What is a fire hazard severity zone?

It's CAL FIRE's rating of the wildfire hazard of an area of land, as Moderate, High or Very High, based on vegetation, terrain, fire weather, fire history, flame length, burn probability and ember cast. The rating decides which state wildfire rules apply, like defensible space, building code and sale disclosures.

How do I find out if my house is in a fire hazard zone?

Enter your address on RF1's fire zone map or the State Fire Marshal's FHSZ viewer. A brush clearance notice from your fire department also means you're in an inspected zone, and the Natural Hazard Disclosure statement shows the zone when a home sells.

Did the fire zone maps change in Los Angeles?

Yes. The State Fire Marshal issued new local maps for LA County on March 24, 2025, and cities and the county had to adopt them without lowering any zone. LAFD estimated 15,000 to 20,000 more City of LA properties landed in the Very High zone, and those homes were first inspected starting May 1, 2026.

What's the difference between SRA and LRA?

State Responsibility Areas are where the state is responsible for wildland fire protection, mostly hills and open land. Local Responsibility Areas are protected by cities and counties. In LA County, the county fire department protects state areas under contract with CAL FIRE.

What does living in a Very High fire hazard severity zone mean?

Yearly defensible space inspections (100 feet under state law, 200 feet in the City of LA), the wildfire building code for new work and rebuilds, AB 38 disclosures and documentation when you sell, and Zone 0 once the state rule takes effect.

Does my fire zone affect my home insurance?

Your zone isn't your insurance score. Insurers use their own wildfire risk scores, and California rules let you ask for yours and appeal it. Hardening your home can also earn discounts under California's Safer from Wildfires rules. See non-renewal help.

Can I appeal my fire hazard zone?

Local agencies can't lower a zone the state recommends, but you can ask whether your parcel is mapped correctly. LA County Fire holds referee hearings each February for owners who think a parcel shouldn't be inspected. In other cities, ask your fire department.

Fire hazard severity zones

Fire hazard severity zones in LA, explained.

CAL FIRE rates every part of California as Moderate, High or Very High fire hazard, and LA's local maps changed in 2025. Here's how to check your zone, what each level means, and which rules it turns on for your home.

What fire zone is your home in?

Enter your address to see your CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zone and the state rules at your exact spot. Free, with no login.

Or read the short answer·book a free assessment

Updated November 10, 2026

March 24, 2025

The State Fire Marshal issued LA County's new local fire zone maps. They're typically updated about every ten years.

15,000 to 20,000

Properties LAFD estimates were added to the City of LA's Very High zone. Their first brush inspections began May 1, 2026.

3,535

Homes destroyed in the Eaton Fire that sit outside any fire hazard zone on the new local maps, per IBHS. A zone rates the land, not your house.

The short answer

Check your zone, then read the rules.

A fire hazard severity zone (FHSZ) is CAL FIRE's rating of the wildfire hazard of an area of land: Moderate, High or Very High. LA County Fire describes the inputs as vegetation, topography, worst case weather, fire history, predicted flame lengths, burn probability and ember cast. It rates the land around you, not how well your house would hold up.

Your zone decides which state rules reach your home: yearly defensible space inspections, the wildfire building code for new work, and disclosures when you sell. Your city can add stricter rules on top, like LA's 200-foot brush clearance in its Very High zone.

Look up your address

Use RF1's fire zone map. It reads CAL FIRE's zone layers and lists the state rules at your exact spot. You can also use the State Fire Marshal's own FHSZ viewer.

Note your level and area type

Moderate, High or Very High, and whether you're in a state responsibility area (SRA) or a local one (LRA). Both change the rules.

Read what it triggers

Use the table below, then check your city's own ordinance. Cities and counties can be stricter than the state.

Start with the cheap fixes

Clear dead plants and the first 5 feet, then look at vents and gutters. Our home hardening guide for Los Angeles has the order.

What the zones mean

Moderate, High, Very High. What changes between them.

Since a 2021 state law (SB 63), local maps show all three levels, not only Very High. The rules that come with each level depend on whether your land is a local or state responsibility area. Here are the state minimums.

State rules by fire hazard severity zone and area type
Zone	In a local area (LRA, most of LA)	In a state area (SRA)
Very High	100 feet of defensible space, checked by your fire department. Wildfire building code for new buildings and rebuilds. AB 38 disclosures and defensible space documentation at sale. Zone 0 once the state rule takes effect.	100 feet of defensible space under PRC 4291. Wildfire building code for new work. AB 38 at sale. Zone 0 once in effect.
High	Wildfire building code for new buildings and rebuilds (extended to local High zones by a 2025 State Fire Marshal emergency rule). AB 38 at sale. The state 100-foot rule doesn't apply, but your city's clearance rules may.	100 feet of defensible space. Wildfire building code for new work. AB 38 at sale. Zone 0 once in effect.
Moderate	No state wildfire construction or clearance rules. Your city can still add its own.	100 feet of defensible space and the wildfire building code for new work still apply in every state-area zone. Zone 0 once in effect. No AB 38 sale requirements.

State minimums from PRC 4291, Government Code 51182, the 2025 California WUI Code and Civil Code 1102.6f and 1102.19. Zone 0 (the first 5 feet) is not in force yet. Existing homes don't have to retrofit to the building code unless they rebuild or add on.

State vs local areas

SRA or LRA: who's responsible for your land.

State Responsibility Areas (SRA) are where the state is responsible for wildland fire protection, mostly hills and open land outside cities. Local Responsibility Areas (LRA) are protected by cities and counties, which covers most of the LA basin and foothill cities.

Los Angeles County is one of six contract counties (with Kern, Marin, Orange, Santa Barbara and Ventura) where the county fire department protects state areas under contract with CAL FIRE. So in LA, inspections in state areas generally come from LA County Fire.

