Bill > SB629

This bill (known as the Keeping Communities Safe from Wildfire Act of 2025) expands California's approach to identifying and managing fire hazard areas by requiring the State Fire Marshal to include new factors when designating fire hazard severity zones. These factors now include areas that have experienced significant wildfires (burning at least 1,000 acres, destroying more than 10 structures, or causing fatalities), as well as areas at risk for urban conflagrations where structures can act as fuel sources. The bill introduces a new concept of "post-wildfire safety areas" for lands within wildfire perimeters, which will trigger the application of state fire protection standards 30 days after the State Fire Marshal transmits a map of the area to local agencies. Local agencies will be required to post notices about these areas and update their general plan safety elements to address the risks in these newly designated zones. The bill aims to improve wildfire risk mapping by considering how buildings and agricultural lands can contribute to fire spread, and it requires the State Fire Marshal to publish the methodology used to create fire hazard maps at least 60 days before finalizing them. Additionally, the bill recognizes that homes built to wildland-urban interface (WUI) building standards are up to 40 percent less likely to be destroyed by wildfires and seeks to expand the application of these standards to more areas.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance, Government Affairs, Military Affairs and Security

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB629