California Expands Fire Hazard Zones by 168% with Finalized Statewide Maps

The updated maps, released on March 24, 2025, introduce stricter fire safety regulations and highlight the growing wildfire risks for 3.7 million residents.

• CalFire has completed its first update to local fire hazard severity maps since 2011, expanding high and very high hazard zones to 3,626 square miles.
• The maps now include 'moderate' and 'high' hazard zones, alongside 'very high' zones, increasing the total mapped area to 6.8 million acres.
• New regulations require fire-resistant building codes, defensible space maintenance, and real estate hazard disclosures in high-risk zones.
• Climate change, advanced modeling, and legal mandates are key drivers of the expanded hazard areas, reflecting a worsening wildfire crisis.
• Local jurisdictions have 120 days to gather public input and implement the maps, which exclude urban conflagration risks, limiting their predictive scope in densely populated areas.

5 Articles

Newsweek Los Angeles Times Orange County Register Deadline CalMatters