SB 1348 Summary

• Requires the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection to identify moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones statewide and mandates local agencies make this information available for public review and comment within 30 days.

• Modifies defensible space requirements to allow fuel modification beyond property lines only when necessary to maintain 100 feet of defensible space and only with written consent from adjacent landowners or pursuant to local ordinance.

• Expands the local assistance grant program for fire prevention to include vegetation management along roadways, public education on wildfire resilience, home hardening projects, and risk reduction checklists, while increasing advance payments from 25% to 50% of grant awards.

• Establishes a training and certification program for qualified entities (nonprofits, conservation corps, fire safe councils, tribes) to conduct defensible space and home hardening assessments; sunsets January 1, 2025.

• Requires the State Fire Marshal and Department of Housing and Community Development to propose building standards for high fire hazard severity zones and consider expanding standards to moderate hazard zones during the next code adoption cycle.