chipping schedule will be emailed after you have been qualified.  Participants will be scheduled weekly on a first-come, first-served basis.  Residents are responsible for cutting and stacking the tree limbs and branches—and a contractor hired by the City will come to the front of each property to do the chipping. 

Do Not stack your materials for chipping until you have been given your scheduled chipping date.

Stacking Requirements:

• Tree limbs measuring up to eight inches (8”) in diameter can be chipped.
• Stack cut tree limbs or brush within 5 feet of the curb or edge of street.
• Stack limbs with the cut ends facing the street.
• Stack piles wider than they are high; but not higher than 4 feet.
• Locate stacks where truck and chipper can easily access them from the street. The chipping contractor will not go beyond the paved street to collect materials.
• Keep all piles free of rocks, dirt, wire, lumber, spiny plants, poison oak and blackberries. The chipper cannot chip piles of needles or leaves.
• Chipped materials will be taken away and recycled unless special arrangements are made.

​Residential Assistance Program (RAP)

Grant funding may be available to help senior, disabled, or low-income residents with expenses associated with cutting, trimming, and stacking limbs and branches through our Residential Assistance Program (RAP). To determine if you or someone you know is eligible for assistance, please email FiresafeHFD@hayward-ca.gov and include your full name, address, and contact information.  An application will be emailed to you to be completed and returned by email.