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

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing chapter
Fire Safe Regulations, Ch. 9.14
Applies to
Construction approved after Oct. 1, 1991
Standard
Equal to CAL FIRE minimums
Reviewing agency
CAL FIRE Tehama-Glenn Unit
Exempt
Existing structures and roads

Summary

Tehama County's Fire Safe Regulations impose minimum wildfire protection standards, access roads, water supply, signage, and vegetation clearance, on new construction and subdivisions approved after October 1, 1991, across the unincorporated county, matching CAL FIRE's own minimums.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Tehama County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

These regulations have been prepared and adopted for the purpose of establishing minimum wildfire protection standards in conjunction with building, construction and development in the county. The future design and construction of structures, subdivisions and developments in the county shall provide for basic emergency access and perimeter wildfire protection measures as specified in the following articles. These measures shall provide for emergency access; signing and building numbering; private water supply reserves for emergency fire use; and vegetation modification. The fire protection standards which follow shall specify the minimums for such measures.

(Ord. 1537 § 1(part), 1991)

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23).

Full Breakdown

Tehama County's Fire Safe Regulations (Ch. 9.14) set the county's own minimum wildfire protection standards for new construction, matching the minimums CAL FIRE requires under 14 Cal. Code Regs. § 1270.03. They apply countywide to new parcels, building permits, use permits, manufactured home siting, and new or extended roads approved after October 1, 1991, covering emergency vehicle access, road width and turnarounds, street signing, address numbering, emergency water supply, and vegetation fuel modification. Existing structures and roads are exempt. CAL FIRE's Tehama-Glenn Unit reviews applicable permits before the county approves them.

Violations & Fines

There's no direct fine: noncompliance simply blocks approval. The county officer or body with permit authority must make Fire Safe Regulations compliance a condition before issuing any covered building, use, or subdivision permit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Tehama County have its own wildfire building standards?
Yes. The Fire Safe Regulations (Ch. 9.14) set minimum wildfire protection standards countywide, matching CAL FIRE's own minimums, for new construction and subdivisions approved after October 1, 1991.
Do the Fire Safe Regulations apply to my existing house?
No. They apply only to new construction, new roads, and development approved after October 1, 1991; existing structures and roads are exempt.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Tehama County

All Tehama County rules

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