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Dana Point council introduces ordinance adopting CAL FIRE fire-hazard severity map
Summary
The Dana Point City Council introduced an ordinance on April 15 to adopt updated CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zone maps and align the city code with state wildfire-building rules; staff said the change will expand areas subject to Chapter 7A home-hardening requirements and will be enforced when the 2025 California Building Code is adopted.
The Dana Point City Council on April 15 introduced an ordinance to amend the city code and adopt CAL FIREfire hazard severity zone maps, a first reading that moves the measure toward formal adoption.
The ordinance would amend Dana Point Municipal Code Chapter 8.42.010 to incorporate CAL FIREdesignations of moderate, high and very high fire hazard severity zones and trigger state building-code requirements in affected areas. Jess McCloskey, the citybuilding official, told the council that the maps "evaluate hazard not risk" and are used "for planning, enforcing building codes, and developing wildfire risk mitigation strategies." McCloskey recommended the council hold the first reading and introduce the ordinance.
Why it matters: under the state model described by staff, areas newly designated as "high" or "very high" will be subject to home-hardening and defensible-space measures tied to Chapter 7A of the California Building Code. McCloskey told the council that homeowners in very high zones must comply with stricter defensible-space and home-hardening requirements and that sellers must disclose zone designations during real-estate transactions. Staff said local agencies must adopt the maps by ordinance by July 20.
Council members asked staff about likely effects on building costs and renovations. Mayor Pro Tem Tim Gabbard asked whether staff had analyzed how Chapter 7A would increase building costs; McCloskey said the city had not prepared a cost study and offered to provide a report showing the typical cost impacts of home hardening. Council Member Frost asked how renovations would be handled; McCloskey said Chapter 7A requirements apply to new construction and to the portion of a structure that is altered (for example, reroofing would trigger a class-1 fire-rated roof requirement, and replacement windows would need double-pane or tempered glass when replaced).
Action: the council moved and approved the staff recommendation to introduce the ordinance (first reading). Staff said the city must submit adoption documents to the Board of Forestry within 30 days after formal adoption and that the new state building-code cycle (2025 codes) will bring the Chapter 7A enforcement changes into effect.
Background and next steps: staff said the updated maps were provided by CAL FIRE in March and that the city performed outreach (website, social media, press release and local news). McCloskey said the maps shift some areas from the prior ember-zone designations to high/very-high categories and that the change is intended to reflect potential fire behavior over multiple decades. The council directed staff to return with additional analysis of cost implications for property owners and to include the ordinance on a future agenda for final adoption.
