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Clearlake council adopts first reading of ordinance designating local fire-hazard severity zones
Summary
The Clearlake City Council approved first reading of Ordinance No. 281-2025, adopting the state-mapped local responsibility-area fire hazard severity designations (with a parcel-level consolidation for clarity) and scheduling a second reading and final adoption in June.
The Clearlake City Council on first reading approved Ordinance No. 281-2025 to adopt state-prepared fire hazard severity maps for the city——————————————————————————————————————————————— (local responsibility area) on a parcel-by-parcel basis, after a public hearing and discussion Tuesday night. The vote was unanimous.
City Manager Flora told the council the state fire marshal produced maps that identify moderate, high and very high fire hazard severity zones and that state law requires local adoption within 120 days of receiving the maps. Flora said the city—s staff recommendation is to adopt a map that assigns a single, highest-severity designation to each parcel to avoid confusion where state map polygons cross parcel boundaries. "A local agency may only increase the level of fire hazard severity as identified by the state fire marshal; none of the designations can be decreased," Flora said during the presentation.
The ordinance will subject development in newly designated high and very-high zones to California building-code and wildland-urban-interface requirements the state already enforces in state responsibility areas, including standards for roof coverings, vents, defensible space, road width and water supply for new construction. Flora told the council that the city and the local fire marshal plan to apply existing thresholds (for example, the "50% rule" for substantial remodels) when determining whether retrofits are required for work on existing buildings.
Several residents and speakers urged clarity and appealed for outreach. Frank Costner, a local water-district representative, asked whether local programs such as Firewise community efforts or free inspections by the local fire marshal could reduce parcel ratings; staff replied the maps come from the state and that Firewise measures and free inspections may help residents with insurance or mitigation but do not permit lowering a state-assigned severity designation.
Vice Mayor Slotin spoke during deliberations and said the council had little discretion under state law but should send a message to state representatives. Mayor Kramer and other council members supported adopting the parcel-consolidated map and requested staff send comments to state legislators. The council set the second reading for the ordinance on June 5; staff said the ordinance would be transmitted to the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection after adoption.
The ordinance's practical effects include: - New-construction and substantial remodel projects in affected parcels will be reviewed for wildland-urban-interface building standards. - Owners should expect changes to real-estate disclosures and possible implications for insurance underwriting.
Council members and staff urged residents to use available mitigation resources such as free local fire-marshal inspections and Firewise programs. No changes to the state maps that reduce a parcel's severity were available under the law discussed in the meeting.
The council's first-reading vote was unanimous; the second reading and final adoption are scheduled for the June 5 Clearlake City Council meeting.
