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Rancho Santa Margarita City Council introduces ordinance adopting state fire-hazard maps
Summary
The council unanimously approved introduction (first reading) of an ordinance adopting CAL FIRE/Office of the State Fire Marshal fire hazard severity zone maps for the city's local responsibility area; staff said the maps affect building standards and disclosures but do not directly set insurance rates.
Rancho Santa Margarita's City Council voted unanimously on a motion to introduce for first reading and waive further reading of an ordinance adopting the fire hazard severity zone maps recommended by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
City staff said the state-provided maps, delivered to local jurisdictions March 24 and posted for public review April 1, designate "very high," "high," and "moderate" hazard severity zones and together cover about 70% of the city. The maps are tied to statewide criteria and, if adopted, will be submitted to the Office of the State Fire Marshal as required by government code. Staff told the council the maps are used to apply building standards (the state's "7A" construction provisions) and real-estate disclosure rules for homes in designated zones.
"These maps are prepared by the office of the state fire marshal based on statewide criteria," staff said, adding that the state model sometimes results in adjacent parcels having different designations. Staff also said local jurisdictions may only increase a recommended level of hazard severity for a property and may not decrease a recommendation from the state.
During council discussion, members asked whether adoption would change how the city maintains its own property (staff: no, the city already follows high standards for vegetation clearance and defensible space) and whether local fire personnel participated in the map'making (staff: the maps come from the OSFM model, not local drafting). Council members acknowledged that the maps measure hazard, while insurers assess risk; staff encouraged residents to provide mitigation information to their insurers and noted the California Insurance Commissioner's Office is working on measures to account for mitigation when pricing policies.
Public commenters raised concerns about what the maps mean for homeowners and homeowners associations. A resident who represents an HOA said premiums had risen sharply for his community and asked whether the maps could be arbitrary; staff directed residents to linked state resources and offered to connect them with OCFA and the Insurance Commissioner's Office for more detail.
The ordinance was introduced by motion and will return for a second reading on July 9. Staff said the city must submit the adopted ordinance to the Office of the State Fire Marshal per state law and noted the maps were made available online for comment. No formal appeal process to reduce a state-recommended designation was described.
