Board advances 'Zone 0' rulemaking as pilots show high per‑home hardening costs

The California Board of Forestry and state wildfire agencies told lawmakers the board is preparing formal regulations to require an ember‑resistant ‘‘Zone 0’’—the first five feet around homes—and that state pilots to retrofit at‑risk houses are producing high per‑home costs but promising benefits.

Dan Stapleton of the Board of Forestry described draft Zone 0 guidance being developed under statute and an executive order. The board’s proposed rule defines Zone 0 as the first five feet around a structure and would bar combustible landscaping and materials there; the draft allows small potted plants (currently proposed at a five‑gallon maximum) and places limits on tree placement and peninsulas of combustible vegetation. Stapleton said parallel or attached fences must be noncombustible on replacement and outbuildings would need to meet State Fire Marshal 7A standards. The board plans additional public workshops, a formal rulemaking package later this year and a regulatory effective schedule that…