The City of Ferndale wants to make residents and property owners aware of and invite feedback on new Fire-Hazard Severity Maps covering the City of Ferndale.

The new maps, released last month by the California State Fire Marshal, cover areas under the jurisdiction of all local fire departments (called Local Responsibility Areas, or LRAs), and assign comparative levels of varying fire-hazard severity based on climate and topography. Click this link: Ferndale LRA Map to view Ferndale’s new map. No areas in the City of Ferndale are mapped as having a high or very high fire hazard severity, as shown in the new LRA map.

Under state law, cities and other local governmental agencies are required to adopt or incorporate the new hazard designations of moderate, high and very high into local ordinances that inform and guide local land-use planning, code enforcement and wildfire risk mitigation strategies.

The public comment period opens on March 21, 2025, and closes on May 3, 2025 at 11:59 PM. Public comments can be emailed to longrangeplan@ci.ferndale.ca.us or mailed to PO Box 1095, Ferndale CA, 95536. All written comment will be included in a presentation to the Ferndale City Council at its regular meeting on May 20, 2025.

Impacts to Homeowners Insurance

The new fire hazard severity maps are unlikely to affect homeowner insurance prices in California, as insurers already use this information and other data in their pricing models.

California Department of Insurance has provided the following frequently asked questions documents:

INSURANCE AND CAL FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONE MAP (ENGLISH)
INSURANCE AND CAL FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONE MAP (SPANISH)

For more information about insurance, please call the Department of Insurance hotline at 1-800-927-4357 or visit their website at http://www.insurance.ca.gov/