Berkeley Municipal Code Art. 3 Wildland-Urban Interface Areas

Chapter 3 of the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code is partially adopted with adopted sections below. (Sections adopted by the State Fire Marshal remain unless modified below.)

302.3 WUI Areas in Berkeley. The High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, Panoramic Mitigation Area, and Grizzly Peak Mitigation Area are designated as Wildland-Urban Interface Area (WUI) and are described as follows:

302.3.1 FLATLANDS AREA. The Flatlands Area encompasses the entire City of Berkeley except for areas in the High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, which includes the Panoramic Mitigation Area and Grizzly Peak Mitigation Area.

302.3.2 HIGH FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONE. Encompasses those areas identified as High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, locally amended and designated by ordinance pursuant to California Government Code Sections 51176 through 51189. These areas are available on the City of Berkeley publicly accessible GIS map.

This area includes areas of the City east / northeast of the line formed by these roads. Homes addressed on, or with a structural frontage on either side of these road segments are included in the zone:

a. The Arlington Avenue from the Kensington Border to Marin Avenue.

b. Fountain Walk from Marin Avenue to Sutter Street.

c. Sutter Street from the southern portal of the Northbrae Tunnel to Eunice Street.

d. Eunice Street from Sutter Street to Spruce Street.

e. Spruce Street from Eunice Street to Hearst Avenue.

f. Hearst Avenue from Spruce Street to Gayley Road.

g. Gayley Road from Hearst Avenue to Piedmont Avenue.

h. Piedmont Avenue from Gayley Road to Bancroft Way.

i. Piedmont Crescent from Piedmont Avenue to Warring Street.

j. Warring Street from Dwight Way to Derby Street.

k. Derby Street from Warring Street to Belrose Avenue.

l. Belrose Avenue from Derby Street to Garber Street.

m. Claremont Boulevard from Garber Street to Claremont Avenue.

n. Claremont Avenue from Claremont Boulevard to the Oakland Border.

302.3.5 VERY HIGH FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONE. The Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone encompasses those areas identified by CalFIRE as Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones pursuant to California Government Code 51175-51189, locally amended and designated by ordinance. These areas are available on the City of Berkeley publicly accessible GIS map.

PANORAMIC MITIGATION AREA. The Panoramic Mitigation Area encompasses those areas of the city bounded by the line formed by these roads and by the City Limit to the east. The entirety of the Panoramic Mitigation Area is designated, by ordinance, as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Homes addressed on, or with a structural frontage on either side of these road segments are included in the zone:

a. Centennial Drive from the Oakland border to Stadium Rim Way.

b. Stadium Rim Way from Centennial Drive to Canyon Road.

c. Canyon Road from Stadium Rim Way to Bancroft Way.

d. Bancroft Way from Canyon Road to Bancroft Steps.

e. Bancroft Steps from Bancroft Way to Bancroft Way.

f. Bancroft Way from Bancroft Steps to Piedmont Avenue.

g. Piedmont Avenue from Bancroft Way to Dwight Way.

h. Dwight Way East from Piedmont Avenue to the eastern terminus of Dwight Way.

i. A straight line extending East from the terminus of Dwight Way to the Oakland border.

GRIZZLY PEAK MITIGATION AREA. The Grizzly Peak Mitigation Area encompasses those areas of the city east of Grizzly Peak Boulevard to the city boundary. Homes addressed on, or with a structural frontage on either side of Grizzly Peak Boulevard are included in the area. The Grizzly Peak Mitigation Area is designated, by ordinance, as a Very-High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.

302.4 Restrictions in Wildland-Urban Interface Areas. Code requirements in this code apply to the High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, Panoramic Mitigation Area, and Grizzly Peak Mitigation Area.

(Ord. 7991-NS § 1, 2025)