Planning and zoning: very high fire hazard areas.

Senators Allen and Stern's land use planning legislation requires California cities and counties to develop comprehensive wildfire safety strategies for residential areas in high-risk fire zones. The bill mandates that local governments update their general plans' safety elements to include detailed retrofit programs for existing homes and infrastructure, with implementation plans due by January 2026.

Local jurisdictions must catalog structures requiring fire-hardening modifications, establish retrofit timelines, and identify funding mechanisms for both public and private property improvements. The legislation also directs cities and counties to revise their land use elements to incorporate state fire protection goals and designate high-risk areas within their boundaries, with mandatory reviews every eight years.

The Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation will create a centralized clearinghouse by January 2027 containing local wildfire ordinances, land use policies, and mitigation practices. This repository will include approved retrofit strategies submitted by jurisdictions and serve as a resource for standardizing fire safety planning across California communities. Local governments may implement fees and assessments to fund these new planning and implementation requirements, as the bill does not provide state funding for compliance.