Start with your exact address—not your ZIP code, neighborhood, or what applies to a nearby home. California’s fire-hazard maps distinguish State and Local Responsibility Areas and Moderate, High, and Very High hazard zones. Those details affect which existing wildfire rules apply.
The Board of Forestry filed its Zone 0 Defensible Space emergency regulation with OAL on August 28, 2026. OAL’s official record shows the filing was withdrawn on September 8, 2026. The statewide Zone Zero regulation is therefore not currently in effect.
The map result is only the first step. You also need to understand the responsibility area and whether your local jurisdiction has adopted separate requirements.
Use the Office of the State Fire Marshal Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewer and enter the exact property address. The viewer includes current State Responsibility Area mapping and 2025 Local Responsibility Area recommendations.
Open Official FHSZ Viewer ↗Look for two things: whether the property is in an SRA or LRA, and whether it is mapped Moderate, High, or Very High. If it is in an LRA, verify the final adopted map with the local jurisdiction.
Find My Local Guide →Some jurisdictions have separate requirements. Auburn, for example, already has a local 5-foot Ember Resistant Zone rule for new construction. Do not assume the statewide status tells you everything that applies locally.
Send Us My Address →Fire Hazard Severity Zones describe long-term wildfire hazard. They are not the same thing as a property-specific risk score, and they do not all trigger identical legal requirements.
A Moderate designation means the property is within a mapped wildfire hazard area, but it should not automatically be treated as proof that statewide defensible-space or Zone Zero requirements apply. Check local rules separately.
A High LRA designation also identifies meaningful wildfire hazard, but the Board of Forestry’s existing statewide defensible-space applicability statement specifically references SRA and Very High FHSZ in LRA. Local requirements may still apply.
Very High FHSZ properties in Local Responsibility Areas are subject to existing California defensible-space requirements. Local WUI, vegetation, construction, disclosure, and fire-prevention rules may also apply. The statewide Zone Zero regulation itself is not currently in effect.
Properties in State Responsibility Areas are subject to existing California defensible-space requirements. Zone Zero is intended to add an ember-resistant first 5 feet, but the 2026 statewide emergency regulatory filing was withdrawn before becoming effective.
The correct sequence is: identify the parcel, understand the jurisdiction and hazard designation, check local rules, then inspect the actual fence-to-house connection.
Even where a homeowner voluntarily wants a more ember-resistant first 5 feet, it may be possible to replace only the short combustible section closest to the structure rather than the entire fence.
The Board of Forestry approved a Zone 0 package in August 2026 and filed it with the Office of Administrative Law as emergency rulemaking file 2026-0828-03E.
OAL’s official “Recent Actions on Emergency Regulations” page records the action as “Withdrawn, September 8, 2026.”
That means the filing was not approved into effect. It also does not erase existing defensible-space laws or separate local Zone Zero / ember-resistant rules.
See OAL Record ↗The Board of Forestry states that property owners in the State Responsibility Area or a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone in a Local Responsibility Area are responsible for complying with existing defensible-space requirements.
Zone Zero is the proposed ember-resistant first 5 feet. Zones 1 and 2 and other existing wildfire requirements continue independently of the withdrawn Zone Zero filing.
Board of Forestry Defensible Space ↗California’s Safer from Wildfires framework recognizes a 5-foot ember-resistant zone, including fencing, as a mitigation action that qualifies for insurance discounts. That insurance framework is separate from whether the statewide Zone Zero regulation is currently enforceable.
Whether a 5-foot ember-resistant zone affects your policy or discount eligibility, what documentation is required, whether an inspection is needed, and whether replacing only the fence section connected to the house is sufficient for their program.
California Safer from Wildfires ↗These government sources are the primary references behind this property-check process.
Quick answers before you make a fencing or wildfire-mitigation decision.
Use the official CAL FIRE / Office of the State Fire Marshal viewer and search the exact address. If the property is in a Local Responsibility Area, also verify the adopted map with the local city, county, or fire district.
No. A Moderate or High LRA classification is not automatically the same as a statewide Zone Zero requirement. Existing statewide defensible-space applicability includes SRA and Very High FHSZ in LRA, while local jurisdictions can impose separate requirements.
Existing California defensible-space requirements apply in Very High FHSZ areas within Local Responsibility Areas. Check the local jurisdiction too. The statewide Zone Zero rule itself is not currently in effect.
Existing defensible-space requirements apply in State Responsibility Areas. The separate 2026 Zone Zero emergency regulatory filing was withdrawn before becoming effective.
No. OAL records file 2026-0828-03E, Zone 0 Defensible Space, as withdrawn on September 8, 2026.
Yes, subject to applicable building, permit, HOA, product, and local requirements. The California Department of Insurance also recognizes a 5-foot ember-resistant zone, including fencing, as a wildfire-mitigation action.
If you would rather not interpret the maps yourself, submit the property information here. We can use the address as the starting point for identifying the relevant local guide and understanding the fence-to-house condition.
If appropriate, we may connect you with an independent CSLB-licensed fencing contractor experienced in non-combustible Zone Zero applications.
There is no obligation to hire. Zone Zero Sacramento is an independent informational and contractor-referral website and does not perform construction.
We may receive compensation when we connect you with a participating contractor. Any property assessment should be confirmed against current official government sources.
An address-level check can prevent unnecessary work and misleading compliance claims.