CITY OF PACIFICA
COUNCIL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
5/27/2025
1 SUBJECT:
Introduction of Ordinance to adopt Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) for the Local Responsibility Area (LRA) Map for the City of Pacifica
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Introduce by title only and waive further reading of an ordinance adding a new Article 3, “Fire Hazard Severity Zones” within Chapter 3, “Fire Protection” to Title 4, “Public Safety” of the Pacifica Municipal Code to adopt the City of Pacifica Fire Hazard Severity Zones Map; and finding the ordinance exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3).
STAFF CONTACT:
Craig Wittner, Battalion Chief/ Fire Marshal, North County Fire Authority (650) 463-9766
[email protected]
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
The California State Legislature adopted Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ) into law, including a requirement that CAL FIRE, in coordination with the Office of the State Fire Marshal, identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones, utilizing a consistent statewide model based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas.
CAL FIRE and the Office of the State Fire Marshal over the years convened fire ecologists, fire engineers, climate scientists and other subject matter experts to analyze new science and climate data. The developed fire assessment modeling incorporated the best available science, data and field testing to determine the established fire hazard ratings statewide. The model evaluated the probability of the area burning and potential fire behavior.
Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps evaluate “hazard,” not “risk,” and are based on the physical conditions that create a likelihood and expected fire behavior over a 30 to 50-year period.
On February 24, 2025, CAL FIRE released the 2025 Local Responsibility Area (LRA) Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps. FHSZ areas within the City of Pacifica have been identified mostly as “Moderate” and “High” with some “Very High” within undeveloped areas.
Local government agencies are required to make the FHSZ maps available for public review and comment within 30 days of map release, which was completed. Additionally, local governments are mandated under Government Code 51179 to adopt by ordinance the designated and established Moderate, High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones within120 days of map release and transmit a copy of the ordinance to the Board of Forestry & Pacifica City Council 2
May 27, 2025
Fire Protection within 30 days of adoption.
The proposed ordinance would adopt the FHSZ maps.
The statewide Fire Hazard Severity Zones and mapping are intended to be updated every 5 years by CAL FIRE and the Office of the State Fire Marshal. After the mandatory adoption by local agencies of the established and identified maps, the FHSZ may be modified at any time.
However, as identified under government code section 51179, increasing a fire hazard severity zone requires substantial findings and evidence which must be entered into the record to support increasing a local area established fire hazard severity zone to very high. Fire Severity Zones cannot be decreased.
The established maps and identified Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone require implementation of building standards for new construction in the Wildland-Urban Interface under California Building Code Chapter 7A and are anticipated to be required within High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in 2026. Defensible Space compliance inspections and clearance are required for real estate transactions within the High and Very High FHSZ’s. Attachment C provides a chart that explains the standards required for each level of the fire hazard severity.
Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps are intended to drive local planning decisions, not insurance decisions. Insurance companies use their own sophisticated risk models to make decisions about property insurance.
RELATION TO CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND WORK PLAN:
Approval of the response is consistent with the following Council-adopted Goal:
• Goal 4: Pursue climate change adaptation and mitigation.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
This ordinance is not subject to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to section 15061(b)(3) as the activity is covered by the common sense exemption that CEQA applies to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None
ORIGINATED BY:
North County Fire Authority
ATTACHMENT LIST:
Attachment A: Proposed Ordinance (PDF)
Attachment B: LRA FHSZ Map (PDF)