CC&R Authority
Most governing documents written before 2020 don’t authorize enforcement of a five-foot perimeter rule at the unit level. Some still require the wood fencing the rule now prohibits. Amendments are needed before fines can stand.
California’s Zone 0 defensible-space requirement is now codified in San Diego, scheduled across South Orange County, and demanded at every HOA master-policy renewal. We help Boards document compliance, close governance gaps, and walk into renewal ready.
California’s Zone 0 rule has been law since 2020 — Assembly Bill 3074 created the requirement for a five-foot ember-resistant zone around every structure in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. After five years of regulatory pause, the City of San Diego went first: codified into Municipal Code §512.0604, with hard implementation dates beginning February 28, 2027 and full compliance by 2029. Orange County Fire Authority, Laguna Beach, and the unincorporated San Diego County areas are each moving at their own pace.
But the carriers are not waiting on any of them. Master-policy underwriters have been pricing wildfire risk into HOA premiums for years, and California HOAs in fire-zone communities have seen 200 to 500 percent premium increases inside a single renewal cycle. Carriers want photo-documented defensible space, governance language that authorizes enforcement, and remediation plans they can attach to the renewal file. Boards without that documentation see premium spikes, deductible hikes, or non-renewal.
Zone 0 has two clocks. The local enforcement clock matters. The renewal clock matters more — because it is already running.
Most governing documents written before 2020 don’t authorize enforcement of a five-foot perimeter rule at the unit level. Some still require the wood fencing the rule now prohibits. Amendments are needed before fines can stand.
As of July 2025, HOA fines are capped at $100 per violation unless the Board adopts a written, open-meeting health-and-safety finding. Most Boards have not. Without the finding, a Board has $100 of leverage against a several-thousand-dollar fencing problem.
The next renewal will require defensible-space proof. Boards who walk in with documentation negotiate a different conversation than Boards who walk in without it. The cost of being unprepared is paid in premium.
Fence replacement, common-area re-landscaping, and hardscape conversion are capital-level expenses. Boards that plan now spread the cost across reserve cycles. Boards that wait fund the work through emergency assessments.
The Zone Zero Compliance and Insurance Readiness Report. A written, photo-documented assessment of a community’s standing against the rule, the carrier’s likely requirements, and the funding and discount pathways currently available. Built to be presented at a Board meeting and submitted with the next master-policy renewal.
Every Report covers the same twelve sections: jurisdiction verification, common-area exposure with prioritized photo documentation, a unit-level sample, a CC&R and architectural-guidelines gap analysis, an AB 130 procedural audit, the insurance documentation packet, FAIR Plan discount eligibility, the funding inventory, and a sequenced 30/60/90-day action plan calibrated to the community’s renewal date.
Delivered as a fixed-fee engagement, scoped per community. We come to your community, walk every building, and present the findings to the Board in person.
Twenty minutes. We learn about the community, jurisdiction, renewal date, and what the Board needs to figure out. You learn how the Readiness Report works, what it costs, and whether the timing makes sense. No commitment.
Two to three hours on-site with the Board president or community manager. Every building, every common-area perimeter, every visible exposure. We photo-document the findings and pull the governance documents for review.
Twelve sections. Photo documentation. Specific governance language. Insurance documentation packet. Funding inventory. Action plan sequenced to your renewal. Presented to the Board in person.
The Report ends with three scoped follow-on engagements — governance amendments, common-area remediation coordination, funding application support. Each is priced and the Board can authorize any combination, or none.
Open the free checker and type the address. The tool locates the property and lets you drag the pin onto the exact building if needed.
CAL FIRE’s own map loads right inside the tool and shows the property’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone — Very High, High, or Moderate — and whether it’s state or local responsibility.
Tap the zone to see what Zone 0 means for the Board, then request a call. Your address and zone travel with the inquiry, so the conversation starts informed.
Check any address against CAL FIRE’s official Fire Hazard Severity Zone map and see who’s responsible for the five-foot rule in your community — free, in under a minute.
Check My ZoneSend us a few details and we’ll respond within one business day to set up a twenty-minute call. There’s no obligation, no pitch, and no sales follow-up unless you ask for one.
If a form isn’t the right fit, call or email instead. We’ll get back to you within one business day.