For more than 40 years, the California Forestry and the Fire Prevention Department have mapped wildfire dangers. Congress has referenced, cross-referenced and cross-referenced map cross-references in more than 100 fire safety regulations across more than 100 state fire safety regulations in statutory and regulatory codes, including highway safety, building requirements and insurance laws.
This year, Cal Fire has increased its zone by nearly 6 million acres. This accounts for about 6% of the state. The update adds 2.8 million Californians to the “moderate”, “high” and “very high” hazard zones, throwing them into the frequent head-down world of fire safety regulations in the hazard zone.
The Times mapped new areas and analyzed all references to California code and building code zones. This is a crash course on Cal Fire’s hazard zones and what it means to communities and residents throughout the state.
zone
Cal Fire groups its complex hazard assessments into three simple, simple things. “Medium” hazard zones marked in yellow, “high” zones in orange, and “very high” zones in red. This will be done in the state’s liability area where Cal Fire is responsible for responding to fires, and in the local liability area where the job falls within city and county fire stations.
You can use the map below to find out whether your home is in one of these zones, as well as details of applicable fire safety regulations, as well as details of the general fire risks (occupying more than the fire risk) in your postal code.
Cal Fire has completed a two-month rollout of a new map of the local responsibility field in March. Currently, local governments need to receive public opinions and adopt maps in ordinances. A city or county can choose to increase the hazard level for the number of zones or acres within a zone, but cannot reduce them. The ordinance will usually take effect approximately 30 days after it is adopted.
When everything is said and done, the zone covers at least 7.2 million Californian homes and covers more than 37% of the state’s land.
Cal Fire considers the dangers of wildfires as possible catastrophic wildfires. It is a combination of the potential for a region to experience a fire and the potential strength of that fire.
The map does not reflect the risk of a fire. The fire could be destroyed or significantly damaged. Fire risk uses hazards as a starting point and considers safeguards such as hardening and maintaining defensible spaces taken by communities and property owners.
Cal Fire aims to create accurate images of the state’s fire risk, but its model has some notable limitations.
The agency models firing in wildlands based on factors such as vegetation type, topology, climate, and potential extreme weather conditions. But that. Instead, we estimate how much outdoor fires can ripple into developed cities and towns.
This means that Calfire models cannot explain the possibility of high-intensity urban flames running through city blocks, such as the Eton Fire and Santa Rosa’s 2017 Tubbs Fire.
Cal Fire also emphasizes that its maps are designed to determine where fire safety regulations apply. It provides comprehensive photos of the state’s fire risk and serves as a de facto tool that Californians use to assess fire risk.
The agency also does not model fire hazards in areas where the federal government is responsible for fire service, such as the National Parks and the Bureau of Land Management.
Californians can gain a more comprehensive understanding of risks and dangers by exploring a wide range of fire models and maps such as,,,, and the.
CAL Fires are required by law to roughly update the map.
Fire Safety Regulations
Cal Fire’s hazard maps are referenced in more than 50 sections of the state legislature, laws passed by the state legislature, and dozens of sections of California Regulation Act written by state agencies. It spans state building codes, government codes, insurance codes, street and highway codes, and public safety codes.
Many people simply tell the government how to do their job like the code in the first place, while others apply directly to property owners, residents and local governments. Most notably, it requires housing hardening and defensible space management for residents, evacuating evacuation, fire water supply and residential development requirements to local governments.
“What we’re trying to tell people… if you’re trying to build a house here, these are things that you need to safely build that house for the next 50 years,” said Frank Bigelow, deputy director of wildfire preparation and mitigation for Cal Fire communities. “These measures are the best available to keep these homes safe for that long.”
The requirements for each hazard level may vary widely depending on whether the property owner lives in the state’s area of responsibility. Local governments such as LA cities and counties can adopt more stringent regulations than states require.
CAL fires and homeowners in applicable hazard zones are 5 feet apart from the structure, “Zone 0” is 30 feet apart and “Zone 2” is 100 feet apart to maintain three areas of defensible space.
