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San Rafael council introduces ordinance to adopt state fire hazard severity maps
Summary
San Rafael City Council on May 5 introduced an ordinance to designate CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zones and local responsibility areas, a step staff said would add "high" hazard designations to parts of the city and make roughly 2,000 properties eligible for residential resale inspections if sold.
San RafaelCity Council on May 5 introduced an ordinance to designate state-mapped fire hazard severity zones and local responsibility areas, a move staff said would bring "high" hazard designations to parts of the city and make about 2,000 properties eligible for residential resale inspections if owners choose to sell.
Kate Anderson, a San Rafael Fire Department staff member presenting the maps, told the council that the maps were created by CAL FIRE and "identify levels of fire hazard and not risk," and that the maps are intended as a long-term planning tool rather than a short-term measure of insurance exposure.
The maps classify areas as very high, high, and moderate hazard; San Rafael contains moderate areas and a limited amount of high hazard near the Terra Linda/Sleepy Hollow divide, Anderson said. She told the council the city reviewed the draft maps and at this time is not requesting changes, and that the cityalready has citywide defensible-space requirements separate from the state mapping.
Council members asked how the maps differ from risk assessments and whether the absence of any "very high" designations reflected a change. Anderson and staff explained CAL FIREmaps hazards based on vegetation, topography, fire history, ember spread and other long-term factors; the cityhas not previously had very-high local designations and the current state mapping requirement was expanded this year to include moderate and high zones for local responsibility areas.
Staff also warned that the state is developing so-called "Zone 0" regulations to address home-hardening and vegetation near structures, and the content and timing of those regulations remain uncertain; staff said San Rafael could request changes to the state map only to elevate areas to a higher hazard category but has not done so.
Vice Mayor Bushey moved to introduce the ordinance and waive further reading; the motion was seconded and carried on a 4-0 roll call. Mayor Kate, Vice Mayor Bushey, Council Member Hill and Council Member Edna Scholati voted aye. The council may consider adopting the ordinance at its May 19 meeting, staff said.
Why it matters: the designations affect which parcels are identified in state hazard planning and which properties are eligible for expanded inspection or building-code measures tied to hazard zones. City staff emphasized that the maps are a planning tool and do not themselves alter property insurance models.
