California’s seasonally dry Mediterranean climate lends itself to wildfires, and in an effort to better prepare, CAL FIRE is required to classify the severity of fire hazard in areas of California.
The Department is providing an additional written comment period for State Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zones from February 3, 2023, to April 4, 2023.
The State Fire Marshal is mandated to classify lands within State Responsibility Areas into Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ).
Fire Hazard Severity Zones fall into the following classifications:
The California laws that require Fire Hazard Severity Zones include California Public Resource code 4201-4204, California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 1280 and California Government Code 51175-89.
The Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps are developed using a science-based and field-tested model that assigns a hazard score based on the factors that influence fire likelihood and fire behavior. Many factors are considered such as fire history, existing and potential fuel (natural vegetation), predicted flame length, blowing embers, terrain, and typical fire weather for the area. There are three levels of hazard in the State Responsibility Areas: moderate, high, and very high.
Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps evaluate “hazard,” not “risk”. They are like flood zone maps, where lands are described in terms of the probability level of a particular area being inundated by floodwaters, and not specifically prescriptive of impacts. “Hazard” is based on the physical conditions that create a likelihood and expected fire behavior over a 30 to 50-year period without considering mitigation measures such as home hardening, recent wildfire, or fuel reduction efforts. “Risk” is the potential damage a fire can do to the area under existing conditions, accounting for any modifications such as fuel reduction projects, defensible space, and ignition resistant building construction.
You can enter your address to locate your property on a map showing Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Due to the nature of this content, some users who require Assistive Technology may experience accessibility issues. If you experience any problems while trying to access this content, please call the hotline at (916)633-7655, or e-mail: FHSZinformation@fire.ca.gov
View Map on Cell/Tablet Device
Written comments may be submitted by U.S. mail to the following address:
Office of the State Fire MarshalC/O: FHSZ CommentsCalifornia Department of Forestry and Fire ProtectionP.O. Box 944246Sacramento, CA 94244-2460
Written comments can also be hand delivered or sent by courier to the contact person listed in this notice at the following address:
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Office of the State Fire Marshal
C/O: Scott Witt
California Natural Resources Building
715 P Street, 9th floor
Sacramento, CA 95818
Written comments may also be delivered via e-mail at the following address:
Comments can be given at public meetings. See attached document for the public meetings.
It is your responsibility to prepare yourself, your family, and your home for when wildfire strikes. Creating and maintaining defensible space and hardening your home by retrofitting it with ignition-resistant or noncombustible materials to protect against the threat of flying embers, direct flame contact, and radiant heat exposure will dramatically increase your safety and the survivability of your home.
Preparing starts with hardening your home and maintaining adequate Defensible Space around your home and property. Home Hardening means using ignition-resistant materials on and around your home to help it withstand flying embers and radiant heat. Defensible Space is the buffer created by removing dead plants, grass, and weeds to help keep wildfire away from your home.
The following information was provided by the California Department of Insurance for information related to insurance in general.
Q&A - Insurance & CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps
Q&A - Insurance & CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps (Spanish)
For more information, please call the Department of Insurance hotline at 1-800-927-4357 or visit their website at http://www.insurance.ca.gov/.
