Zone 0 Fire Hazard Designation in Santa Ynez

The Santa Ynez townsite is designated Moderate Fire Hazard Severity Zone, lower than many people expect for this area, confirmed on two separate official hazard-zone layers. Surrounding foothill areas carry higher designations. As of July 26, 2026, no Santa Ynez-specific Zone 0 fencing ordinance has been identified beyond the statewide draft.

Fire-hazard designation & local ordinance

FHSZ: townsite Moderate; foothills higher

The Santa Ynez townsite is designated Moderate Fire Hazard Severity Zone; confirmed on two separate official hazard-zone layers (the CAL FIRE statewide SRA layer and Santa Barbara County Fire's own SRA-only layer). This is genuinely Moderate at the townsite, lower than the area's fire-prone reputation might suggest.

Don't conflate townsite and foothills: Surrounding foothill areas around the townsite carry higher SRA tiers. Those higher designations apply to the foothills, not to the townsite itself; read this page as stating Moderate at the townsite, not Very High.

SRA/LRA: SRA. Statewide SRA maps became effective April 1, 2024, set by the state.

Ordinance adoption

No specific local adoption ordinance applies; SRA designations are set at the state level and effective by statute, not by local adoption.

Local Zone 0 fence-specific ordinance

None identified for Santa Ynez. Statewide Zone 0 remains a draft; see our statewide Zone 0 explainer rather than re-explaining it here.

Verify your own parcel: Because the Santa Ynez townsite is Moderate while surrounding foothill areas carry higher designations, checking your specific parcel on the official CAL FIRE FHSZ Viewer is especially important here: https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/community-wildfire-preparedness-and-mitigation/fire-hazard-severity-zones

Fire-hazard designation information on this page reflects our understanding as of July 26, 2026; designations and ordinances may change. Verify current requirements with CAL FIRE or your local fire authority.