Palm Desert, CA Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)

Chapter 15.16 adopts the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, Part 7 of Title 24, for the City of Palm Desert. Section 15.16.020 adds Section 302.1.1: the city adopted the State Fire Marshal's recommendations under Government Code section 51178 and designated the areas within the County as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones, as shown on the Local Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zones Maps published by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. The Maps were adopted under City of Palm Desert Ordinance No. 1429.

Section 501.1 requires buildings and structures in a wildland-urban interface area to be constructed under the California Building Code and the wildland code, and the area includes those designated by Ordinance No. 1429. Two exceptions cover Group U accessory structures not exceeding 120 square feet, and Group U agricultural buildings, when located not less than 50 feet from applicable buildings. Where the Municipal Code and the state wildland code conflict, Section 102.4.1.1 applies the more restrictive provision.

Section 602.1 requires a fire protection plan for any proposed subdivision of land or building project, submitted to the Fire Code Official, with a preliminary plan before the final plan. A single-family dwelling on an existing legal parcel is excepted. Section 603.3 requires landscape and fuel modification plans for any project in a wildland-urban interface area, and Section 603.3.1 requires them to delineate the 5-foot (Zone 0), 30-foot (Zone 1) and 100-foot (Zone 2) fuel management zones from all structures. Section 604.3 requires vegetation around buildings to be maintained under Public Resources Code Section 4291 and Government Code Section 51182, among other laws.

The Fire Chief of Riverside County or the Fire Chief's designee is the Fire Chief under the code, and under Section 104.1.1 the Riverside County Fire Department enforces city fire ordinances. Section 108.7 lets the city and county recover costs of inspection, enforcement and emergency response from responsible parties.