Pacifica, CA Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Zone source
- CAL FIRE-recommended map, Local Responsibility Areas
- Legal basis
- California Government Code § 51178
- Split-parcel rule
- Higher-severity zone applies to entire parcel
- Adopted
- Ord. 900-C.S., effective July 9, 2025
- Map custodian
- North County Fire Authority website
Summary
In the City of Pacifica, Municipal Code Section 4-3.301 formally adopts the Fire Hazard Severity Zones in the Local Responsibility Areas as mapped and recommended by CAL FIRE under Government Code Section 51178. Where a single parcel straddles more than one zone on the city's official map, the higher-severity designation governs the entire parcel for fire protection administration and enforcement.
(a)The City of Pacifica hereby designates the Fire Hazard Severity Zones in the Local Responsibility Areas as recommended by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to Government Code §51178 as set forth in the map approved by the City of Pacifica, hereby incorporated by reference, and entitled "City of Pacifica Fire Hazard Severity Zones."(b)In the event that a single parcel has more than one fire hazard severity zone associated with such parcel on the City of Pacifica Fire Hazard Severity Zones, the higher fire hazard zone designation shall apply to the entire parcel. In order to effectively administer fire protection and to avoid inconsistent application of the fire hazard zone designations within the same property, it is necessary that when a parcel has more than one fire hazard severity zone designation on a single lot, the higher fire hazard severity zone designation applicable on that parcel shall be administered and enforced for the entire parcel.
Full Breakdown
, effective July 9, 2025, formally incorporates the Fire Hazard Severity Zone map that the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection recommended for Pacifica's Local Responsibility Areas under Government Code Section 51178. The map itself, titled 'City of Pacifica Fire Hazard Severity Zones,' is adopted by reference and is available through the North County Fire website. Subsection (b) resolves a common mapping problem: where the zone lines cut across a single parcel and place part of it in a higher-severity zone and part in a lower one, the city applies the higher fire hazard severity zone designation to the whole parcel rather than splitting enforcement by portion.
The code states this uniform approach exists specifically to effectively administer fire protection and to avoid inconsistent application of the zone designations within the same property. Because Pacifica sits along the Highway 1 corridor with steep, vegetated bluffs and canyon terrain near Mori Point, Rockaway Beach, and Sharp Park, sizable areas of the city fall within a mapped Local Responsibility Area severity zone rather than the lower-risk designations found in flatter, more urbanized parts of San Mateo County.
Violations & Fines
Section 4-3.301 itself is a designation provision, not a penalty section; it works together with the state and locally amended Fire and Building Codes that impose defensible space, vegetation clearance, and construction standards inside a mapped severity zone. Those requirements are enforced by the Fire Prevention Services Bureau under the Fire Marshal, per Section 4-3.102, using the same citation and abatement procedures that apply to other Fire Code violations in the city.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my Pacifica property is in a fire hazard severity zone?
My lot has two different fire zone ratings on the map, which one applies?
Who created Pacifica's fire hazard severity zone map?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pacifica
California rules heatmap·Compare Pacifica to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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Wildfire Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Mateo County handle wildfire zones.