Tighter Fire Rules Are Coming to Your First Five Feet

Interactive statewide maps from Cal Fire can help you determine whether your home is in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Check your address on the state’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone map.

If your home is designated to be in a Very High Fire area, Zone 0 regulations will apply (eventually).

What Zone 0 covers

Zone 0 is the first five feet around your home. The requirements concern vegetation, combustible mulch, materials under and next to decks, and other combustible items immediately adjacent to the house. Think bark and wood mulch, firewood stacked against the wall, plants and storage under the deck, and wood fencing that attaches to the house.

When it takes effect

The State Board of Forestry adopted emergency Zone 0 regulations in August. For existing homes, the rules provide a phase-in period for clearing the first five feet around your home.

Who will enforce it

The local fire departments lack the resources to inspect the hundreds of thousands of homes in question, so I imagine enforcement will be left up to the insurance carriers.

If you’re selling a home in a Very High zone, expect buyers and their insurers to ask about it. Call me…

Originally published in The Trusted Advisor, October 2026.