Vacaville, CA Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Mapped Areas
- Lagoon Valley, Vaca Hills, Browns Valley, Pleasants Valley slopes
- OSFM Map Released
- Feb 24, 2025 (City ordinance required within 120 days)
- Building Standard
- Cal. Bldg. Code Chapter 7A (WUI) in VHFHSZ
- Local Buffer
- 50 ft non-combustible. VMC Ch. 14.20.290
- Disclosure
- California Civil Code §1103 at sale
Summary
Portions of eastern and southern Vacaville, including Lagoon Valley Regional Park, the Vaca Mountains foothills, Browns Valley, and the slopes around Pleasants Valley, are mapped in the State Fire Marshal's Local Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zone map (released Feb 24, 2025) as Moderate, High, or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Vacaville's City Council was required to designate the zones by ordinance within 120 days of receiving the OSFM recommendation. Designation triggers defensible-space, Chapter 7A construction, and Natural Hazard Disclosure obligations.
Fire Hazard Severity Zones ... The State Fire Marshal is mandated to classify lands within State Responsibility Areas into Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ). Fire Hazard Severity Zones fall into one of the following classifications: Moderate, High, Very High. The California laws that require Fire Hazard Severity Zones include California Public Resources Code 4201-4204, California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 1280 and California Government Code 51175-89. ... 'Hazard' is based on the physical conditions that create a likelihood and expected fire behavior over a 30 to 50-year period without considering mitigation measures such as home hardening, recent wildfire, or fuel reduction efforts.
Full Breakdown
Vacaville sits at the edge of the Coast Range / Vaca Mountains, and the 2020 LNU Lightning Complex (~363,000 acres) burned along the western and southern edges of the city, driving the State's expanded LRA mapping. On February 24, 2025 the Office of the State Fire Marshal released updated Local Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for cities including Vacaville. Under Government Code §51179, the City was required to designate the zones by local ordinance within 120 days of receiving the OSFM recommendation. The map newly classifies parts of Lagoon Valley, Browns Valley, the eastern Vaca Hills, and rural portions of Pleasants Valley Road as Moderate, High, or Very High FHSZ.
State Responsibility Area parcels at the western edge of Vacaville remain under CAL FIRE LNU jurisdiction. 290 (Development Standards for New Construction Adjacent to Open Space Lands Where Wildfire is a Threat).
Violations & Fines
Substantial new construction or remodel within a mapped FHSZ that fails to meet California Building Code Chapter 7A WUI standards is a building-code violation: the City can issue a stop-work order and require corrective construction. CAL FIRE civil penalties for failing to maintain defensible space are up to $500 for a first offense and $1,500 for a second offense. Sellers who fail to deliver the FHSZ disclosure under Civil Code §1103 can face civil liability from the buyer. New subdivisions adjacent to open-space wildfire land that omit the VMC 14.20.290 fifty-foot buffer are not approvable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my Vacaville home in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone?
What construction standards apply in a Vacaville Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone?
Do I have to disclose the FHSZ when I sell my Vacaville home?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vacaville
California rules heatmap·Compare Vacaville to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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Wildfire Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Solano County handle wildfire zones.