Nearly 700 Properties in Pasadena Could Be Added to High Fire Risk Area Classification

The Pasadena Public Safety Committee will meet Wednesday to discuss, among others, updating the city’s fire hazard severity zone maps, a change that would add 887 properties to high-risk wildfire areas while removing 188 others.

The committee meeting at 4 p.m. in City Hall’s council chamber will focus on directing the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance amending the municipal fire prevention code to adopt new fire hazard severity zones designated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The updated maps, dated March 24, 2025, represent the first major revision since the city adopted fire hazard zones in 2008. The changes would increase the total number of properties in very high fire severity zones from 3,911 to 4,610, marking an 18% increase in properties requiring annual fire safety inspections.

In an Agenda Report for the committee, Fire Chief Chad Augustin recommended the City Council adopt the new zones, which are mandated under California Government Code Section 51179. The zones primarily affect areas in the Arroyo Seco, west and north of the 210 freeway, and the upper Hastings Ranch neighborhood in east Pasadena.

The state fire marshal officially transmitted the revised maps to Pasadena on March 24. Under state law, cities must present the maps for public review within 30 days of receipt and either adopt or modify them within 120 days.

CAL FIRE’s updated assessment used new technology and current knowledge of fire behavior in urban-wildland interface areas. The maps classify land into three hazard levels – moderate, high and very high – based on topography, vegetation, weather patterns and historical fire activity.

The revision replaces Pasadena’s previous two-tiered system of high hazard and interface zones with the three-zone state nomenclature. Zone boundaries shifted to reflect current science and local wildfire behavior conditions.

Property owners in high and very high fire severity zones face defensible space requirements and must comply with fire-resistant building features. The zones also affect insurance rates and require disclosure during property transactions.

The city conducted public outreach through multiple meetings and social media platforms, receiving eight public comments between April 22 and May 30. Comments addressed fuel control in the Arroyo Seco, insurance premium impacts, defensible space requirements and suggestions to expand the hazard zones to additional city areas.

The Pasadena Fire Department plans to handle the additional inspections with existing staff and resources. Officials noted the map update creates no new regulatory requirements beyond existing state and local fire codes.

The ordinance, if approved, requires no additional city funding and is categorically exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Once adopted by the City Council, the ordinance and related documents must be submitted to the state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection for oversight and compliance review.