Santa Cruz County, CA Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)

Santa Cruz County is one of California's most wildfire-exposed counties, with a very large share of its area in the Wildland-Urban Interface and the great majority of unincorporated land mapped as High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ). The state Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) and CAL FIRE adopted updated FHSZ maps in 2024-2025; in Santa Cruz County, very-high-hazard areas include parts of Boulder Creek and along Freedom Boulevard, with high hazard across much of the unincorporated county and moderate hazard near communities such as Felton, Ben Lomond, and Soquel. The danger is not theoretical: the August 2020 CZU Lightning Complex burned 86,509 acres across Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, destroyed roughly 1,490 structures, caused one death, and forced large evacuations before containment on September 22, 2020. For parcels in any FHSZ in the State Responsibility Area (SRA), and in Local Responsibility Areas (LRA) designated Very High, the county requires Wildland-Urban Interface building standards (ignition-resistant construction under 2022 California Building Code Chapter 7A and California Residential Code R337, implemented by Santa Cruz County amendments such as SCC 12.10.215(D) and 12.10.220(H)) on new structures, additions, and exterior alterations. Owners must also maintain 100 feet of defensible space under Public Resources Code 4291. Buyers in these zones receive natural-hazard disclosures.