Wildfire Zones: Lompoc vs Santa Maria

Is my Santa Barbara County property in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone?

Probably yes if you are in unincorporated foothills, canyons, or wildland-interface neighborhoods - the south-coast foothills from Gaviota through Montecito and Carpinteria, the Santa Ynez Mountains slopes, Painted Cave, Hope Ranch, Mission Canyon, Sisquoc, Tepusquet, the Cuyama Valley, and most of the Santa Ynez Valley wildland-urban interface are in State Responsibility Area High or Very High FHSZ. Check your exact parcel on the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone Viewer at the OSFM website, or use the Santa Barbara County GIS parcel viewer. CAL FIRE's 2024 FHSZ map update expanded High and Very High zones in many Local Responsibility Areas including portions of Santa Barbara County cities.

What construction standards apply if I build in a Santa Barbara County wildfire zone?

Any new construction or substantial remodel in a High or Very High FHSZ must comply with California Building Code Chapter 7A (Materials and Construction Methods for Exterior Wildfire Exposure), as adopted by Santa Barbara County. That means a Class A fire-rated roof, ember-resistant vents (1/8 inch mesh, baffled), dual-pane tempered or multi-pane windows, ignition-resistant siding or noncombustible cladding, enclosed eaves, and noncombustible decking and walking surfaces within 10 feet of the structure. You also must maintain 100 feet of defensible space (more on steep slopes) under Public Resources Code Section 4291, comply with Santa Barbara County Fire road-width and turnaround standards for the driveway, and provide an adequate water supply per the County's locally amended Fire Code in Chapter 15.

What is the AB 38 inspection and when does it apply?

AB 38, codified at California Government Code Section 51182 and related statutes, requires that, on or after July 1, 2021, the seller of real property in a High, Very High, or County-defined Fire Hazard Severity Zone provide the buyer at or before close of escrow with documentation that the property complies with defensible-space requirements under Public Resources Code Section 4291. In Santa Barbara County, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department conducts the inspection (or works with a county-approved local equivalent), and the documentation is provided to the buyer through escrow. The disclosure is in addition to the long-standing Natural Hazard Disclosure that already discloses very-high fire hazard zone status to buyers.

Is my Santa Barbara County property in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone?

Probably yes if you are in unincorporated foothills, canyons, or wildland-interface neighborhoods - the south-coast foothills from Gaviota through Montecito and Carpinteria, the Santa Ynez Mountains slopes, Painted Cave, Hope Ranch, Mission Canyon, Sisquoc, Tepusquet, the Cuyama Valley, and most of the Santa Ynez Valley wildland-urban interface are in State Responsibility Area High or Very High FHSZ. Check your exact parcel on the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone Viewer at the OSFM website, or use the Santa Barbara County GIS parcel viewer. CAL FIRE's 2024 FHSZ map update expanded High and Very High zones in many Local Responsibility Areas including portions of Santa Barbara County cities.

What construction standards apply if I build in a Santa Barbara County wildfire zone?

Any new construction or substantial remodel in a High or Very High FHSZ must comply with California Building Code Chapter 7A (Materials and Construction Methods for Exterior Wildfire Exposure), as adopted by Santa Barbara County. That means a Class A fire-rated roof, ember-resistant vents (1/8 inch mesh, baffled), dual-pane tempered or multi-pane windows, ignition-resistant siding or noncombustible cladding, enclosed eaves, and noncombustible decking and walking surfaces within 10 feet of the structure. You also must maintain 100 feet of defensible space (more on steep slopes) under Public Resources Code Section 4291, comply with Santa Barbara County Fire road-width and turnaround standards for the driveway, and provide an adequate water supply per the County's locally amended Fire Code in Chapter 15.

What is the AB 38 inspection and when does it apply?

AB 38, codified at California Government Code Section 51182 and related statutes, requires that, on or after July 1, 2021, the seller of real property in a High, Very High, or County-defined Fire Hazard Severity Zone provide the buyer at or before close of escrow with documentation that the property complies with defensible-space requirements under Public Resources Code Section 4291. In Santa Barbara County, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department conducts the inspection (or works with a county-approved local equivalent), and the documentation is provided to the buyer through escrow. The disclosure is in addition to the long-standing Natural Hazard Disclosure that already discloses very-high fire hazard zone status to buyers.