Cal Fire maps outline areas with high fire hazards. Find your home in the interactive map below. (Map by Jesse Kathan, data from Cal Fire)
Santa Cruz County supervisors meeting
- 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 20 at 701 Ocean St., Room 525, Santa Cruz.
- Join in person, on Zoom or call 669-900-6833 , meeting ID 856 6031 8161. The meeting will be streamed on Facebook.
- To comment ahead of the meeting, email [email protected] by 5 p.m. Monday.
SANTA CRUZ >> Cal Fire’s new wildfire hazard maps could bring new requirements for defensible space and building standards in parts of Santa Cruz County.
In 2024, Cal Fire adopted new wildfire hazard maps for the rural land it is mandated to protect, known as the State Responsibility Area. In March, the agency released recommended maps for the Local Responsibility Area that includes more urban areas where local governments lead fire protection.
The Santa Cruz County supervisors on Tuesday will consider whether to approve the new maps for County Service Area 4 and County Service Area 48, which are both served by Santa Cruz County Fire.
State law requires cities, counties and fire districts to approve fire hazard maps that are at least as expansive as those drafted by Cal Fire.
The maps introduce new requirements for some homeowners. According to state law:
- Homeowners within very-high fire risk hazard areas of the Local Responsibility Area must maintain 100 feet of defensible space around their homes.
- Homeowners in high and very-high risk areas of the Local Responsibility Area must disclose the fire hazard when they sell. New homes must be built with fire-resistant materials.
- These requirements apply to the entire State Responsibility Area.
The new maps likely won’t increase insurance rates because insurance companies rely on their own fire risk models, state insurance officials have said.
The previous Local Responsibility Area wildfire hazard map, released in 2007, didn’t include any land in Santa Cruz County.
The new maps include:
- Moderate fire hazard areas in Live Oak, New Brighton and along the edges of the city of Santa Cruz
- High fire hazard areas in Scotts Valley, La Selva, the Aptos Hills and along the North Coast.
- Very-high fire hazard areas in South County near Harkins Slough and Johnsen Lane.
The State Responsibility Area maps include:
- High fire hazard areas across much of the unincorporated county.
- Very-high fire hazard areas near Boulder Creek and along Freedom Boulevard.
- Moderate fire hazard areas in Felton, Ben Lomond and Soquel.
The maps indicate fire hazard, not fire risk, state fire officials have said. Hazard levels are determined by factors including slope, climate and how recently the area has burned. Fire risk also considers how people harden their homes to wildfire and maintain defensible space.
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Jesse Kathan is a staff reporter for Santa Cruz Local through the California Local News Fellowship. They hold a master's degree in science communications from UC Santa Cruz.
