Wildfire Prevention

Prohibits local governments from blocking firefighter participation in cancer prevention research studies. Ensures fire departments can provide facility access and equipment for cancer research grant studies. Supports the existing California Firefighter Cancer Prevention and Research Program.

Extends California's wildfire defense program indefinitely to enhance home protection and fire safety assessments. Requires assessors to complete enhanced home ignition zone inspection training by July 2026. Establishes a statewide reporting system to track defensible space compliance and direct enforcement. Authorizes trained volunteers and organizations to conduct fire safety assessments and educate property owners.

Mandates regulations to implement ember-resistant zones within five feet of structures. Requires 100-foot defensible space around structures as part of the regulations. Authorizes local fire agencies to adopt defensible-space ordinances with alternative practices. Permits emergency regulations if regular rulemaking would miss the 12/31/2025 deadline.

Allocates 10% of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to support community air quality improvement programs. Provides grants and technical assistance to help disadvantaged communities reduce air pollution. Requires continuous funding for air monitoring, emissions reduction, and community participation initiatives.

Expands oversight of agricultural burning by requiring state agencies to supervise and regulate burning activities. Exempts wildland vegetation management burning from permit requirements when conducted by authorized agencies. Requires development of new safety guidelines and best practices for wildland vegetation management burning.

Extends California's wildfire defense programs for home assessments and education through January 2031. Establishes a statewide reporting system to track property compliance with fire safety requirements. Creates a training program for volunteers to help homeowners meet defensible space requirements. Authorizes qualified entities like conservation corps to conduct fire safety assessments.

Establishes a grant-criteria framework for environmentally sensitive vegetation management. Defines environmentally sensitive vegetation management and type conversion terms. Requires twelve grant-criteria, including IPM, biodiversity, and water buffers. Declares no new funding is authorized; enforcement relies on grant guidelines.

Establishes new post-wildfire safety zones in areas where major wildfires have caused significant damage. Requires the State Fire Marshal to map and designate high-risk fire areas based on expanded criteria by 2025. Mandates local agencies to post wildfire safety zone maps within 10 business days of receiving them. Triggers automatic fire protection standards in designated areas 30 days after map transmission.

Establishes a new Community Hardening Commission to develop statewide wildfire safety standards by 2027. Requires quarterly meetings starting January 2026 to create guidelines for home and community fire protection. Creates a data sharing platform to track and analyze wildfire risks at neighborhood and community levels. Mandates after-action reports following major wildfires to improve future prevention strategies.

Requires the State Fire Marshal to develop a home hardening certification program by January 2027 to reduce wildfire risks. Establishes a Wildfire Mitigation Advisory Committee to oversee fire safety programs and meet monthly. Creates an online database of fire-resistant building products and materials for wildland-urban interface areas. Authorizes certification of contractors who complete wildfire resiliency training programs.

Expands city authority to permit western Joshua tree removal for commercial and industrial projects. Establishes a tiered fee system ranging from $150 to $2,500 per tree based on size and location. Requires annual population assessments by desert plant specialists to monitor local tree conservation. Mandates relocation protocols to ensure successful transplantation of affected trees.

Mandates new rules for privately contracted fire prevention resources during active incidents. Requires OES, CAL FIRE, and FIRESCOPE to develop regulations with private and public input. Requires nonemergency labeling and prohibits emergency lights or branding. Preserves water system authority and allows hookups only with approval and backflow device.

Establishes a state plan and county plans to manage wildfire-related air quality. Sets state plan due by 6/30/2027; posting in 7 days; distributing in 14 days. Requires counties to adopt county-specific or regional plans aligned with the state plan and assign leads. Adds respite facility criteria, PPE stockpiling, outreach, and 14-day dissemination.

Extends the wildfire defensible space program indefinitely and adds nonprofits. Anonymizes owner data and bars enforcement use unless the owner requests. Creates a common data reporting platform and guides resource allocation. Authorizes contractor certification and funds a volunteer pilot from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

Expands when fees may be collected to accelerate funding for residential projects. Authorizes bonds or credits for affordable housing. Expands upfront funding categories to water, sewer, fire, roads, schools, and parkland. Uses contracts, liens, and escrow to secure fee payments.

Establishes a new process for local agencies to conduct wildfire prevention while protecting endangered species. Requires local agencies to submit wildlife protection plans to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for review. Mandates the Department to approve or deny permits within 45 days of receiving complete applications. Sets minimum five-year terms for approved permits with options for renewal.

Requires state agencies to approve timber harvesting plans within 5 working days instead of 60 days. Mandates detailed documentation of equipment, water usage, and environmental impacts in harvesting plans. Establishes faster waste discharge authorizations for approved timber operations.

Establishes a project-specific incidental take carve-out for SR 37 affecting four fully protected species. Requires compliance with incidental take permit standards, conservation measures, monitoring and adaptive management, and payment of the permit fee. Authorizes the department to issue an incidental take permit for SR 37 for the four species. Requires public notice and a 30-day comment for proposed take.

Authorizes 35 annual wildfire fuel reduction projects on public timberlands to streamline environmental reviews. Limits eligible projects to noncommercial operations under 1,500 acres that use public funding. Expires automatically on January 1, 2031 unless renewed by the legislature.

Establishes a new process for local agencies to conduct wildfire prevention activities while protecting endangered species. Exempts fuel reduction projects in fire hazard zones from environmental review requirements. Requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to review wildfire plans within 90 days. Mandates 5-year minimum permits for approved wildfire prevention activities.

Establishes a new statewide wildfire risk planning framework to evaluate and coordinate mitigation efforts by 2027. Accelerates ember-resistant zone requirements for rental properties and homes for sale in high-risk fire areas. Requires fire-resistant building standards for all reconstruction of wildfire-destroyed buildings after July 2026. Provides grants to local agencies for wildfire inspectors and early implementation of ember-resistant zones through 2029.

Streamlines renewable energy project approvals by allowing pre-approved takes of at-risk species that become endangered. Requires renewable energy projects to comply with existing permits and species protection requirements. Establishes research partnerships between wildlife officials and energy developers to study species impacts. Mandates a comprehensive legislative report on species protection outcomes by January 2030.

Extends California's wildfire technology research and mitigation programs through 2031. Maintains the Office of Wildfire Technology Research and Development's role in testing emerging fire prevention tools. Preserves the state's wildfire mitigation financial assistance program for property owners. Requires annual reporting on program effectiveness and wildfire risk reduction outcomes.

Establishes a state workgroup to study and address toxic heavy metal exposure from wildfires. Requires development of safety guidelines for first responders and communities affected by wildfires. Mandates research into methods to prevent and clean up heavy metal contamination after wildfires. Requires findings to be reported to the Legislature within 3 years of the workgroup's first meeting.

Establishes a statewide data platform to track health impacts of wildfire smoke by July 2028. Creates a new fund to support wildfire smoke and health data collection and management. Requires state agencies to develop protocols for tracking air pollution and health impacts from wildfires. Mandates integration of smoke data from federal, state, and local agencies into a unified system.