Is California's Zone 0 rule law yet? (Updated August 20, 2026)

What Zone 0 is

Zone 0, also called the "ember-resistant zone," is the area within 5 feet of a structure (measured horizontally from exterior walls, decks, and attachments). It is the newest addition to California's defensible-space framework (Zones 1 and 2 cover 5–30 ft and 30–100 ft).

Created by AB 3074 (2020); timeline modified by SB 504 (2024), AB 1455 (2025), and Executive Order N-18-25, which set a December 31, 2025 deadline for the Board of Forestry to adopt regulations. That deadline passed without adoption.

Status as of August 20, 2026: the Board of Forestry approved the final draft on August 19, 2026, 8-0 (KRCR). Next: OAL review, a five-day public comment window during that review, and Secretary of State filing. There is still no statewide effective date. The August 19 text keeps a phased, multi-year implementation that prioritizes education and outreach. Quotes below are from the August 19, 2026 rule text as posted in the Board's meeting materials; the Board has not yet posted the adopted/OAL version, so if the Board amended from the dais the posted text could differ. Primary source: BOF August 2026 Zone 0 regulation summary and rule plead.

The fence-specific language (August 19, 2026 text)

LRA track, 14 CCR §1298.04(b), as posted in the Board's August 19, 2026 meeting materials. LRA (b)(9) is now structured as (A)/(B)/(C). The no-new-combustible clause in (B) adds "(whether attached or parallel to the Occupied Structure)" — that parallel-fence scope was not in the April 17 text.

(8) Combustible fences and gates shall not be attached to an Occupied Structure. (9) Fences. (A) All fences and gates that are attached to an Occupied Structure, or come within one (1) foot of contact with an Occupied Structure, shall have a five (5) foot Noncombustible span from the point of attachment or the point closest to the Occupied Structure. (B) After the effective date of this regulation, no new Combustible fences or gates (whether attached or parallel to the Occupied Structure) are permitted within five (5) feet of an Occupied Structure. (C) Fence repairs to an existing Combustible fence may be made using Combustible replacement materials.

The SRA track at §1299.03(d) is not identical. It keeps "Building or Structure" in place of "Occupied Structure," stays one paragraph rather than (A)/(B)/(C), and does not carry the "(whether attached or parallel)" clause:

(8) Combustible fences and gates shall not be attached to a Building or Structure. (9) All fences and gates that are attached to a Building or Structure, or come within one (1) foot of contact with a Building or Structure, shall have a five (5) foot Noncombustible span from the point of attachment or the point closest to the Building or Structure. After the effective date of this regulation, no new Combustible fences or gates are permitted within five (5) feet of a Building or Structure. Fence repairs to an existing Combustible fence may be made using Combustible replacement materials.

• • The 5-foot non-combustible requirement attaches at the point of attachment (or the point closest, for near-contact fences); it does not mean replacing an entire fence.
• • The no-new-combustible rule only triggers "after the effective date of this regulation," which has not occurred yet; this is not in force statewide today. On the LRA track, that ban now covers new combustible fences whether attached or parallel.
• • Repairs to an existing combustible fence using combustible materials are expressly permitted under the August 19 text (LRA (b)(9)(C); SRA (d)(9)).
• • Fences fall into the later compliance phase: existing structures get 3–5 years (LRA) or up to 5 years (SRA), on a timeline set locally; not immediate.
• • Scope limit, worth stating plainly: in LRA cities, the rule as written applies only to Very High FHSZ parcels. High and Moderate LRA parcels are outside the statewide rule's scope as written (though local jurisdictions can and do go further; see the ordinance list below). In SRA, the rule applies per PRC 4291 more broadly.

When the fence clauses would be due

The August 19, 2026 rule text puts the fence rules — § 1298.04(b)(8)–(9) in the LRA and § 1299.03(d)(8)–(9) in the SRA — inside the (6)–(10) group. The August summary, not the rule text, is what calls that group Phase 2:

A five-foot noncombustible section is required where fences attach to a home, to be completed in Phase 2.

For existing structures, the rule text times (6)–(10) as follows:

• • LRA § 1298.04(c)(4): within three (3) years of the effective date, or within five (5) years on a timeline set by the local agency responsible for fire protection.
• • SRA § 1299.03(e)(4): within five (5) years of the effective date, or on a timeline set by the Director, which shall not be less than three (3) years.
• • New structures (§ 1298.04(c)(1), § 1299.03(e)(1)): comply on the effective date.
• • New (c)(2) / (e)(2) tier: existing structures must meet roof and gutter debris clearance and most tree-maintenance items ((b)(2) and (b)(5)(A)–(C); SRA (d)(2) and (d)(5)(A)–(C)) on the effective date itself — earlier than the fence group.

There is no statewide effective date as of August 20, 2026. The fence requirement is the last thing due, three to five years after a date that does not exist yet, on a timeline the local agency has not set. The rule text’s LRA default is three years; five is available only where the local agency sets that timeline.

Phase 2 quote: August 2026 Board summary. Grouping and timelines: August 19, 2026 rule text, same PDF — full-8a-zone-0-regulation-summary--rule-plead-august-2026.pdf.

San Diego: the city that moved first

Full treatment lives on the San Diego service-area page.

San Diego Municipal Code §512.0604 ("Maintenance of Defensible Space," the SDWUI Code) was added January 29, 2026 by Ordinance O-22042, effective February 28, 2026. Codified text: https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter05/Ch05Art12Division06.pdf

New construction is already live — permit applications from February 28, 2026. Existing structures begin February 28, 2027. That 2027 date is Year 1 maintenance, not fences. The fence obligation is Year 3. Guidance doc (Rev. 4/22/2026): https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/zone-0-guidelines-for-existing-structures.pdf

• •Year 1, from Feb 28, 2027 — maintenance. Dead vegetation, debris, firewood, stored combustibles.
• •Year 2, from Feb 28, 2028 — vegetation removal and replacement.
• •Year 3, from Feb 28, 2029 — full compliance. Verbatim (§5.1): “Homeowners should attempt to achieve full compliance with Zone 0 regulations by February 28, 2029. This includes replacing fences and gates that do not comply with the provisions of this guidance document.”

Where an existing fence or gate is attached and extends out perpendicular from the structure, a minimum 5-foot non-combustible transitional span is required. For fences outside of Zone 0, there are no changes or new requirements.

§4.6 Fences and Gates, same PDF. The August 19 LRA text now bans new combustible fences whether attached or parallel. San Diego still goes further on existing parallel fencing: parallel combustible fencing inside Zone 0 that “creates a continuous fuel pathway and is capable of transmitting fire to a structure” is prohibited, not merely spanned. Existing vinyl without combustible reinforcement can stay if it runs parallel, is at least 4 feet from the structure, is maintained, and has no vegetation between fence and wall.