California lawmakers passed new wildfire safety regulations in 2020 aimed at reducing the risk of structures catching fire from embers by creating a new ember-resistant zone, or zone zero, which would require homeowners to clear combustible materials, such as wooden furniture and dead plants, within 5 feet of their homes.
These rules were set to take effect in January 2023, but as of late 2024, the regulations have not been finalized, with the state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection still in the pre-rulemaking phase.
Despite the delay, experts believe that complying with the new rules could have made a difference in preventing property damage in areas like Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Topanga Canyon, which were devastated by the Palisades Fire.
The fire, driven by hurricane-force winds, destroyed thousands of structures, and many of the affected neighborhoods are within the high-risk areas that would have been subject to the new regulations.
The new requirements are an extension of California’s longstanding defensible space laws, which mandate clearing flammable materials from a wider zone around homes in fire-prone areas. The zone zero rule aims to address the issue of flying embers, which experts say are responsible for 90% of structures destroyed by wildfires.
While the proposed law would allow existing homes three years to comply, there are ongoing discussions about the financial and logistical challenges of implementing these changes.
As the state continues to struggle with wildfire devastation, including some of the deadliest and most costly fires in history, lawmakers and fire experts urge for faster action, recognizing that well-maintained defensible space and home-hardening measures are essential for protecting lives and property.