Zone Zero Regulations for Peninsula Homeowners
Three laws, one five-foot rule
AB 3074 (2020) created the "ember-resistant zone" within 5 feet of structures in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. It is the statute everything else builds on.
SB 504 (2024) and AB 1455 (2025) refined how the zone is defined, funded, and phased in. The details that would decide a statewide Zone 0 live in Board of Forestry regulations that are not in force. As of September 19, 2026 the emergency filing is withdrawn. Existing defensible-space law and LACoFD brush clearance still apply.
Two provisions apply only if a Zone 0 rule later takes effect, with no phase-in: the restriction on new combustible fencing in the zone, and Zone 0 requirements for new construction and rebuilds.
How Zone 0 lands on the Peninsula
The state framework is the floor. What governs you is local. On the Peninsula that means the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the fire authority in all four cities, plus each city's own 2025 hazard map ordinance.
In 2025, CAL FIRE and the State Fire Marshal released remapped Fire Hazard Severity Zones for local responsibility areas, and the Peninsula cities adopted them. Palos Verdes Estates adopted its updated maps on July 8, 2025; the maps across the Peninsula include Moderate, High, and Very High zones. The exact acreage in each tier varies by city, so check your parcel on the CAL FIRE FHSZ viewer rather than relying on the street you live on.
Regulation questions, answered
Is Zone Zero already law on the Peninsula?
AB 3074 directed the state to create an ember-resistant zone; the implementing statewide regulation is not in force as of September 19, 2026. LACoFD brush clearance is required now. Palos Verdes Estates records that LACoFD recommends 0–5 ft free of dead vegetation as practice; 2023 fire-code sections are what is actually enforced.
Do all four Peninsula cities follow the same Zone Zero rules?
They share one fire department: LA County Fire. Each city adopted its own 2025 FHSZ map ordinance. Map adoption is not Zone 0. No peninsula city is cited here as having adopted a local existing-home Zone 0 ordinance. Statewide Zone 0 is proposed — not in force.
My parcel is in a landslide zone. Does Zone Zero still apply?
LACoFD brush clearance and defensible-space rules follow fire hazard designation, not geology. Statewide Zone 0 is proposed — not in force. The first five feet is recommended now. Disturbed slide-area terrain is itself a fuel concern.
Who actually knocks on the door about compliance?
The Los Angeles County Fire Department is the Authority Having Jurisdiction across the Peninsula. Its brush-clearance and defensible-space inspection program is required now. Statewide Zone 0 is proposed — not in force.
Skip the statute reading. Get the property answer.
See what is required now versus recommended now on your parcel.