COMMUNITY NOTICE
(9/20/2023)
CAL FIRE Proposed Ember-Resistant Zone 0 Implementation Schedule
Below is an update from CAL FIRE regarding the proposed implementation schedule and recommendations for the new Zone 0 which may require a 5-ft. ember-resistant zone around structures, including homes. The new zone is expected to be added as a requirement in 2025. It may apply to new construction in the first year (2025), and it may apply to existing structures (i.e., landscaping on existing homes) in 2026.
At the end of the notice is a link to a survey requesting input on ways to communicate the new requirements. We encourage you to complete the below survey.
CAL FIRE is working with the UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) on creating a creative campaign for Zone 0 imagery and slogans and have created the attached survey to collect feedback.
Big changes are coming in how we landscape our property to help protect homes and people from wildfire. These changes are a part of California’s adapting defensible space standards and are in reaction to the severity of recent wildfires and new scientific understandings.
1) We need your help to craft the best language to inform the general public about these important fire mitigations.
2) Embers cause the majority of wildfire home ignitions by igniting vegetation or materials on or near a home resulting in flames touching the house.
3) California’s defensible space zones are changing to address embers. In 2025, a new defensible space zone will be added, referred to as Zone 0, which extends from 0 to 5 feet of the perimeter of buildings, including the footprint of attached desks and stairs. Zone 0 will complement the existing Zone 1 (5 to 30 feet) and Zone 2 (30 to 100 feet or the property line) in making up California’s defensible space standards.
4) These regulations will apply to most unincorporated areas in California and will likely include very high and high fire hazard zones in cities. It will apply to new construction first, and a year later, it will apply to existing structures, meaning the landscaping on existing homes will need to meet these new fuel reduction standards.
Background: California’s Mediterranean landscapes are adapted to frequent fire, but its people and homes are not. The good news is that the odds of a home surviving a wildfire can be substantially improved through attention to three things: careful design and maintenance of landscaping; awareness and management of combustible materials on the property such as leaf litter, woodpiles, and wood fences; and incorporation of fire- and ember-resistant construction materials with appropriate installation and maintenance.
Standards for Zone 0: Note: The regulation is still in development, and some changes are expected as the regulation works through the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s rulemaking process.
The big ideas are:
- Surrounding the structure, use hardscape like gravel, pavers, concrete, or other rock mulch.
- No combustible bark or mulch will be allowed in this zone.
- Where there are attached wooden fences, replace the 5 feet that touch the structure with a non-combustible panel or gate, to break the pathway for fire to wick to the structure.
- Remove all dead and dying weeds, grass, plants, shrubs, trees, branches, and vegetative debris (leaves, needles, cones, bark, etc.)
- Where trees exist in Zone 0, limb branches above the height of the structure and providing at least 10 feet separation from all portions of the roof, including the chimney or stovepipe.