The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) has begun rolling out updated fire hazard severity maps, expanding areas subject to stricter fire safety building regulations.
According to the LA Times, the updated maps will increase the total acreage classified as “very high” fire hazard zones by 247,000 acres.
Additionally, 1.16 million acres will now be categorized as “high” hazard zones, bringing new regulations to those areas.
The maps, which had not been updated for local fire jurisdictions since 2011, were released following an executive order signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Cal Fire has structured the rollout regionally.
The agency began sending maps to inland Northern California fire jurisdictions in February.
Coastal Northern California jurisdictions will receive maps on February 24, followed by the Central Coast and Central Valley on March 10.
Southern California, including Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, will receive their maps on March 24.
Once local jurisdictions receive the maps, they have 30 days to make them public and 120 days to adopt them.
During this period, local governments can expand designated fire hazard zones but cannot reduce them.
As reported by the LA Times, the updated fire hazard classifications will affect at least 50 state regulations, including building codes and community land-use planning requirements.
Properties within the “very high” and newly added “high” hazard zones will be subject to Chapter 7A building codes.
These require home-hardening measures such as ignition-resistant materials, ember-resistant vents, and fire-resistant windows.
A 2021 law mandates that local jurisdictions consider fire hazards in community planning, which includes assessing evacuation routes and water supply constraints during wildfires.
Cal Fire officials stated that the new maps will not influence fire insurance rates, as insurers use independent risk models to evaluate properties.
However, compliance with stricter fire safety regulations could lead to reduced insurance costs over time.
According to the LA Times, some communities designated as “firewise” by the National Fire Protection Association have received insurance discounts.
Cal Fire has released updated fire hazard severity maps, expanding the number of areas classified as high-risk for wildfires.
The changes add 247,000 acres to the “very high” hazard category and introduce 1.16 million acres into the “high” hazard category.
The rollout will occur in phases, beginning with inland Northern California and concluding with Southern California by March 24.
Once received, local jurisdictions will have 30 days to publish the maps and 120 days to implement them.
The updates will apply stricter fire safety building codes and require community planning measures for fire-prone areas.
While Cal Fire stated that the changes will not affect insurance rates, compliance with fire-hardening regulations could influence costs in the future.
