Victorville council adopts updated local fire hazard severity zone map

The Victorville City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2455 on May 20, 2025, adopting the local fire hazard severity zone map recommended by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to California Government Code section 51178. The vote was 4–0 (Mayor Pro Tem Herriman absent).

City staff said the updated map identifies new high-severity areas primarily along the riverbed and in the city’s southern edge. Building official Joe Slegers and Deputy Fire Marshal Jeremy Kosick told the council the new map uses weather- and wind-based modeling (including embercast) and will change permitting and construction expectations for some future development in designated zones.

The ordinance formalizes the map’s adoption and starts the city’s compliance process. Staff and Slegers told the council that many of the state’s wildfire-protection requirements historically apply only in “very high” severity zones, but a forthcoming model code update could apply similar measures to “high” zones effective Jan. 1 of the next code cycle. Slegers summarized likely construction requirements developers and future builders may face if the code change applies to high zones: Class A–rated roofs (or equivalent), a 5-foot ember-resistant zone around structures, noncombustible exterior finishes, ember- and fire-resistant vents, dual-pane windows with the exterior pane tempered, enclosed noncombustible eaves, and tighter setbacks for sheds and outbuildings. He stressed that most existing homes are not retroactively affected; the measures apply to new or newly permitted construction.

Council members asked how permanent the designations are and whether areas could be reclassified after development. Slegers said the state issues the maps as minimum standards and can revise them only when the state conducts a new mapping process; local agencies may make findings to be more restrictive but cannot adopt less restrictive maps than the state’s minimums. He also said developers have approached the city about the map’s effects, specifically naming Richmond American Homes as an example of a builder reviewing how the designation would affect a proposed project.

Slegers and Kosick addressed insurance implications, noting insurers use multiple metrics to set rates; the state insurance commissioner has separately communicated insurers rely on broader underwriting criteria. Slegers said builders who adopt the hardened-construction measures sometimes see lower insurance rates compared with nearby homes without those measures but cautioned the council that broader market factors also affect premiums.

The public hearing produced no public speakers; staff reported no written comments were received during the state-mandated posting and review period. The council introduced Ordinance No. 2455 by title only, waived full reading, and adopted the ordinance without amendment.

The ordinance’s adoption formally designates local fire hazard severity zones and puts the city on the clock to implement the administrative steps required by state law.

The city posted a QR code and online resources enabling residents and property owners to search their address and review FAQs about the new map, staff said.