LRA Legislation Factsheet - Flipbook combined - Flipbook - Page 12
LRA Legislation Factsheet
Assembly Bill No.337
An act to add Chapter 6.8 (commencing with Section 51175) to Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the
Government Code, and to amend Section 13108.5 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to fire
protection.
[Enrolled, January 28, 1991]
AB 337, Bates. Very high fire hazard severity zones.
(1) Under existing law, the State Board of Forestry is required to classify all lands within the
state, in accordance with prescribed criteria, for the purpose of determining areas in which
the financial responsibility of preventing and suppressing fires is primarily the responsibility
of the state.
This bill would declare that the prevention of fires is not a municipal affair but is instead, a
matter of statewide concern, and would make a finding and declaration of the Legislature
that its provisions apply to all local agencies, including, but not limited to, charter cities,
charter counties, and charter cities and counties. The bill would prohibit that finding from
limiting the authority of a local agency, as defined, from imposing more restrictive fire and
panic safety requirements, as otherwise authorized by law.
The bill would state that it is not the intent of the Legislature to limit or restrict the authority
of a local agency to impose more restrictive fire and panic safety requirements, as otherwise
authorized by law.
This bill would require the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection to identify areas in the
state as very high fire hazard severity zones within all counties pursuant to a prescribed
schedule. The bill would require local agencies, as defined, to designate, by ordinance, very
high fire hazard severity zones in their jurisdiction after receiving recommendations from the
director, except as prescribed. The bill would authorize local agencies to include or exclude
areas following certain findings and would require changes made by local agencies to be
final and not rebuttable by the director. By requiring local agencies to designate very high
fire hazard severity zones within their jurisdictions, this bill would impose a state-mandated
local program. The bill would require the State Fire Marshal to prepare and adopt a model
ordinance that provides for the establishment of any high fire hazard security zones.
