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San Carlos moves to adopt CalFire’s updated local fire‑hazard severity maps; council introduces ordinance
Summary
Deputy Fire Chief Greg Dunia and Fire Marshal Janice Chung briefed the council on updated CalFire Local Responsibility Area (LRA) hazard‑severity maps, noting the city no longer has areas mapped as 'very high' and that new high and moderate designations bring disclosure and building code implications; council unanimously introduced an ordinance to adopt the maps.
San Carlos fire officials briefed the City Council on May 27 on CalFire’s updated Local Responsibility Area (LRA) fire‑hazard severity maps and the city introduced an ordinance to adopt those maps as required by state law.
Deputy Fire Chief Greg Dunia summarized the legal requirement under Assembly Bill 211 and Government Code section 51179, noting the city received CalFire’s maps on Feb. 24 and has 120 days to adopt the local ordinance. Fire Marshal Janice Chung described technical changes in the new mapping and why they matter to the city’s planning and public‑safety work.
“These maps identify areas within our city that face moderate, high, or very high wildfire hazards and support California’s statewide wildfire resilience efforts,” Chung said, explaining the new maps use higher‑resolution modeling (including ember‑cast and burn‑probability tools) than maps from 2007.
Chung told the council that, under the new statewide maps, most parcels that had been classified as very‑high hazard have been reclassified as high or moderate hazard severity. She said the changes still trigger statutory actions: real‑estate disclosure requirements remain for high‑hazard parcels and new home‑hardening standards (chapter 7A) will apply to new construction in high hazard zones beginning with the 2026 code cycle.
Council members asked whether insurance markets would respond favorably to the downgrades and whether the city has an avenue to submit map challenges or comments to CalFire. The fire‑marshals said insurance decisions are outside the city’s authority but that insurers routinely incorporate such data; the council can submit comments and proposals to CalFire where the state’s process allows.
Council action: Council member Dugan moved and the council seconded a motion to introduce Ordinance No. 1624, which retitles and amends the municipal code section to designate LRA hazard severity zones in conformance with CalFire recommendations; the motion passed unanimously on roll call.
Next steps: If the ordinance is adopted in a subsequent meeting, staff will file the approved map with the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection within 30 days as required by state statute. Staff also agreed to add the CalFire side‑by‑side map link to the city’s wildfire preparedness web page and to increase public outreach to allow residents to check their parcel status and consider steps like contacting insurers if desired.
