Overview

• Sellers of pre-2010 houses in designated high and very high wildfire hazard zones must now disclose specific risks and any mitigation work completed.
• Required disclosures include hazards such as wood-shingle or other combustible roofs, uncovered vents, single-pane windows, and vegetation within five feet of structures.
• Homeowners must provide defensible-space documentation, typically via a local fire-department inspection, or buyers can agree to obtain it after closing.
• Insurers and fire officials say carriers will favor properties that show risk reduction, making proof of home hardening increasingly important to completing a sale.
• Researchers report that risk disclosures tend to lower prices for higher-risk homes and raise premiums for safer ones; the rule covers a large market with roughly 91% of California homes built before 2010 and about 2 million dwellings in high-risk areas, with broader enforcement of ember-resistant zones set to begin in 2029.