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California’s seasonally dry Mediterranean climate lends itself to wildfires, and in an effort to better prepare, CAL FIRE is required to classify the severity of fire hazard in areas of California.
What are Fire Hazard Severity Zones?
The State Fire Marshal is mandated to classify lands within State Responsibility Areas into Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ).
Fire Hazard Severity Zones fall into the following classifications:
- Moderate
- High
- Very High
The California laws that require Fire Hazard Severity Zones include California Public Resource code 4201-4204, California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 1280 and California Government Code 51175-89.
Explore Fire Hazard Severity Zones
The Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps are developed using a science-based and field-tested model that assigns a hazard score based on the factors that influence fire likelihood and fire behavior. Many factors are considered such as fire history, existing and potential fuel (natural vegetation), predicted flame length, blowing embers, terrain, and typical fire weather for the area. There are three levels of hazard in the State Responsibility Areas: moderate, high, and very high.
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 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.
FHSZ Viewer
You can enter your address to locate your property on a map showing Fire Hazard Severity Zones. 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: [email protected]
For more information on Fire Hazard Severity Zones, or to use the FHSZ Viewer click here.
