Bay Area cities ranked: share of land in Very High fire hazard zones
CAL FIRE’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps classify land as Moderate, High, or Very High based on fuels, terrain, fire weather, and ember exposure. This table ranks the Bay Area’s incorporated cities by the share of their area inside a Very High zone — the class that carries mandatory seller disclosure, Chapter 7A construction standards, and defensible-space requirements. Shares are computed against each city’s Census boundary and refresh automatically when the state updates its maps. (Not sure what the classes mean? Start with our FHSZ guide.)
| # | City | County | Very High | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Gatos | Santa Clara | 47% | 2% |
| 2 | El Cerrito | Contra Costa | 47% | <1% |
| 3 | Lafayette | Contra Costa | 46% | <1% |
| 4 | Monte Sereno | Santa Clara | 45% | <1% |
| 5 | Mill Valley | Marin | 43% | <1% |
| 6 | Woodside | San Mateo | 40% | <1% |
| 7 | Saratoga | Santa Clara | 40% | <1% |
| 8 | Hillsborough | San Mateo | 37% | <1% |
| 9 | Orinda | Contra Costa | 30% | <1% |
| 10 | San Carlos | San Mateo | 28% | <1% |
| 11 | Belmont | San Mateo | 26% | <1% |
| 12 | Calistoga | Napa | 22% | <1% |
| 13 | Oakland | Alameda | 22% | <1% |
| 14 | Half Moon Bay | San Mateo | 20% | <1% |
| 15 | Morgan Hill | Santa Clara | 19% | <1% |
| 16 | Larkspur | Marin | 13% | <1% |
| 17 | Richmond | Contra Costa | 12% | <1% |
| 18 | Piedmont | Alameda | 11% | <1% |
| 19 | Berkeley | Alameda | 11% | <1% |
| 20 | Novato | Marin | 9% | <1% |
| 21 | Martinez | Contra Costa | 9% | 4% |
| 22 | Pleasanton | Alameda | 8% | 4% |
| 23 | Moraga | Contra Costa | 7% | <1% |
| 24 | Santa Rosa | Sonoma | 6% | <1% |
| 25 | Portola Valley | San Mateo | 6% | <1% |
| 26 | Pinole | Contra Costa | 4% | <1% |
| 27 | Cloverdale | Sonoma | 4% | <1% |
| 28 | Redwood City | San Mateo | 3% | <1% |
| 29 | San Jose | Santa Clara | 3% | <1% |
| 30 | San Mateo | San Mateo | 3% | <1% |
How to read this
- A high share means much of the city’s land carries the designation — it does not describe any individual property. Zone boundaries follow terrain, so two addresses a block apart can differ. Check a specific address on the interactive map.
- Hillside cities dominate because the classification tracks slope, wildland fuels, and ember exposure — the same reasons those areas are attractive to live in.
- Cities with 0% aren’t “safe” in any absolute sense; they simply have no land in a currently designated Very High zone. Ember-driven fires can travel well beyond zone boundaries.
Source: CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps (SRA + LRA), intersected with Census TIGER city boundaries. Incorporated cities only; unincorporated communities appear on their own place pages. Shares recompute when the underlying maps are reloaded.