Tulare County, CA Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Zones designated
- Moderate, High and Very High severity
- Source map date
- CAL FIRE map transmitted March 10, 2025
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Local Responsibility Area only
- Excludes
- City, Fire Protection District, state/federal land
- Adopted by
- Ordinance No. 3657, effective 7-10-25
Summary
Tulare County has formally designated Moderate, High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones across the unincorporated Local Responsibility Area, matching the map CAL FIRE transmitted on March 10, 2025, as required by state law. The designation applies wherever the county, rather than a city or fire district, bears wildfire prevention and suppression responsibility.
The County of Tulare hereby designates the Moderate, High, and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in accordance with the map transmitted on March 10, 2025, by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for the Tulare County unincorporated Local Responsibility Area pursuant to Section 51178 of the Government Code, including all amendments or revisions thereto.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 33, adopted by Ordinance No. 3657 effective July 10, 2025, exists to comply with Government Code Section 51179(a), which requires local agencies to designate moderate, high and very high fire hazard severity zones by ordinance. , another special district, or the state or federal government under Public Resources Code Section 4125, meaning federal land such as Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks falls outside it. Section 7-33-1010 does the actual designating: it adopts the Moderate, High, and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone map that the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection transmitted for the Tulare County unincorporated Local Responsibility Area on March 10, 2025, under Government Code Section 51178, including all future amendments and revisions.
The map itself is incorporated by reference into the chapter and must be made available on the county's website or another county-maintained website. Because the zones are adopted by reference to the state map rather than a locally drawn boundary, any parcel's zone classification changes automatically whenever CAL FIRE revises and retransmits the statewide map, without a separate county ordinance amendment.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 33 itself is a designation ordinance and does not set its own fines; the fire hazard severity zone status it creates instead triggers other Tulare County chapters, such as the defensible-space clearance and fire hazardous weeds provisions of the Ordinance Code, and the state Wildland-Urban Interface building standards in the California Building Code, which carry their own separate enforcement and penalty provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do Tulare County's fire hazard severity zones apply?
How does the county decide which parcels are in a fire hazard severity zone?
Why did Tulare County adopt a fire hazard severity zone ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tulare County
California rules heatmap·Compare Tulare County to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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