Cleveland, OH Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)

Federal and state wildfire risk assessments, including the USDA Forest Service Wildfire Risk to Communities tool and Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry maps, rate Cleveland and greater Cuyahoga County as low to very low wildfire risk. The regions humid continental climate with roughly 40 inches of annual precipitation, frequent lake-effect snow and rain, heavy urban development, and limited contiguous wildland fuel combine to make large-scale wildland fire an unusual event. Unlike California, Colorado, or Arizona jurisdictions, Cleveland has not adopted a Wildland-Urban Interface code, Chapter 7A ignition-resistant construction standard, or mandatory defensible space setback. The Ohio Building Code and the Ohio Fire Code as adopted in CCO Part 5 Chapter 413 govern structural fire protection through conventional means such as smoke alarms, sprinklers in multifamily and commercial, and fire-rated assemblies for attached garages. Grass and small brush fires do occur, typically in vacant lots in neighborhoods such as Kinsman, Slavic Village, and along railroad rights of way during hot dry stretches in late summer. The Cleveland Division of Fire responds with mutual aid from the Ohio Division of Forestry when grass fires threaten structures. Homeowners in the Doan Brook, Rockefeller Park, and Cuyahoga Valley fringes may want to clear dead limbs and ivy near structures, but this is prudent maintenance rather than code-mandated work.