REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Travis Hopkins, City Manager
VIA: Eric McCoy, Fire Chief
PREPARED BY: Kevin Justen, Senior Management Analyst
Subject:
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Approve for Introduction Uncodified Ordinance No. 4336 Adopting the Fire Hazard Severity Zones
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Statement of Issue:
Government Code Section 51178 (Attachment 1) directs the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state as moderate, high and very high fire hazard severity zones and Section 51179 (Attachment 2) requires that local agencies designate by Ordinance which zones in their jurisdictions are in each category. On March 23, 2025, the State Fire Marshal made available to the City of Huntington Beach the updated Local Responsibility Area hazard maps and Section 51179 requires the City to submit an Ordinance within 120 days from publication of these maps designating Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Ordinance No. 4336 (Attachment 3) designates these zones by reference.
Financial Impact:
There is no financial impact to adopt this Ordinance.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
Approve for introduction Uncodified Ordinance No. 4336, “An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Adopting Fire Hazard Severity Zones.”
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Alternative Action(s):
Do not approve Ordinance No. 4336 and direct staff accordingly.
Analysis:
Government Code Section 51178 requires the Cal Fire Office of the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state as moderate, high and very high fire severity. These zones are selected based on modeling which includes factors such as fuel loading, slope, fire weather, and other relevant factors, including areas where winds have been identified as a major cause of wildfire spread.
Once maps identifying these areas are issued, Government Code Section 51179 requires that each local agency designate by Ordinance Hazard Severity Zones within its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving fire severity maps from the Office of the State Fire Marshal. These maps were made available to the City of Huntington Beach on March 24, 2025. They were provided for public comment from March 28, 2025 until April 30, 2025 through the City web site, social media sites and an email group of 80,000. No public comments were received.
In total, there are 279 parcels that all or a portion are in the high Fire Hazard Severity Zone and 219 parcels are in the moderate zone. Some parcels fall in both high and moderate zones and a link to the maps is shown as Attachment 4.
The high and moderate Fire Hazard Severity Zones include:
• Bolsa Chica Wetlands
• A large portion of the Brightwater development
• Residential properties around Warner Avenue and Los Patos Avenue
• The south side of Warner Avenue
• Properties north of Warner Avenue, including Weatherly Bay HOA, portions of Huntington Harbour, Huntington Harbour Bay Club and parcels on the north side of Warner Avenue near Edgewater Lane
Overall, the high and moderate Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Huntington Beach are relatively small and Fire Department resources and mutual aid are adequate to address any associated fires.
Future impacts to residents could include additional plan review and inspection fees associated with fuel modification plans and defensible space inspections for real estate transactions in Fire Hazard Severity Zones. However, since these programs have not been developed, impacts cannot be identified at this time.
Approval and introduction of Ordinance No. 4336 is recommended. A PowerPoint presentation is included as Attachment 5.
Environmental Status:
This action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Goal 8 - Public Safety, Strategy B - Bolster City's emergency management preparedness and response plans to ensure seamless public safety response during crisis events.
Attachment(s):
1. Government Code Section 51178
2. Government Code Section 51179
3. Uncodified Ordinance No. 4336
4. Link to Huntington Beach Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps
5. PowerPoint Presentation