About Fire Hazard Severity Zones
To enhance wildfire resiliency measures in California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in February 2025 that fast-tracked the release of updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone mapping in local responsibility areas. These LRAs are areas protected by local fire districts, such as the Placer Fire Department.
What are Fire Hazard Severity Zones?
The State Fire Marshal is required to classify lands into Fire Hazards Severity Zones in both the State and Local Responsibility Areas.
Fire Hazard Severity Zones fall into one of the following classifications:
- Moderate
- High
- Very High
California laws requiring Fire Hazard Severity Zones include California Public Resources Code 4201-4204, California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 1280, and California Government Code 51175-89.
California's Public Resources Code 4201-4204 requires CAL FIRE to map fire hazards using factors like fuel load, slope, weather and wind impact on wildfire spread. These areas are classified as Fire Hazard Severity Zones and rated as moderate, high or very high based on the overall fire risk.
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 are 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.
What this means
The release of updated FHSZ maps for the LRA identifies additional fire severity zones where:
- Homeowners in very high FHSZ must comply with stringent defensible space and home hardening requirements.
- Property sellers must disclose FHSZ designations during real estate transactions.
- New construction and renovations in designated zones must adhere to wildland-urban interface building codes.
Placer County staff, in close coordination with Placer County Fire, are developing a community engagement program to meet state requirements. We are working towards bringing maps affecting our unincorporated areas to the Placer County Board of Supervisors for consideration on or before June 10.
California Department of Insurance Information
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 800-927-4357 or visit their website at www.insurance.ca.gov.
Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map View Finder
The viewer below includes updated fire hazard severity zones for Local Responsibility Areas in California.
Enter your address to locate your parcel on Cal Fire's Fire Hazard Severity Zone map.*
Please note: The Placer County Fire Hazard Severity Zone map only pertains to the county's unincorporated areas.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact the Placer County Building Department at 530-745-3010 or check the Cal Fire Fire Hazard Severity Map Fire Hazard Severity Zones in State Responsibility Area
Buildings constructed within the following Fire Hazard Severity Zones must comply with applicable sections of California Residential Code Section R337 and California Building Code Chapter 7A:
State Responsibility Area designated as:
- Moderate Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- High Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- Very-High Fire Hazard Severity Zones
Local Responsibility Area (LRA) designated as:
- Very-High Fire Hazard Severity Zones
Land locally designated as Wildland Interface Fire Area
For Residential projects, the California Residential Code R337 applies, as amended by Placer County Code.
No, the code does not require homes built prior to July 1, 2008 to be brought up to the current WUI standards if you are not making any improvements.
- Newly constructed buildings within an applicable FHSZ.
- Re-Roofs (Roof assembly and gutters only)
- Additions/Remodels (When the roof, exterior siding, and windows are replaced in their entirety within a 1 year period)
- Decks (Walking surface and flashing only)
- Detached group U accessory buildings that exceed 500 square feet OR are within 50 feet of an applicable building.
- Miscellaneous structures that require a permit (trellis, arbors, patio covers, gazebos, etc.) that are attached to or within 5’ of an applicable building, regardless of size.
- Placer County requires all roof assemblies to be a Class A assembly regardless of Fire Severity Zone. The entire roof covering of every existing structure where more than 50 percent of the total roof area is replaced within any 1-year period, the entire roof covering of every new structure, and any roof covering applied in the alteration, repair, or replacement of the roof of every existing structure shall be a fire-retardant roof covering that is at least Class A rating fire classification.
- Roof gutters shall be provided with the means to prevent the accumulation of leaves and debris in the gutter. (Gutter Guards)
- A Class A fire classification roof underlayment, tested in accordance with ASTM E108 or UL 790, shall be permitted to be used. If the sheathing consists of exterior fire-retardant-treated wood, the underlayment shall not be required to comply with a Class A classification. Bird stops shall be used at the eaves when the profile fits, to prevent debris at the eave. Hip and ridge caps shall be mudded in to prevent intrusion of fire or embers.
- Where the roofing profile has an airspace under the roof covering, installed over a combustible deck, a 72 lb. (32.7kg) cap sheet complying with ASTM D3909 Standard Specification for "Asphalt Rolled Roofing (Glass Felt) Surfaced with Mineral Granules," shall be installed over the roof deck. Bird stops shall be used at the eaves when the profile fits, to prevent debris at the eave. Hip and ridge caps shall be mudded in to prevent intrusion of fire or embers.
Exception: Cap sheet is not required when no less than 1 inch of mineral wool board or other noncombustible material is located between the roofing material and wood framing or deck.
Defensible space is the buffer you create between a building on your property and the grass, trees, shrubs, or any wildland area that surround it. This space is needed to slow or stop the spread of wildfire and it helps protect your home from catching fire—either from embers, direct flame contact or radiant heat.Defensible space is inspected by the local fire authority for newly constructed buildings and additions when located within an applicable FHSZ.
Whether undertaken optionally or as required by code, fire resistant upgrades to a home’s roof, siding, glazing and ventilation are key components to protecting your home from a wildfire. The State Fire Marshall WUI approved products list is a great resource to finding products that when installed would dramatically reduce your fire risk by resisting the intrusion of embers and flames into combustible areas of your home.
Yes.Please refer to the Wildland Urban Interface Compliance Checklist, available under the Residential Code Handouts Section of our web page: Code Handouts & Policies | Placer County, CA
You may also refer to California Residential Code Section R337, California Building Code Chapter 7A, and Placer County’s locally adopted amendments in PCC 15.04.270.Placer County Code may be found here: Placer County, CA Table of Contents
Insurance companies use risk models, which differ from hazard models, because they consider the susceptibility of a structure to damage from fire and other short-term factors that are not included in hazard modeling. It is unlikely that insurance risk models specifically call out CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones as a factor, but much of the same data that is used in the fire hazard severity zone model is likely included in the insurance companies’ risk models. However, insurance risk models incorporate many additional factors and factors that change more frequently than those that CAL FIRE includes in its hazard mapping, which is built to remain steady for the next 10+ years.
