For City Council Meeting June 24, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Tanya Williams, City Manager
AUTHOR: Chris Jensen, Fire Marshal
Title
Request City Council to Conduct the Public Hearing and consider Ordinance No. 1700 Adopting Updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps for the City of Rialto.
POWERPOINT
(ACTION)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Conduct a public hearing to receive public testimony regarding the adoption of the updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps;
2. Introduce and adopt an ordinance designating updated Fire Hazard Severity Zones within the City of Rialto, as recommended by the California State Fire Marshal; and,
3. Authorize staff to transmit the adopted ordinance and maps to the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection within 30 days, as required by Government Code ? 51179.
BACKGROUND
On March 24, 2025, the California State Fire Marshal released updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps for San Bernardino County, including the City of Rialto. Per Government Code ? 51179 and Public Resources Code ? 4202, local jurisdictions are required to adopt these maps by ordinance within 120 days of release. To comply with this requirement, the City Council set a public hearing date for June 24, 2025, to consider the adoption of the updated maps.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
The updated FHSZ maps reflect current wildfire risk modeling and help guide appropriate land use planning, building code enforcement, and fire mitigation standards. The maps designate areas of Moderate, High, and Very High fire hazard risk. The updated designations will apply to new development projects in those areas and will trigger compliance with California Building Code Chapter 7A related to fire-resistant construction materials and defensible space requirements.
The updated maps do not impact existing developments, including those that already meet Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) standards. However, new construction or ma...
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