Natural Hazard Disclosure (fire) maps show the two types of fire hazard areas referred to in legislation as disclosure items in real estate transactions. Teale Data Center maintains and provides natural hazard area data but does not make determinations for specific properties. Hazard area information is available in the following ways:

1. Hard copy (paper) maps can be ordered for each county.
Maps are 36" x 48", full color, and also include roads, water features, rail lines, township/range/section, transmission lines, placenames and airfields. Cost is $35 per map plus local tax and $10 shipping.

2. Images of county maps can be viewed on line.

3. Digital data files are available for downloading.
Available in zipped export file format via ftp transfer. Files contain polygons of fire hazard areas only.

UPDATES
As of January 1, 2000, an updated version of Natural Hazard Disclosure (fire) maps and data has been issued. Updates have happened as the result of urban expansion or land ownership changes, resulting in changes occurring in every county.

VERY HIGH FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONES (Bates)

As a result of the Oakland Hills fire, which destroyed over 3229 structures and damaged an additional 2992 with over $2 billion in damages and 25 fatalities, Assemblyman Tom Bates introduced Assembly Bill 337 in the 1992 legislative session. This legislation was signed by the Governor on September 29, 1992 and became known as the Bates Bill. It added sections 51175-51188 to the Government Code relating to Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ). Briefly, it required the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in cooperation with local fire authorities to identify areas of VHFHSZ's in the Local Responsibility Areas (LRA) of California. Once identified, CDF was to notify the local authority of the fact, who then had the option of adopting the model ordinance developed by the State Fire Marshal (SFM), adding to or subtracting areas from the identified zone(s), indicating that they already "meet or exceed" the Bates minimums, or some combination of the above. In short, the ordinances adopted require in most cases a "class B" roof for new construction or replacement of existing roofs (subsequent legislation passed in 1994 (AB 3819 - Willie Brown) raises this to Class A after January 1, 1997), plus other fire defense improvements including minimum clearances of 30 feet around structures. 25 counties contain Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, and 33 do not.

WILDLAND AREAS THAT MAY CONTAIN SUBSTANTIAL FOREST FIRE RISKS AND HAZARDS
(State Responsibility Area)

These areas, also known as State Responsibility Area (SRA) are defined by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as follows:

"Lands exclusive of cities and federal lands regardless of ownership, classified by the State Board of Forestry as areas in which the primary financial responsibility for preventing and suppressing fires is that of the State. These are lands covered wholly or in part by timber, brush, undergrowth or grass, whether of commercial value or not, which protect the soil from erosion, retard runoff of water or accelerated percolation, and lands used principally for range or forage purposes."

SRA is detemined by a combination of land ownership and fire protection criteria. Basically SRA occurs on non-federal lands for which fire protection is provided by the State of California or the federal government. There is no SRA in Sutter or San Francisco Counties.