All countiesAlameda County
Zone 0 status in Alameda County
Alameda County includes the Berkeley hills, where the city's own ordinance (BMC §19.49.070) requires a stricter, maintenance-based ember-resistant zone covering the Grizzly Peak and Panoramic mitigation areas - roughly 1,400 homes - in effect since January 1, 2026, with inspections beginning that May. Everywhere else in Berkeley, and everywhere else in Alameda County, the statewide rule below is what applies.
City of Berkeley Covers only two named hillside areas (the Grizzly Peak and Panoramic mitigation areas, roughly 1,400 homes), not the whole city. Requires trees within 5 feet of a structure to be kept free of dead material and pruned to specific clearances (10 ft from chimneys, 6 ft above the roof), stricter than the statewide rule's 5-foot roof clearance. In effect since January 1, 2026; inspections began May 2026. (Berkeley Municipal Code §19.49.070 (Wildland-Urban Interface Code §604.3.1/604.3.2).)
Source Elsewhere in this county Outside the specific jurisdiction(s) named above, the statewide Zone 0 rule (adopted August 19, 2026) applies based on your property's Fire Hazard Severity Zone, not a county-wide mandate.
Check an address in Alameda CountyWhat this is, and isn't Zone Zero Check is an independent, AI-assisted informational tool. It is not affiliated with CAL FIRE or the State of California, and it does not satisfy the official Defensible Space Inspection required under Civil Code §1102.19 (AB 38) for a home sale. That documentation comes only from CAL FIRE or your local fire department, request it directly at
fire.ca.gov/dspace.
