Check my fence

What does Check my fence tell me?

• Your zone: whether the address is in the State Responsibility Area, where CAL FIRE handles wildfire, or a local area, and its Fire Hazard Severity Zone: Very High, High, Moderate or none.
• The rules for your address: defensible space, the state's wildfire building code for new homes, and any local Zone 0 rule for the cities and counties we cover, such as Berkeley and San Diego.
• Your fence and gate: whether the first 5 feet from the house need to change, and what to do first.
• Your report by email: your result, a printable fence and gate checklist and cost ranges.

Am I in a fire hazard zone in California?

CAL FIRE maps every part of the state into Fire Hazard Severity Zones. In the State Responsibility Area the map dated September 29, 2023 took effect on April 1, 2024. In cities and other local areas, the State Fire Marshal's 2025 maps are adopted by each city or county, which can add areas but not remove them. Check my fence reads both maps for your address. You can also search it yourself on CAL FIRE's fire hazard severity zone viewer.

Which homes does the state Zone 0 rule cover?

Every home in the State Responsibility Area, whatever its hazard class, and homes in a local Very High zone. Local High and Moderate zones are outside it unless a city or county adopts its own rule. The rule asks for a noncombustible first 5 feet on any fence or gate attached to the house. Details: who Zone 0 applies toand Zone 0 fence requirements.

Is Santa Barbara different from San Diego?

Yes. A few places have their own Zone 0 rules on their own dates: Berkeley since January 1, 2026 in two hillside areas, and the City of San Diego for new homes since February 28, 2026 and existing homes from February 28, 2027. For most other cities, Santa Barbara among them, the result names the fire department to ask about local rules. The cities we cover are on Zone 0 rules by city.