California Fire Zones: Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps, Rules and What They Mean for Your Home

California fire zones: the short answer

California's official fire zones are fire hazard severity zones (FHSZ), mapped by the Office of the State Fire Marshal within CAL FIRE in three classes: moderate, high and very high (Government Code section 51178). They rate the hazard of an area based on fuel loading, slope, fire weather and wind, not the risk to any single house.

There are two sets of maps:

• State responsibility areas (SRA), where the state is responsible for wildfire protection. The current SRA zones took effect April 1, 2024.
• Local responsibility areas (LRA), cities and other areas protected by local fire departments. CAL FIRE released updated LRA maps in phases in early 2025, and each city or county had 120 days to adopt them by ordinance (Government Code section 51179).

A home's zone affects what a seller must disclose, the defensible space rules the owner must follow, the building code for new construction and remodels, and often the cost and availability of insurance. This guide explains how to look up a zone, what each zone triggers and how to lower the risk and the cost.

How CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zones are mapped

What the zones measure

Under Government Code section 51178 and Public Resources Code section 4202, zones are based on "fuel loading, slope, fire weather, and other relevant factors," including areas where wind is a major cause of wildfire spread. As the City of Solana Beach puts it in its summary of the 2025 maps, they reflect "the likelihood of a fire reaching the area and its potential intensity, not the risks of individual properties." A well-maintained house with a new roof can sit in a very high zone, and a neglected one can sit outside any zone.

State responsibility area maps (effective April 1, 2024)

CAL FIRE's published SRA dataset describes the zones as "effective April 1, 2024." In SRA land, which is mostly unincorporated foothill, forest and range land, the state fire agency is responsible for wildfire protection, and the defensible space law in Public Resources Code section 4291 applies to every building, whatever the zone.

Local responsibility area maps (2025)

The 2025 LRA update added moderate and high zones inside cities alongside the very high zone that earlier LRA maps showed. Release dates varied by region; Solana Beach reports that CAL FIRE released its maps for local review on March 24, 2025.

Local adoption and the 120-day rule

Each local agency must adopt the zones by ordinance within 120 days of receiving the State Fire Marshal's recommendations (Government Code section 51179(a)). A city may add areas or raise a zone, but it "shall not decrease the level of fire hazard severity zone" the State Fire Marshal identified (section 51179(b)(3)).

How to look up the fire zone for a California address

Step 1: Use the State Fire Marshal's FHSZ map viewer

The Office of the State Fire Marshal publishes map viewers for SRA and LRA zones on its fire hazard severity zones page. Enter the address and note both whether the parcel is SRA or LRA and which zone, if any, it falls in. Check the edges: a zone line can cut through a lot.

Step 2: Confirm with the city or county

Because local agencies adopt the LRA maps and may raise zones, the city's adopted ordinance controls inside a city. Most cities post their adopted map on the fire department or planning page.

Step 3: Read the Natural Hazard Disclosure report

If you are buying, the seller's Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement shows whether the home is in a very high fire hazard severity zone or a state responsibility (wildland) area. Our seller disclosure guide explains that report and the other forms.

Step 4: Ask your insurer for its own wildfire view

Insurers use their own wildfire models, which may not match the state's zones. Ask any insurer quoting a home how it rates the property and which mitigation steps it credits.

What each fire zone means for a homeowner

Defensible space: 100 feet, but not past your property line

Owners in SRA land, and in very high zones in LRA, must maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side of the structure, but not beyond the property line unless a state or local rule requires it (Public Resources Code 4291 and Government Code 51182). Fuel reduction is most intense between 5 and 30 feet, and the law calls for an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of the structure under regulations from the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Owners must also remove tree limbs within 10 feet of a chimney outlet, keep plants next to the house free of dead wood and keep the roof clear of leaves and needles. Local ordinances can require more.

Building standards for new homes and remodels

The wildland-urban interface standards in Chapter 7A of the California Building Code set ember-resistant vents, ignition-resistant siding, decks and windows for covered construction. The fire hardening notice in Civil Code 1102.6f exists because homes built before January 1, 2010 generally predate these codes. Ask the local building department which zones its Chapter 7A rules cover before planning a remodel or addition.

