Local rules
Zone 0 by jurisdiction
The state rule is a floor. Cities and counties can move earlier, reach further, and set their own inspection processes — and the two jurisdictions documented so far have almost nothing in common.
Why local rules differ
Three separate mechanisms let a jurisdiction depart from the state text.
- Moving first. Nothing stopped a city from adopting its own Zone 0 ordinance before the state finished its rulemaking, and several did. Those ordinances run on their own timelines.
- Alternative practices. 14 CCR 1298.03 lets a local agency in the LRA adopt alternatives that account for local variation, if the governing body approves them and the agency finds they deliver substantially similar practical effects.
- Being stricter. Public Resources Code 4117 requires local fire prevention ordinances to be as protective or more protective than state statute. Stricter is always available; weaker is not.
On top of that, the final compliance tier is explicitly local: the local agency sets the deadline anywhere between three and five years. See the tiers →
Two jurisdictions, almost nothing in common
| City of San Diego | Ventura County FPD | |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 0 trigger | Very High only | State rule applies; AB 38 reaches High or Very High |
| Areas covered | LRA (within city limits) | SRA and LRA |
| Own Zone 0 ordinance | Yes — SDMC 512.0604 | Not separately published |
| New structures | 28 February 2026 | State timeline |
| Existing structures | 28 February 2027 | State timeline |
| Full compliance | 28 February 2029 | Set within state window |
| AB 38 inspection fee | $163 Home Risk Assessment | No fee |
| Buyer post-close window | Not published | 60 days |
| Split parcels | Not published | Highest rating governs whole parcel |
Two agencies in the same state, on the same regulation, differing on the trigger, the timeline, the fee and the process. This is the single strongest argument for checking your own jurisdiction rather than reading a statewide summary and assuming it applies.
Jurisdictions documented so far
- City of San DiegoMoved first — existing homes from February 2027
- Ventura County FPDHigh and Very High zones, free AB 38 inspection
If your jurisdiction isn't here yet
Call the fire agency that would respond to your address and ask four questions:
- Is my parcel in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and has that designation been adopted by ordinance?
- Does this jurisdiction have its own Zone 0 ordinance, or are we on the state timeline?
- What deadline has been set for the final compliance tier — three years, five, or something between?
- What is the AB 38 inspection process, fee and lead time here?
Question three is the one nobody thinks to ask, and it can be a two-year difference.
A note on how this list grows. Each jurisdiction page is built from that agency's own published ordinance and guidance, not from a statewide database — because no statewide database of adopted local Zone 0 rules exists. That is why this section expands slowly and why it is worth reading.