City Council Agenda Report
TO: Mayor Clauzel and Members of the City Council
FROM: Fernando Ulloa, City Manager
BY: Jeffrey Frye, Interim Fire Chief
MEETING DATE: May 20, 2025
ITEM NO: 7.1
SUBJECT: Approve First Reading and Introduction of Ordinance No. 882, Reading by Title only, Waiving Further Reading, an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Patterson, amending chapter 15.08 of the Patterson Municipal Code and adopting fire hazard severity zones as identified by the Office of the State Fire Marshal/Calfire.
RECOMMENDATION
Motion to Approve First Reading and Introduction of Ordinance No. 882, Reading by Title only, Waiving Further Reading, an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Patterson, amending chapter
15.08 of the Patterson Municipal Code and adopting fire hazard severity zones as identified by the
Office of the State Fire Marshal/Calfire.
BACKGROUND
The CA Office of the State Fire Marshal (OFSM) is mandated by Government Code Section 51178 to identify levels of fire hazard based on consistent statewide criteria and the expected severity of fire hazards in the Local Responsibility Area (LRA) as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones. LRA’s are incorporated cities, urban regions, agriculture lands, and portions of the desert where the local government is responsible for wildfire protection.
Furthermore, Government Code Section 51179 requires the OSFM to make recommendations of Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ) to local agencies for adoption by ordinance. Identification of FHSZ are be based on fuel loading, slope, fire weather, and other relevant factors including areas where winds have been identified by the OSFM as a major cause of wildfire spread. These zones are further broken down and classified as Moderate, High, and Very High. The establishment of LRA FHSZ was a result of the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire.
The OSFM has rolled out updated 2025 FHSZ maps across the state. The maps are based on new science, ember spread and local climate data. The modeling looks at the probability of an area burning and expected fire behavior under extreme fuel and weather conditions to identify the “Hazard” level in each geographical area.
Previous FHSZ maps had not included or affected any areas within Patterson city limits. The LRA FHSZ are identified in the map west of the Delta Mendota Canal to city limits at the north, south and west ends. Properties affected are on S. Rogers Road, Rogers Road, Speno Drive, Renzo Lane and portions of the future Interstate 5 Trade Center. These include General Commercial (GC), Light Industrial (LI) and Highway Service Commercial (HSC) land uses.
With the adoption of LRA FHSZ, property owners are required to make a natural hazard disclosure as part of a real estate transfer. Defensible space clearance of 100 feet and other wildland fire safety practices for buildings is required per CA Government Code Section 51182.
The design and construction of new buildings within the FHSZ will also be affected as provisions of Title 24 California Code of Regulations, California Building Code, Part 2, Chapter 7A - Materials and Construction Methods for Exterior Wildfire Exposure and California Fire Code, Chapter 49 - Requirements for Wildland-Urban Interface Areas will apply.
Government Code Section 51179 (b)(3) allows for a local agency to increase but not decrease the level of the LRA FHSZ recommended by the OSFM. No additions or increases in the LRA FHSZ are being recommended during this adoption process.
ANALYSIS
Staff is requesting approval from the City Council to adopt and codify by ordinance the LRA FHSZ map as identified by the OSFM. No additions or increase in area is recommended to the area identified by the OSFM during this adoption process.
FISCAL IMPACT
No impact.