Gilroy, CA Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. 2025-05, June 16, 2025
- Zones
- Moderate and High severity, Residential Hillside
- Authority
- Government Code § 51178 (State Fire Marshal)
- Map holder
- Gilroy city clerk and fire prevention division
- Cross-referenced
- Govt Code §§ 51182-51189, Civil Code § 1102.6f
- Triggers
- California WUI Code construction standards
Summary
City Code § 10.17 adopts the State Fire Marshal's recommended Fire Hazard Severity Zones map for the City of Gilroy's Local Responsibility Area, triggering wildfire-resistant building standards, mitigation duties, and mandatory Natural Hazard Disclosure statements for property inside the mapped Moderate and High zones.
§ 10.17. Fire hazard severity zones. ... (a) Adoption of Fire Hazard Severity Zones Map. As reflected in the map entitled "City of Gilroy—Santa Clara County Local Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zones," ... the City of Gilroy, by and through the Gilroy city council, hereby designates the fire hazard severity zones as recommended by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Section 51178 of the Government Code. ... (b) Applicability. Materials and construction methods for exterior wildfire exposure applying to the design and construction of new buildings as found in the California Building Code and the mitigation strategies to reduce risk associated with wildland fires, exemptions, disclosure requirements and violation and penalty provisions pursuant to Sections 51182 through 51189 of the Government Code, Sections 1102.6f and 1102.19 of the Civil Code, Section 10094.2 of the Insurance Code, Section 32282 of the Education Code, and such other laws as are made applicable by reference to state and local fire hazard severity maps adopted pursuant to the Bates Bill shall apply to those areas identified in the map.
Full Breakdown
Gilroy adopted its current Fire Hazard Severity Zones map through City Code § 10.17 (Ord. No. 2025-05, June 16, 2025). Subsection (a) designates the zones the State Fire Marshal recommended under Government Code § 51178 for the city's Local Responsibility Area, keeping a copy on file with the city clerk and making it accessible through the fire prevention division and the city website. Subsection (b) pulls in a chain of state statutes that only apply once a parcel sits inside the mapped area: the wildfire-resistant materials and construction standards in the California Building Code, the mitigation strategies, exemptions, and disclosure duties in Government Code §§ 51182 through 51189, the real estate Natural Hazard Disclosure requirement in Civil Code §§ 1102.6f and 1102.19, the insurance-related notice in Insurance Code § 10094.2, and the school-siting notice in Education Code § 32282.
Chapter 49 of the Fire Code, as amended by City Code § 10.10, layers the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code on top of the same map, applying its ignition-resistant construction requirements to buildings in the Gilroy Residential Hillside Zone, the Moderate Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and the High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Practically, a Gilroy seller or builder cannot tell whether the WUI construction standards or disclosure duties apply without checking the adopted map first, since the zone assignment, not the address alone, decides which of the cross-referenced statutes reach a given parcel.
Community Development and the fire prevention division use the map at plan check to route hillside and edge-of-city projects into the WUI code review track.
Violations & Fines
Section 10.17 sets no independent fine; it operates by cross-reference, so consequences flow through whichever statute reaches the mapped zone: a building permit can be denied or held for construction that skips the required Wildland-Urban Interface materials and methods, and Government Code §§ 51182 through 51189 impose the mitigation, exemption, and disclosure duties that attach once a parcel sits inside Gilroy's mapped Moderate or High zone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my Gilroy property in a fire hazard severity zone?
What extra building rules apply inside the mapped zone?
Do I have to disclose the fire zone when selling a house in Gilroy?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gilroy
California rules heatmap·Compare Gilroy 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.