Mariposa County, CA Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)

Mariposa County sits in the Sierra Nevada foothills and mountains as the gateway to Yosemite, and almost the entire county is wildland classified as a CAL FIRE State Responsibility Area (SRA). CAL FIRE's Office of the State Fire Marshal maps Fire Hazard Severity Zones (Moderate, High, and Very High) for the SRA, and large portions of Mariposa County fall in the High and Very High categories; updated SRA zone maps took effect April 1, 2024. These designations carry real legal consequences. Properties in the SRA must comply with Public Resources Code 4291, which requires 100 feet of defensible space around structures, and homes in High and Very High zones are subject to additional wildfire-hardening building standards (California Building Code Chapter 7A) for new construction and certain remodels, plus natural-hazard disclosure at sale. The county's wildfire risk is not theoretical: the 2022 Oak Fire near Midpines burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed structures, the 2018 Ferguson Fire affected the Yosemite region, and the 2017 Detwiler Fire forced major evacuations and burned much of the area around the town of Mariposa. The county maintains a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, and the Mariposa Fire Safe Council provides free brushing, chipping, and home-hardening assessments to help residents reduce risk. Residents can confirm their property's zone using the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewer.