The California NHD report explained: all 6 statutory hazards
Every California home sale comes with a Natural Hazard Disclosure (NHD) statement — a legally required checklist of six hazard designations the property may fall in. Most buyers see it for the first time inside a thick disclosure packet, mid-escrow, with no explanation. Here is what each of the six means, and how to check them yourself before you ever write an offer.
The six statutory hazards
Civil Code §1103.2 prescribes the exact form: six yes/no determinations, each tied to an official state or federal map. In order:
| # | Disclosure | Mapped by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Special Flood Hazard Area — the FEMA 1% annual chance floodplain (zones A and V) | FEMA |
| 2 | Dam failure inundation area — land that mapped water would reach if a dam failed | Cal OES / DWR |
| 3 | Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone — the top fire class, in city (LRA) territory | CAL FIRE |
| 4 | Wildland fire area (SRA) — state responsibility wildland, where the state may not defend every structure | CAL FIRE |
| 5 | Earthquake fault zone — the Alquist-Priolo regulatory strip around active faults | CGS |
| 6 | Seismic hazard zone — liquefaction and earthquake-induced landslide zones of required investigation | CGS |
What a “yes” actually obligates
- Flood (1): flood insurance is mandatory for federally backed mortgages. See the zone codes guide for what A/AE/V mean.
- Dam inundation (2): informational — no insurance mandate or building rule attaches, which is why it is the least-understood box. Details in the dam inundation guide.
- Fire (3, 4): Very High zones carry Chapter 7A construction standards and defensible-space duties; the FHSZ guide covers both boxes.
- Earthquake (5, 6): both are investigation triggers for new construction rather than restrictions on existing homes — explained in the Alquist-Priolo and liquefaction guides.
Why checking early beats reading it in escrow
The NHD arrives after your offer is accepted — when you are emotionally committed and on a contingency clock. But every one of the six determinations comes from a public map that existed long before the listing. Screening the address up front turns the disclosure from a surprise into a confirmation, and it lets you compare candidate homes on hazard designations the same way you compare them on commute or schools. That is exactly what the sitelume map and our city pages are for.