Zone Zero in Costa Mesa: newly mapped, and honestly not Very High

The local snapshot

Where Costa Mesa stands

Costa Mesa appeared on hazard maps for the first time in the 2025 remap, at the Moderate and High tiers only. Let's be precise, because this distinction gets miscopied: Costa Mesa is not in a Very High zone, and CAL FIRE's own leadership named it explicitly as one of the newly mapped Orange County cities without the Very High tier. Zone Zero's (Zone 0's) mandatory requirements attach to Very High zones; what Costa Mesa gains from the ember-resistant playbook is voluntary, and still worth having.

Fire record

On the map, below the mandatory line

No wildfire defines Costa Mesa in the verified record. The city's new Moderate and High designations reflect the 2025 remap's broader reach, and their practical meaning is graduated: heightened awareness and building-code implications rather than the Zone 0 mandate. The best-practice case still stands. Embers don't check the map tier, and the same first-five-feet habits that Very High zones require by law are simply good ownership here.

Who enforces it

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue

Costa Mesa runs its own municipal department, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue. The state framework is the floor; the city's own department handles local fire code questions. Deadlines pages carry the state defaults; your jurisdiction sets the specifics, and this page names yours. For the requirements themselves, start with the regulations guide, fences and gates, and landscaping.

Questions

Quick answers