El Dorado County, CA Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)

El Dorado County is one of the highest wildfire-risk counties in California. CAL FIRE classifies most of the unincorporated area as a State Responsibility Area (SRA), and the County and CAL FIRE jointly maintain Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps for both SRA and Local Responsibility Area (LRA) lands. Large portions of the foothill, Sierra, and Lake Tahoe Basin areas - including communities such as Pollock Pines, Camino, Grizzly Flats, Cool, Georgetown, Coloma, Somerset, Meyers, and Tahoma - are mapped as High or Very High FHSZ. The County uses these zones to drive regulation in three main ways. (1) Defensible Space: El Dorado County Code Chapter 8.09 (Ordinance 5186, 2024) requires 100 feet of defensible space around every habitable structure in the SRA and in High and Very High LRA FHSZ, with up to 300 feet in case-by-case high-hazard conditions. (2) Construction Standards: New construction and substantial remodels in the SRA and in High and Very High FHSZ must comply with California Building Code Chapter 7A (ignition-resistant materials for roofs, eaves, vents, exterior walls, decks, and windows), enforced by the El Dorado County Building Division. (3) Access and Subdivision: The County's Fire Safe Regulations (consistent with California Government Code Section 51175 et seq. and Title 14 CCR Sections 1270-1276) require minimum road widths (typically 20 feet of unobstructed paved width), maximum grades, turnouts and turnarounds, address signage, building setbacks, and water supply for new parcels and structures in the SRA. AB 38 (California Government Code Section 51182.5) requires sellers of property in High or Very High FHSZ in the SRA to obtain a defensible space compliance inspection prior to close of escrow and to disclose hazard information. The County General Plan Public Health, Safety, and Noise Element identifies the King Fire (2014), Caldor Fire (2021), and Mosquito Fire (2022) as recent major events shaping current regulation. The County's Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience coordinates inspections, education, and Firewise USA community organizing.