California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Approves First-in-the-Nation Zone 0 Defensible Space Regulations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2026

Sacramento, CA — The California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection today approved the final draft of Zone 0 defensible space regulations, marking another critical step in the state’s ongoing effort to better protect homes and communities from wildfire.

Directed by legislation including Assembly Bill 3074 (2020), Senate Bill 504 (2024), Assembly Bill 1455 (2025), and Governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order N-18-25 in 2025, the new regulation adds to California’s growing list of wildfire resilience efforts and focuses on practical wildfire safety actions for the first five feet around homes and structures—an area where professional experience and research indicate that homes are most vulnerable to ignition from embers.