Regulation

California's War on Goats Could Worsen the Wildfire Crisis

Standard minimum wage and overtime laws now apply to the state's goat herders, whose animals clear brush and reduce fire danger. The costs are unsustainable.

C. Jarrett Dieterle and Shawn Regan | 7.25.2026 7:00 AM

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(Illustration: Midjourney)

Wildfire risk just got a lot worse in California, where some of the state's most effective fire prevention specialists—goats—are under regulatory attack. As of July 1, the state's standard minimum wage and overtime laws now apply to goat-herding companies, whose animals clear brush and reduce fire danger across the state. The change threatens to sideline these vital firefighters at a time when California can ill afford a setback in wildfire prevention.

For decades, California's goat and sheep herders have been largely exempt from the state's wage and overtime rules. This is on account of the round-the-clock lifestyle that herding entails; without such an exemption, labor costs would become prohibitively expensive in the herding occupation.

When California overhauled its wage laws for agricultural workers in 2016, it recognized this reality. The changes ultimately culminated in the Department of Industrial Relations enacting an alternative minimum monthly wage of $4,820 a month for herders. But in 2022, the department clarified that the underlying legislation only applied to sheep herders, leaving goat herders subject to normal wage and........

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