With the requirements for zones 1 and 2 already in place, the Cal fire required to create zone 0 regulations by the start of 2023 is required.
After the January LA County wildfire, Gavin Newsom mandated Gavin Newsom will finalize zone 0 regulations by the end of 2025 (in the same executive order, he mandated the release of new fire hazard maps Cal Fire deployed in February and March).
In the meantime, Cal Fire provided non-binding guidance for Zone 0 based on the draft regulations. If regulations are listed in the book, property owners with existing homes must follow.
Local governments have the authority to assess whether property owners are complying with the requirements. The LA and the fire department usually conduct defensible space inspections annually in the spring. City and county offenders will charge a test fee and will be given 20 and 30 days respectively to make corrections.
Homeowners are also required when selling their property.
Failure to adhere to $100-$500. For a third offence within five years, the fine increases to at least $500, and the property owner is charged with a “mistake.” In extreme cases, local governments can work themselves with vegetation management at the expense of the property owner.
Cal Fire lists complete and detailed defensible space requirements and guidance.
The property owners of the enhanced new hazard zone must comply with the new building construction permit to receive a new building construction permit and to receive a building permit to rebuild additional, remodel, or destroy the property.
LA City and the county are offering to promote approval of homes destroyed in the Palisade and Eton fires, including allowing homeowners to rebuild the same structure, even if they don’t comply with current zoning requirements.
However, to comply with the building codes for wildfires adopted in 2008, the old “very high” hazard zone properties are required.
The full requirements are outlined in California requirements.
Regulations related to Cal Fire’s hazard zones also include numerous requirements from local governments. This is designed to reduce the risk of wildfires in the community and keep residents safe in the case of disaster attacks.
Many laws – in a higher hazard field by limiting the ability of local governments to reject development proposals and exempting proposals from the CEQA environmental review process. However, both Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass have signed an executive order that exempts many reconstructions that burn many of Eton and Palisades from the CEQA requirements.
A will need both public and charter schools with more than 50 students in “high” and “very high” hazard zones to develop evacuation plans starting from the 2026-2027 school year. This includes identifying shelters. Fire officials must order evacuation and communicate plans with local authorities.
In state-responsible areas and “very high” locally responsible areas, local governments should consider urban planning fire risks, including hospitals and emergency command centers outside of high-ranking areas “when possible” “when possible”; And they must have fire services to meet all fire safety requirements and keep the community safe.
These zones have CAL fires in the urban planning process and have the authority to create and enforce “for the city.” This includes rules that ensure that roads are wide and safe for fire trucks. The community has enough fuel damage to slow the fire and enough water supply to effectively fight the fire.
The minimum fire safety regulations are “everything to the house,” Bigelow said. “If someone is building a new home somewhere, you’d hate them to put down their driveways and build a house where they can’t drive a fire truck.”
Dangers and risks
Cal Fire asserts that its hazard maps will not affect state fire insurance fees or insurance renewals. And there’s a good reason. There is a risk of a CAL fire model, but insurers are interested in the risks. Insurance companies have their own complex and sophisticated “catastrophe” models that are different from Cal Fire’s hazard model.
For years, insurers have used these wildfire catastrophe models to set rates and decide who gets or doesn’t get coverage. Last year, its non-renewal focused on areas at high risk of wildfires.
Essentially, Cal Fire’s maps don’t tell insurance companies what they don’t know yet.
Homeowners who are more fire-risk than willing to cover their insurance companies can buy into state-mandated fair plans. It is largely dependent on Barebone insurance companies. State insurance companies pool money to pay the claim.
The state issues home insurance to insurers that cancel or unrenovate their home insurance near several fire areas, including Eton and Palisade burn areas.
CAL Firemap does little to exacerbate the insurance crisis. In fact, there is only one regulation related to the hazard zone and you have insurance.
: Insurance companies offering to cover residents in “high” and “very high” hazard zones will be rewarded by having to pay less on their fair plan.
