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Crescent City adopts state-required fire-hazard map; council says it does not yet change regulations
Summary
Council unanimously adopted Ordinance No. 855 adopting the local responsibility area fire hazard severity zones map; staff said the map identifies moderate hazard areas and that adoption is a compliance step that does not immediately change building or planning rules.
The Crescent City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance No. 855 on May 5, formally accepting the local responsibility area (LRA) fire hazard severity map required by the state fire marshal.
City Attorney Martha Rice explained the purpose and limits of the map: the state fire marshal identified lands with moderate, high or very high fire hazard based on physical conditions and expected behavior over a 30-to-50-year period, and "hazard determinations do not include mitigation measures such as home hardening, recent wildfires, or fuel reduction efforts," Rice said. She noted the city may increase hazard severity for parcel-level determinations but cannot decrease the map's designation.
Staff reported Crescent City has only limited areas classified as 'moderate' on the outskirts in heavily wooded areas, and that adopting the map is a statutory compliance step requiring submission of the ordinance to Cal Fire within 30 days. "It doesn't really change anything else," Rice told the council, adding that adoption is primarily informational to notify residents about slightly increased fire risk in those zones.
The council waived full reading and adopted the ordinance by unanimous recorded vote. Staff said the designation will be filed with Cal Fire and that subsequent planning or building rule changes would be treated separately and require follow-up action by the council.
