Is California's Zone 0 rule law yet? (Updated July 26, 2026)

As of July 26, 2026, California's statewide Zone 0 regulation; the rule governing the first 5 feet around structures, including combustible fences; is still a draft. The Board of Forestry's latest draft was released April 17, 2026, and emphasizes education and outreach with a phased, multi-year implementation. No statewide Zone 0 requirement is in effect yet. Some local governments, including the City of San Diego, have adopted their own Zone 0 ordinances ahead of the state.

What Zone 0 is

Zone 0, also called the "ember-resistant zone," is the area within 5 feet of a structure (measured horizontally from exterior walls, decks, and attachments). It is the newest addition to California's defensible-space framework (Zones 1 and 2 cover 5–30 ft and 30–100 ft).

Created by AB 3074 (2020); timeline modified by SB 504 (2024), AB 1455 (2025), and Executive Order N-18-25, which set a December 31, 2025 deadline for the Board of Forestry to adopt regulations. That deadline passed without adoption.

Status as of July 26, 2026: latest draft released April 17, 2026, still in the rulemaking process; presented again June 16, 2026, on the July 2026 board agenda, no OAL formal notice yet. The current draft includes a phased-in implementation approach that prioritizes education and outreach over a five-year period. Source: California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force, https://wildfiretaskforce.org/california-board-of-forestry-and-fire-protection-releases-draft-of-zone-zero-defensible-space-regulations/ (published May 11, 2026, modified June 15, 2026).

The fence-specific draft language

Draft text from Title 14 CCR (LRA track, proposed §1298.04(b); the SRA track at §1299.03(d) carries identical language with "Building or Structure" in place of "Occupied Structure"):

(8) Combustible fences and gates shall not be attached to an Occupied Structure. (9) All fences and gates that are attached to an Occupied Structure, or come within one (1) foot of contact with an Occupied Structure, shall have a five (5) foot non-Combustible span from the point of attachment or the point closest to the Occupied Structure. After the effective date of this regulation, no new Combustible fences or gates are permitted within five (5) feet of an Occupied Structure. Fence repairs to an existing Combustible fence may be made using Combustible replacement materials.
  • • The 5-foot non-combustible requirement attaches at the point of attachment (or the point closest, for near-contact fences); it does not mean replacing an entire fence.
  • • The no-new-combustible rule only triggers "after the effective date of this regulation," which has not occurred yet; this is not in force statewide today.
  • • Repairs to an existing combustible fence using combustible materials are expressly permitted under the current draft.
  • • Fences fall into the later compliance phase: existing structures get 3–5 years (LRA) or up to 5 years (SRA), on a timeline set locally; not immediate.
  • • Scope limit, worth stating plainly: in LRA cities, the draft as written applies only to Very High FHSZ parcels. High and Moderate LRA parcels are outside the state draft's scope as written (though local jurisdictions can and do go further; see the ordinance list below). In SRA, the rule applies per PRC 4291 more broadly.

The maps that decide whether Zone 0 will apply to you

California classifies wildfire hazard through Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ): Moderate, High, Very High; mapped separately for State Responsibility Areas (SRA; current maps effective April 1, 2024) and Local Responsibility Areas (LRA; OSFM issued updated recommended maps in phases February–March 2025; Southern California counties on March 10 and March 24, 2025).

Under Government Code §51179, local agencies had 120 days to adopt the 2025 LRA maps by ordinance, and may add or increase zones but cannot reduce them below the state recommendation (§51179(b)(3), as cited by the City of Fillmore: https://www.fillmoreca.gov/1339/Fire-Hazard-Severity-Zones-and-CAL-Fire-).

Local adoptions verified in our service area

VCFD-specific detail: if a parcel spans two zones, the highest zone applies to the entire parcel (VCFD Administrative Ruling 26-804).

Check your own parcel: CAL FIRE FHSZ page + parcel viewer: https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/community-wildfire-preparedness-and-mitigation/fire-hazard-severity-zones

Insurance note: California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a consumer alert stating CAL FIRE hazard maps do not affect insurance rates or availability. (Source: the Commissioner's consumer alert.) Exact CDI URL: [NEEDS SOURCE; locate the Department of Insurance consumer alert URL before publish; referenced secondhand by the Camarillo and Fillmore city pages, not yet sourced directly]

San Diego: the city that moved first

Full treatment lives on the future /service-areas/san-diego/ page (not yet live).

San Diego Municipal Code §512.0604 ("Maintenance of Defensible Space," the SDWUI Code) was added January 29, 2026 by Ordinance O-22042, effective February 28, 2026. Codified text: https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter05/Ch05Art12Division06.pdf

Requirements apply to new structures permitted on/after Feb 28, 2026, and to existing structures one year later. The City's own guidance notes this is "subject to change at the discretion of the Fire Code Official." Guidance doc (Rev. 4/22/2026): https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/zone-0-guidelines-for-existing-structures.pdf

Accuracy note: the code text itself contains no fence-specific language; the existing-vinyl-fence exception (five conditions) appears only in the Fire-Rescue Department's guidelines, not the ordinance itself. The exception is attributable to the guidelines specifically.

Materials: non-combustible vs. Class A vs. ignition-resistant

These are different classifications: "non-combustible" is a material property (does not burn); "Class A" refers to flame-spread performance in standard tests (e.g., ASTM E84); "ignition-resistant" is a distinct regulatory category in the WUI codes. A Class A rating does not make a material non-combustible.

California's OSFM Building Materials Listing (BML) program lists WUI products in these categories: Decking, Exterior Windows, Exterior Sidings/Sheathings, Exterior Doors, Under Eave. No fencing category exists in the program.

Our own reasoning, stated transparently: we state each material's actual listing/certification exactly, and disclose our reasoning for applying it to fence and gate assemblies rather than implying a fence-specific approval the certifying program doesn't offer.

Current verified listings

As of July 26, 2026; both expire June 30, 2027; flag for re-verification before then.

Get one email when California finalizes the Zone 0 rule

No newsletter, no drip sequence; one email when the Board of Forestry adopts the regulation, with what changed.

Zone 0 information on this page reflects our understanding as of July 26, 2026; the regulation is in active rulemaking and may change. Verify current requirements with the Board of Forestry (bof.fire.ca.gov) or your local fire authority.