California Law — San Diego County property owners

The statutes, regulations, and designation systems that govern wildfire compliance — explained clearly.

California’s wildfire law framework has expanded significantly in the past five years. This section covers the primary state laws, the regional rules that determine who enforces what, and community-specific information for the communities where these laws have the most direct impact.

State laws & regulations

The primary California statutes governing defensible space, home hardening disclosure, real estate transactions, insurance, and building requirements in fire hazard areas.

Law PRC 4291 — Defensible Space The foundational defensible space law. 100 feet of clearance, three zones, who it applies to, and how it’s enforced. Read → Law AB 3074 — Zone 0 Ember-Resistant Zone Adds the 5-foot ember-resistant perimeter to PRC 4291. The zone where most homes are lost — and the most actively enforced new requirement. Read → Law AB 38 — Home Hardening Disclosure at Point of Sale Requires defensible space compliance documentation and structural vulnerability disclosure for sellers in High and Very High FHSZ areas. Read → Law Civil Code 1102.19 — Defensible Space at Point of Sale The specific point-of-sale compliance documentation requirement — who can issue it, the 6-month validity window, and the buyer-seller agreement fallback. Read → Insurance SB 824 — Non-Renewal Moratorium Prohibits insurers from non-renewing residential policies in wildfire disaster areas for one year after a Governor-declared emergency. Read → Law 10 CCR § 2644.9 — Risk Scores & Mitigation Discounts Your right to your wildfire risk score, the formal appeal and rescore process, and the mitigation discount framework insurers must apply. Read → Law SB 504 — Mitigation Discounts Strengthened California’s wildfire mitigation discount framework and its connection to the Safer from Wildfires program. Read → Key Info FHSZ Designations How California’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone system works, the three designation levels, and what your designation triggers for compliance and insurance. Read → Law Chapter 7A — Fire-Resistant Construction Fire-resistant construction requirements for new builds and major renovations in FHSZ areas. Roofing, vents, eaves, walls, and decks. Read → Law AB 1054 — Utility Wildfire Safety & CPUC Fire Threat Map Governs utility wildfire safety and the CPUC fire threat map. What it means for property owners in utility-adjacent fire risk areas. Read →

Regional rules & jurisdictions

Who enforces defensible space requirements, which agency conducts inspections, and what local rules apply — determined by your SRA or LRA designation and which fire agency has jurisdiction over your address.

Community pages

San Diego County’s fire-country communities span three risk rings. Each community page covers the specific fire environment, FHSZ and jurisdiction status, defensible space requirements, and key agency contacts.

Cal Wildfire Defense

Understanding the law is the foundation.

Understanding how the law applies to your specific property — your jurisdiction, your FHSZ designation, your compliance obligations, your inspection timeline — is what matters in practice. Every property presents differently.

Book a fire-informed assessment →

Pages in this section are written for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Laws, regulations, and agency procedures change. Always verify current requirements directly with the applicable agency or a licensed professional before acting. Last reviewed April 2026.

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