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Nevada County board waives first reading of ordinance adopting local responsibility area fire hazard severity zones
Summary
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to introduce and waive further reading on an ordinance that adopts fire hazard severity zone maps for the county's local responsibility area (LRA), a step county staff said will improve access to state grants and recognition on state fire-risk lists.
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors on July 8 voted to introduce and waive further reading on an ordinance adopting 2025 fire hazard severity zone maps for the county's local responsibility area.
Office of Emergency Services Director Alex Huebel Tull told the board the maps show probability of an area burning and that when lands are classified as local responsibility area (LRA), local governments, not the state, are responsible for fire protection there. He said the Office of the State Fire Marshal issues maps for LRA lands and that local agencies must designate zones by ordinance. "For Nevada County fire hazard severity zones in the local responsibility area, we have 6 parcels totaling 43 acres," Huebel Tull said, adding staff worked with CAL FIRE to identify those parcels.
Adoption of the maps will allow the county to apply to be included on the state board of forestry and fire protection's list of fire risk reduction communities, Huebel Tull said. Inclusion on that list "means that we meet best practices for local fire planning, which increases access to grant funds and is a mandatory factor that insurers must consider," he said. He also clarified the maps themselves are not used for insurance decisions and referred residents to insurance.california.gov for more information.
A member of the public raised a separate concern during public comment about the county's Community Development Agency drone program and potential property surveillance; the speaker asked the board to ensure any drone use does not become a mechanism for monitoring defensible-space compliance.
Supervisor Hardy moved to introduce and waive further reading on the ordinance; the motion passed on a roll call vote with the clerk reporting "yes" from each district. The board record shows all five district votes in favor.
The ordinance was introduced and the reading waived; the transcript indicates the matter will return under the county's ordinance process (no further effective dates or second-reading timing was specified in the meeting record).
