New statewide wildfire-defense rules will require property owners in high-fire-hazard areas to clear combustible materials within 5 feet of their homes. El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park residents can check whether their property falls in a fire hazard severity zone through the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council's mapping tools.
The regulations, known as Zone 0, were unanimously adopted by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection on Aug. 19, according to the Mountain Democrat, which first reported the story. The rules were then submitted to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) for review.
The package was temporarily withdrawn so the Board could answer OAL's questions and provide additional documentation. Marcie Thompson, land use planning program manager with the Board of Forestry, told the Mountain Democrat the withdrawal was not a repeal but a routine part of the approval process.
Thompson said the Zone 0 policy is expected to return to the Board at its Thursday, Nov. 5 meeting for approval of changes. After that, the package would be resubmitted to OAL and filed with the secretary of state. She estimated the rules could take effect at the very end of November or early December.
What it means for homeowners
New construction would immediately need to comply, according to Jeff Hoag, Cal Fire assistant chief for the Community Risk Reduction program in the Amador-El Dorado Unit. Existing homeowners would get a three-year timeline for clearing vegetation around their homes and five years for structural changes such as removing combustible fences, the Mountain Democrat reported.
Zone 0 complements California's existing Zone 1 (5 to 30 feet from a structure) and Zone 2 (30 to 100 feet), according to the Board of Forestry.
El Dorado County Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Carla Hass stressed that compliance does not mean homeowners must strip their property bare. She said education will be a key part of the county's rollout, including community meetings and El Dorado County Fire Safe Council events. Hass noted, citing Cal Fire, that the rules apply to residential, commercial and industrial properties in state responsibility areas or designated fire hazard severity zones.
On enforcement, the Mountain Democrat reported Cal Fire plans to conduct three inspections before taking any punitive action. Hoag said the agency would take residents' financial and physical circumstances into account.
