The canyon country is about to live under California's strictest fire rules ever written. Zone Zero (officially "Zone 0") is the ember-resistant zone: the first 5 feet around your home. If you live in one of Orange County's 14 Very High hazard cities or the Santa Ana Mountain canyons, here's what the law requires and when.
Is this real?
CAL FIRE's 2025 remap didn't nibble at the edges. It rewrote the county's fire map. Buena Park, Laguna Hills, and Placentia were classified Very High for the first time. Anaheim Hills' existing Very High zone grew by roughly 300 acres. And a south-county cluster from Yorba Linda to San Clemente was confirmed in the Very High tier.
The canyon country
The Santiago Fire burned 28,445 acres through these canyons in 2007. The Bond Fire burned 6,686 acres through nearly the same communities in 2020 and forced 25,000 people out. These seven communities are where Zone 0 compliance matters most in Orange County.
City by city
Fourteen cities carry confirmed Very High zones. Two more, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach, were newly mapped in 2025 at the Moderate and High tiers only. Each page below covers that city's actual designation, its own fire authority, and its own fire record. No padding, no copied pages.
What must I do?
The rule is simple to state and hard to retrofit: nothing combustible in the first 5 feet from any structure. That means combustible fences and gates that touch the house, bark mulch against the foundation, woody shrubs under windows, and firewood on the patio. Read the full requirements, or start with the two most common projects: fences and gates and landscaping.
Who enforces it?
The state framework is the floor. Your local Authority Having Jurisdiction is the headline. For most Orange County cities and all of the unincorporated canyons, that's the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA). Five cities run their own departments: Anaheim Fire & Rescue, Placentia Fire and Life Safety, Laguna Beach Fire, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue, and Huntington Beach Fire. Your city's page names yours. Enforcement under the April 2026 draft is education-first: inspections and correction notices before penalties.
Questions
If your parcel sits in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, yes. CAL FIRE's 2025 remap put 14 Orange County cities and the eastern canyon communities into the Very High tier. Check your city's page on this site, or request a free assessment and we'll check your exact parcel.
Your local fire authority. For most of the county that's the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), but Anaheim, Placentia, Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa, and Huntington Beach each run their own municipal fire department. The state framework sets the floor; your local authority sets the specifics.
Final state regulations are expected in late 2026. Existing homes get a phased runway, with Phase 1 estimated for 2027 to 2028 and Phase 2 set by your local authority, up to five years out. Two rules land immediately upon adoption: the combustible-fence restriction and requirements for new construction.
A free assessment tells you exactly which Zone Zero requirements apply to your parcel, what your local fire authority will look for, and what to fix first. 100% free, no obligation.
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