Cupertino, CA Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Fire Hazard Severity Zone or WUI Fire Area designation
- Zone map source
- CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones, Feb. 2025
- Distance exemption
- accessory/agricultural buildings 50+ ft from main building
- Grandfather date
- additions/remodels of buildings built before July 1, 2008
- Roofing
- Class A fire-retardant roof required in these zones
Summary
New buildings in Cupertino's Fire Hazard Severity Zones or Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Area must be built to the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code. Municipal Code § 16.10.020 amends WUI Code § 101.3.1, with specific exceptions for small accessory buildings and pre-2008 structures.
101.3.1 Application. New Buildings located in any Fire Hazard Severity Zone or Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fire Area designated by the enforcing agency constructed after the application date shall comply with the provisions of this code. This shall include all new buildings with residential, commercial, educational, institutional or similar occupancy type use, which shall be referred to in this code as "applicable buildings," as well as new buildings and structures accessory to those applicable buildings. Exceptions: Group U occupancy accessory buildings of any size located at least 50 feet from an applicable building on the same lot. Group U occupancy agricultural buildings, as defined in Section 202 of the California Building Code of any size located at least 50 feet from an applicable building. ... Additions to and remodels of building originally constructed prior to July 1, 2008.
Full Breakdown
1 to require new residential, commercial, educational, institutional and similar buildings, plus their new accessory structures, located in any Fire Hazard Severity Zone or Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Area designated by the enforcing agency to comply with the Wildland-Urban Interface Code once constructed after the application date. 74, which adopts the Fire Hazard Severity Zone map CAL FIRE issued in February 2025 by parcel, defined by reference to Public Resources Code §§ 4201 through 4204 and Government Code §§ 51175 through 51189. 11, and additions or remodels to buildings originally constructed before July 1, 2008.
Land held for endangered-species habitat, wildlife or plant communities, environmentally sensitive open space, or other scenic values declared by a local, state, or federal agency is also excluded from the trigger. 1.
Violations & Fines
Constructing an applicable building in a designated Fire Hazard Severity Zone or WUI Fire Area without meeting § 16.10.020's ignition-resistant construction standards is a Municipal Code violation subject to the general misdemeanor penalty in § 1.12.010, and the Building Official will withhold permit approval or final inspection until compliance is verified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Cupertino buildings must meet the Wildland-Urban Interface Code?
Are small sheds or barns exempt from Cupertino's WUI rule?
Does remodeling an older Cupertino home trigger the WUI code?
What roofing does a home in a Cupertino fire hazard zone need?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cupertino
California rules heatmap·Compare Cupertino to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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Wildfire Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle wildfire zones.