The two maps update on different schedules. The current state-area map took effect April 1, 2024. Local maps are recommended by the State Fire Marshal and then adopted by each city and the county.

What changed in 2025

LA's fire zones grew. Here's what that means.

New maps, March 24, 2025: The State Fire Marshal issued recommended local maps for LA County, rated Moderate, High and Very High using current data on fuels, fire history, weather and terrain.
Cities can't shrink them: Under Government Code 51179, a city or county can raise a zone or add land, but can't lower what the state recommends. Each had 120 days to adopt the maps by ordinance. LA County held its public hearing July 22, 2025.
More City of LA homes inspected: LAFD estimated 15,000 to 20,000 more properties landed in the City's Very High zone. Those homes got their first brush clearance inspections starting May 1, 2026.
First-time notices: LA County Fire now uses GIS to find every parcel in a zone, so some homes got notices for the first time. Because embers travel, homes in built-up neighborhoods with no open land next door can still be inspected.
Outside a zone isn't safe: IBHS found 3,535 homes destroyed in the Eaton Fire sit outside any zone on the new local maps. Outside a zone, state rules don't reach you, but embers still can.

What your zone triggers

Five things your zone turns on.

Yearly brush inspections: Very High zones and state areas get checked for defensible space each spring. The City of LA requires clearance out to 200 feet. See what inspectors check and brush clearance help.
The wildfire building code: New buildings, rebuilds and additions in covered zones follow the 2025 California WUI Code: ember-resistant vents, Class A roofs, tempered glass and more. Existing homes don't have to retrofit. See ember-resistant vents and home hardening.
Disclosures when you sell: In High and Very High zones the Natural Hazard Disclosure statement flags your zone, sellers of pre-2010 homes disclose fire hardening items like vents with openings over 1/8 inch, and sellers provide defensible space documentation where it applies. See AB 38 help for sellers.
Zone 0, when it arrives: The state's 5-foot ember-resistant zone will apply in state areas and local Very High zones once the Board of Forestry's rules take effect. It isn't in force yet. See the Zone 0 law.
Your insurance: Insurers use their own wildfire risk scores, not just the state map, and California rules let you ask for your score and appeal it. See non-renewal help.

How to check

Three ways to look up your zone.

RF1's fire zone map: Check your address. It reads CAL FIRE's zone layers and lists the state rules at that point. Free, no login.
The State Fire Marshal's viewer: The official FHSZ maps and viewer show state and local zones. The display map is for viewing; the adopted maps are the legal record.
Your notice or disclosure: A brush clearance notice means your fire department inspects your parcel. Buyers see the zone on the Natural Hazard Disclosure statement. City of LA owners can check parcel status in LAFD's FIMS portal.

Think your parcel is in the wrong zone? LA County Fire holds referee hearings each February where owners can contest whether a parcel is in a zone. Elsewhere, start with your city's fire department.

How RF1 helps

We read the map, then walk the house.

An RF1 assessment starts with your zone and the rules that come with it, then looks at what the map can't see: vents, gutters, the first 5 feet, fences and what's stacked against the walls. You get a ranked plan, coordinated work by vetted crews, and the documentation inspectors, buyers and insurers ask for. We serve Pasadena, Altadena, La Cañada Flintridge, the LA foothills and across Southern California.

Book a free assessment

Questions

Fire zone questions we hear most.

What is a fire hazard severity zone?: It's CAL FIRE's rating of the wildfire hazard of an area of land, as Moderate, High or Very High, based on vegetation, terrain, fire weather, fire history, flame length, burn probability and ember cast. The rating decides which state wildfire rules apply, like defensible space, building code and sale disclosures.
How do I find out if my house is in a fire hazard zone?: Enter your address on RF1's fire zone map or the State Fire Marshal's FHSZ viewer. A brush clearance notice from your fire department also means you're in an inspected zone, and the Natural Hazard Disclosure statement shows the zone when a home sells.
Did the fire zone maps change in Los Angeles?: Yes. The State Fire Marshal issued new local maps for LA County on March 24, 2025, and cities and the county had to adopt them without lowering any zone. LAFD estimated 15,000 to 20,000 more City of LA properties landed in the Very High zone, and those homes were first inspected starting May 1, 2026.
What's the difference between SRA and LRA?: State Responsibility Areas are where the state is responsible for wildland fire protection, mostly hills and open land. Local Responsibility Areas are protected by cities and counties. In LA County, the county fire department protects state areas under contract with CAL FIRE.
What does living in a Very High fire hazard severity zone mean?: Yearly defensible space inspections (100 feet under state law, 200 feet in the City of LA), the wildfire building code for new work and rebuilds, AB 38 disclosures and documentation when you sell, and Zone 0 once the state rule takes effect.
Does my fire zone affect my home insurance?: Your zone isn't your insurance score. Insurers use their own wildfire risk scores, and California rules let you ask for yours and appeal it. Hardening your home can also earn discounts under California's Safer from Wildfires rules. See non-renewal help.
Can I appeal my fire hazard zone?: Local agencies can't lower a zone the state recommends, but you can ask whether your parcel is mapped correctly. LA County Fire holds referee hearings each February for owners who think a parcel shouldn't be inspected. In other cities, ask your fire department.

Keep going

Check your address on the fire zone mapSee your zone and the state rules at your spot Defensible space inspections in LAWho inspects, when, and the checklist they use Home hardening in Los AngelesThe order of work, costs and who inspects Zone 0 lawThe 5-foot rule and where it stands AB 38 help for sellersDisclosures and inspections when you sell Brush clearance in Los AngelesGot a notice? Fees, deadlines and help

Sources

Facts checked November 10, 2026. State rules shown are minimums. Cities and counties can be stricter, so check your local ordinance.

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