The "Bates Bill" (AB 337) was created after the deadly Oakland Hills Fire in 1991 to help prevent similar fires in the future. The law requires CAL FIRE (California's fire protection agency) to assess fire risks in certain areas and identify places that are at high risk for fires. New legislation, Senate Bill 63, now requires the adoption of all three Fire Hazard Severity Zone classes in the Local Responsibility Area. Previously only Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones were required for adoption in Local Responsibility Areas. This new legislation requires the City of Roseville to adopt a resolution defining the Moderate, High, and Very High Hazard Severity Zones.
Government Code section 51179 requires a local agency to designate, by ordinance, moderate, high, and very high FHSZ within 120 days of receiving the identified FHSZ's from the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Section 51178. The City of Roseville received the local designations from the State Fire Marshal on February 10, 2025. The law does NOT allow for a local jurisdiction to request changes or provide comments to the State Fire Marshal on the FHSZ designations. However, a local agency may choose to increase the designation of a FHSZ from the FHSZ identified by the State Fire Marshal, or designate areas as having a FHSZ that were not designated in a FHSZ by the State Fire Marshal. A local agency is not allowed to reduce the designation of a FHSZ classification from the State Fire Marshal (i.e. a local agency cannot make an area designated as High by the State Fire Marshal, Moderate in its adopted ordinance).
The following frequently asked questions identified by an * are reproduced from the CAL FIRE website.
* What is a Fire Hazard Severity Zone?
The State Fire Marshal shall classify lands within State Responsibility Areas into Fire Hazard Severity Zones. They identify areas in the State as Moderate, High, and Very High Hazard Severity Zones based on consistent statewide criteria and the severity of the fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas. - CA GOV 51178
* How are Fire Hazard Severity Zones determined?
CAL FIRE used the best available science and data to develop, and field test a model that served as the basis of zone assignments. The model evaluated the probability of the area burning and potential fire behavior in the area. Many factors were included such as fire history, vegetation, flame length, blowing embers, proximity to wildland, terrain, and weather.
* What do Fire Hazard Severity Zones measure?
The maps evaluate "Hazard", not "Risk". Hazard is based on physical conditions that create expected fire behavior over a 50-year period without considering short-term modifications. Risk is the potential damage a fire can do to the area under existing conditions, including fuel reduction projects, defensible space, and ignition resistant building construction. -osfm.fire.ca.gov/fhsz
* Why haven’t Moderate and High Fire Hazard Severity Zone classes been classified before in
the Local Responsibility Area?
New legislation, Senate Bill 63 (Stern, 2021), now requires the adoption of all
three Fire Hazard Severity Zone classes in the Local Responsibility Area. Previously only
Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones were required for adoption in Local Responsibility
Areas.
* Will the new Fire Hazard Severity Zones affect my ability to get or maintain insurance?
Insurance companies use risk models, which differ from hazard models, because they consider the susceptibility of a structure to damage from fire and other short-term factors that are not included in hazard modeling. It is unlikely that insurance risk models would utilize CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones as a factor, but much of the same data that is used in the Fire Hazard Severity Zone model are likely included in the insurance companies’ risk models. However, insurance risk models incorporate many additional factors and that change more frequently than those that CAL FIRE includes in its hazard mapping, which is built to remain steady for the next 10+ years.
How can I search the Fire Hazard Severity Zone of an address?
You can search by address to find your current designation HERE.
Additional information regarding the FHSZ's can be found on the CAL FIRE website.
Questions, comments, or concerns regarding the Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Roseville can be directed to the Roseville Fire Department at [email protected].