If your home is located in the natural vegetation of San Mateo County's, foothills or coastal mountains, you live in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and are inherently at risk from wildfires. The WUI is any area where structures and other human developments meet or intermingle with wildland vegetative fuels - the shrubs, trees and grasses that make our hills so beautiful have evolved to burn.
In many vegetation types, it is not a matter of if a wildfire will impact your home, but when. Wildfires are a natural part of San Mateo County's varied ecosystems. Many San Mateo County communities are located in areas that were historically prone to frequent natural wildfires. Living in the wildland requires more self-reliance than living in urban areas. It may take longer for a fire engine to reach your area, and a small or rural fire department may be overwhelmed during an escalating wildfire. Planning ahead and taking actions to reduce fire hazards can increase your safety and help protect your property. As more people choose to live in areas prone to wildfire, additional homes and lives are potentially threatened every year.
Firefighters always do their best to protect residents and homes in the WUI, but ultimately, it is YOUR responsibility to protect your life, family, animals and property from wildfire.
SAN MATEO COUNTY FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONE (FHSZ) MAPS
Note: These maps are recommendations provided by CAL FIRE, and are not necessarily actual designated wildfire severity. Such zoning designations do not go into effect unless, and until, they are adopted by ordinance by local agencies. Local agencies are not required to report such zoning actions and CAL FIRE does not have a current list of local agencies that have adopted ordinances establishing Very High Fire Hazard Severity zones within their boundaries.
State Responsibility Area (SRA):
Local Responsibility Area (LRA):
RECOMMENDED VHFHSZ CITY AND OTHER LOCAL AGENCY MAPS
Note: In the default display for city maps, all areas outside of the city boundary are masked out. To remove the mask, click the "Layers" tab in the left margin. Then click the eye icon next to "City Mask."
- Belmont (PDF; 4.1MB)
- Half Moon Bay (PDF; 1.3MB)
- Hillsborough (PDF; 3.4MB)
- Portola Valley (PDF; 1.4MB)
- Redwood City (PDF; 6.0MB)
- San Carlos (PDF; 3.6MB)
- San Mateo (PDF; 5.1MB)
- Woodside (PDF; 3.2MB)
For city and local agency data, please refer to county data above under Recommended LRA. View details at the CAL FIRE homepage.