The State Fire Marshal shall identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas. Moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones shall be based on fuel loading, slope, fire weather, and other relevant factors including areas where winds have been identified by the Office of the State Fire Marshal as a major cause of wildfire spread.

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 382, Sec. 2.5. (SB 63) Effective January 1, 2022.)

Terms Used In California Government Code 51178

  • Fuel: means any combustible material, including petroleum-based products, cultivated landscape plants, grasses, and weeds, and wildland vegetation. See California Government Code 51177
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Government Code 18
  • Wildfire: means an unplanned, unwanted wildland fire, including unauthorized human-caused fires, escaped wildland fire use events, escaped prescribed fire projects, and all other wildland fires where the objective is to extinguish the fire. See California Government Code 51177
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