Rebuilding after a fire

In a very high zone in LRA, an owner rebuilding a fire-damaged home, or building a new one that requires a permit, must get certification from the local building official that the plans meet the applicable building standards, including those in Government Code section 51189 (section 51182).

Buying and selling a home in a California fire zone

Seller disclosures in high and very high zones

Sellers of homes built before 2010 in high or very high zones must give the fire hardening notice, which since July 1, 2025 includes a list of low-cost retrofits and which were done while the seller owned the home, plus a list of known vulnerable features such as vents with openings over one-eighth inch, untreated wood shake roofs, combustible materials within five feet of the home, single-pane windows and gutters without noncombustible covers (Civil Code 1102.6f).

Defensible space documentation on a sale

Under Civil Code 1102.19, sellers in high and very high zones must give documentation of defensible space compliance where a local ordinance or inspection program provides it, using an inspection from the prior six months where required. If the seller has none, buyer and seller sign a written agreement for the buyer to obtain it; in places with an inspection program but no ordinance, the buyer has one year after closing.

Insurance before you remove contingencies

Get insurance quotes during the inspection period, not after. If the standard market declines the home, the California FAIR Plan is the fallback for fire coverage, often paired with a difference in conditions policy. Our FAIR Plan guide and homeowners insurance guide cover costs and options.

Earthquake and flood are separate checks

A fire zone lookup tells you nothing about earthquake faults, seismic hazard zones or flood zones, which appear on the same disclosure report. See our earthquake insurance guide.

Lowering wildfire risk and insurance cost

Safer from Wildfires discounts

The California Department of Insurance's Safer from Wildfires regulation requires insurers to offer discounts for specific mitigation steps, and the department says "every action under Safer from Wildfires will qualify you for an insurance discount." Its list includes:

• A Class A fire-rated roof. Most asphalt shingle, concrete, clay tile and metal roofs qualify; wood shake does not.
• A 5-foot ember-resistant zone around the home, including replacing wood fencing that attaches to the house with metal.
• Ember- and fire-resistant vents with 1/16 to 1/8 inch noncombustible, corrosion-resistant metal mesh.
• At least 6 vertical inches of noncombustible material at the bottom of exterior walls.
• Enclosed eaves.

Start within five feet of the house

The law's ember-resistant zone and the insurance discounts both focus on the first five feet, because burning embers can land on and ignite anything stored against the house. Replacing bark mulch with gravel, moving firewood and storage away, and clearing gutters are low-cost first steps.

Worked examples: deadlines and defensible space

The 120-day adoption clock

If CAL FIRE delivered a city's LRA recommendations on March 24, 2025, the 120-day deadline under section 51179 fell on July 22, 2025: 7 days left in March, plus 30 in April, 31 in May and 30 in June (98 days), plus 22 days in July. Solana Beach, for example, adopted its maps on June 18, 2025, effective July 18, 2025.

Defensible space on a typical lot

Take a house in a very high zone sitting 20 feet from the side lines, 25 feet from the front and 40 feet from the back line. The owner must clear and maintain vegetation on their own land to the property line on every side, because 100 feet reaches past the lot in each direction. Clearing on a neighbor's land beyond that is required only if a state or local rule calls for it, and only with the neighbor's written consent (Public Resources Code 4291).

A seller's paperwork checklist

A seller of a 1995 home in a high zone needs: the Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement, the 1102.6f fire hardening notice (built before 2010), and defensible space documentation or a signed buyer agreement under 1102.19. A 2015 home in the same zone skips the hardening notice but still needs the documentation.

Common fire zone mistakes

• Checking only the SRA map. Homes inside cities are on the LRA map, which changed in 2025.
• Treating "no zone" as no risk. The maps rate areas, not houses, and insurers use their own models.
• Waiting until escrow to price insurance. A late surprise can push a buyer to the FAIR Plan at a much higher cost.
• Forgetting the five-foot zone. Mulch, wood fences and stored items against the house undo other mitigation.
• Assuming an old map still applies. Local adoption dates differ, so check the city's current ordinance.

For how fire risk shows up in prices and costs around the state, see our California housing market guide.