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

Calaveras County sits in the Sierra Nevada foothills and mountains, and most of the unincorporated county is in the State Responsibility Area (SRA), where CAL FIRE has primary wildfire-protection responsibility. The state Office of the State Fire Marshal and CAL FIRE map Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ) as Moderate, High, or Very High based on fuels, slope, weather, and other factors. Living in a High or Very High FHSZ carries concrete obligations: 100 feet of defensible space under PRC 4291; California Building Code Chapter 7A ignition-resistant construction standards (such as ember-resistant vents, fire-rated roofing, and exterior materials) for new buildings and certain remodels in the zone; and disclosure when selling - since July 1, 2021, sellers of property in a high or very high hazard zone must provide documentation of a compliant defensible space inspection. CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit (TCU) provides wildfire protection and conducts defensible space inspections. The stakes are not theoretical: the 2015 Butte Fire burned roughly 70,000 acres across Amador and Calaveras counties and destroyed hundreds of homes, with CAL FIRE later attributing the cause to electrical equipment. Property owners should look up their parcel on the CAL FIRE / OSFM Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewer, maintain defensible space, harden the home, and stay aware of evacuation routes. The county also maintains a Hazard Mitigation Plan addressing wildfire risk.