CA AB1455

Requires the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to adopt regulations implementing defensible space requirements, including an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of structures in state responsibility areas and very high fire hazard severity zones

Authorizes local agencies to adopt defensible space ordinances with alternative practices that account for local fire hazards, geography, and conditions, provided they achieve substantially similar effects as state regulations; property owners complying with local alternatives are not deemed in violation of state requirements

Allows the Board to adopt ember-resistant zone regulations as emergency regulations to meet the December 31, 2025 deadline set by Executive Order N-18-25, bypassing standard rulemaking procedures; these emergency regulations remain effective until revised by the Board

Exempts the adoption of these emergency regulations from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review

Takes effect immediately as an urgency statute to enable completion of the rulemaking process before January 1, 2026