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Board adopts fire-hazard severity zone ordinance; zones to guide building and planning rules
Summary
Supervisors adopted an ordinance designating fire-hazard severity zones in county responsibility areas, formally accepting state-drafted maps that the county must integrate into planning and building standards for wildfire-prone areas.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on May 6 adopted an ordinance accepting fire-hazard severity zones developed by state authorities for local responsibility and state responsibility areas within the county.
Jeff Adair of the Office of Emergency Services told the board the state-developed maps identify areas'and the projected fire behavior'that have higher probability of burning under extreme weather and fuels conditions. The board has 120 days after transmittal to adopt the maps by ordinance; the county's deadline falls on June 24. The ordinance allows the county to accept state maps but not to reduce mapped hazard levels; the county may elect to increase a locally identified hazard level.
Adoption brings several practical effects: areas designated as higher fire-hazard severity would be eligible to apply California Building Code Chapter 7A building standards (construction requirements for wildfire exposure), may trigger defensible-space and access rules, and can inform planning, road and water-supply standards for new development. The county must transmit its adopted ordinance and required documentation to the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection within 30 days of adoption.
Why it matters: The zones are intended to enhance life-safety and property protection by clarifying where higher construction and vegetation management standards apply. County staff said the ordinance does not itself levy fees or require immediate retrofits; it provides a mapping tool that will be used alongside building and planning rules.
Board action: Supervisors voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance and directed staff to transmit the ordinance and related documents to the State Board of Forestry.
Ending: Staff and OES will continue community outreach about how the mapping will affect permitting and real-estate disclosures, and will return with guidance on compliance standards.
