Laguna Niguel council introduces ordinance adopting updated state wildfire hazard maps

Laguna Niguel — The City Council on May 20 introduced an ordinance to update the city’s fire hazard severity zone designations to match maps released this year by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), and voted 4-0 to waive full reading and send the ordinance to a future meeting for adoption.

Deputy Community Development Director John Morgan told the council the item “is the introduction of an ordinance, amending the city's municipal code to update designated fire hazard severity zones as required by state law.” The maps, issued by CAL FIRE in early 2025, now classify areas as Very High, High or Moderate fire hazard, and state law requires cities and counties to adopt those designations.

Why it matters: The designations change what rules apply to new construction, real-estate disclosures and vegetation management near structures. Under the Very High designation, Morgan said, properties are subject to “management of combustible vegetation within a hundred feet of habitable structures” and new buildings must comply with enhanced construction standards such as ignition-resistant roofs, vents, exterior walls and windows.

The ordinance implements updates required by state legislation, including Assembly Bill 337 (1992), which led to the original CAL FIRE mapping program, and more recent changes under Senate Bill 63 that require local adoption of Very High, High and Moderate designations instead of only Very High. Morgan summarized how CAL FIRE bases its classifications on fire-behavior modeling over a 50-year period and factors like vegetation, topography, past fire history and regional weather.

Council members asked how the new rules would affect existing homes and permit work. Morgan said the city’s building code uses a $50,000 threshold: alterations that increase building square footage or exceed that threshold may trigger the enhanced construction requirements (for example, tighter mesh on vents to reduce ember intrusion). He clarified that routine interior remodels such as a kitchen remodel would not automatically require the new construction standards.

Mayor Ray Genoway confirmed with staff that the city has no local discretion to reject the CAL FIRE map recommendations. John Morgan answered, “It's mandated by state law,” and the council proceeded to a motion. Mayor Pro Tem Johns moved to adopt staff’s recommendation to waive full reading and introduce the ordinance by title only; Councilmember Otto seconded. The motion carried 4-0 (Genoway, Johns, Otto, Winstead voting yes; Jennings absent).

Councilmembers and staff noted two local park properties newly designated Very High: Laguna Niguel Regional Park and Chaparosa Park. Morgan said the Moderate designation currently carries no state mandates for existing properties, while properties in High and Very High zones share new-construction and disclosure requirements. He also said cities and counties have 120 days from CAL FIRE’s map release to adopt the maps by ordinance.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to approve the consent calendar (mover: Councilmember Otto; second: Councilmember Winstead). Result: Approved 4-0. (See provenance below.) - Motion to waive full reading and introduce Ordinance No. 2025-235 (amending the Laguna Niguel Municipal Code to adopt CAL FIRE’s 2025 fire hazard severity zone map). Motion: moved by Mayor Pro Tem Johns; seconded by Councilmember Otto. Result: Introduced/first reading by title only; carried 4-0.

Next steps: Staff recommended the council place the ordinance on a subsequent meeting agenda for adoption. The staff report and presentation indicated the council’s action to introduce the ordinance begins a local adoption process required by state law; final adoption will be scheduled at a later meeting.

Meeting context: OCFA staff, including Fire Division Chief Mike Summers, attended the presentation and were available to answer questions. Community Development staff led the technical briefing and fielded council questions on how the designations affect permitting, vegetation management and real-estate disclosures.