Oxnard Municipal Code Art. XIII California Wildland-Urban Interface Code

The seventh part of twelve parts of the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, known as the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code ("CWUIC") 2025 Edition, published by the Building Standards Commission, 2525 Natomas Park Drive, Suite 130, Sacramento CA 95833-2936, is hereby adopted by reference, subject to the amendments, additions, and deletions hereinafter set forth. One copy of such code is on file in the office of the City Clerk and is available for public inspection as required by law.

(Ord. No. 3070)

(A) Add Sections 405 through 405.9.1 to read:

405. FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONE - REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIC TO OXNARD.

405.1. Fire Hazard Severity Zone Established. The Fire Hazard Severity Zones shall be established as shown in Article XIX Section 14-40 of the OCC.

FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONE MAP

405.1.2. Modified Boundary Lines. When in the course of improvement of undeveloped areas of the City, new streets, lots and building sites are created where none existed before, and such new streets, lots and building sites overlap the existing boundary line of the Fire Hazard Severity Zone, the boundary line of such zone shall be deemed to be relocated to coincide with the property boundary or along the center line of such newly created streets that lie closest to the original boundary line location.

405.1.3. Legal Description. The Fire Code Official shall, by regulation, establish a legal description of the Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Such regulation shall be amended from time to time to reflect changes necessitated by Section 405.1.2, or for other necessary purposes. Every such regulation of the Fire Code Official shall be established according to the requirements of Section 104.1.1 of the Oxnard City Fire Code.

405.2. Posting of Signs Prohibiting Smoking and Burning. There shall be no open burning or smoking in the Fire Hazard Severity Zones. The Fire Code Official shall cause such districts to be posted at all times by suitable signs giving notice thereof.

405.3. Authority to Construct. Maintain and Close Fire Roads, Fire Trails and Firebreaks. The Fire Code Official shall have authority to construct fire roads and firebreaks in or upon any undeveloped lands in any mountain or hill area, whether or not such lands are public or private, with the consent of the owner thereof, and to maintain the same on a permanent basis when the Fire Code Official determines that such fire roads and firebreak are necessary for the protection of life and property against fire or panic.

405.3.1. Authority to Secure. The Fire Code Official may install gates or cables, and securely lock the same, to prevent the use by unauthorized persons of any fire road, truck trail or other road which is not a public highway and over which the Fire Department has the right to pass, whether by easement, license, City ownership or otherwise, for purposes relating to fire protection or control.

405.4. Authority in Public Lands. All lands within the limits of the City of Oxnard and lying within the boundaries of any State or Federal lands may be closed to the public by the Fire Chief or by any duly authorized State or Federal officer, provided such closure is not in conflict with any State or Federal law. No person shall enter upon any lands so closed except by valid Special Permit from the Fire Code Official pursuant to Section 105.8 of the Oxnard City Fire Code. Notice of such closure shall be deemed sufficient when provided pursuant to Section 405.8.1.

Exception: Closure of private lands shall not prohibit the use or entry upon such lands by the owner, his guests or invitees, provided such guests or invitees have written permission of the owner of such private lands to enter upon the same.

405.5. Open Flame Prohibited. There shall be no open flame or self-contained device capable of producing flame permitted or located upon any road, street or fire road within the Fire Hazard Severity Zones.

405.6. Smoking Prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to light, ignite or smoke any cigar, cigarette, tobacco in a pipe or other form of smoldering substance within the Fire Hazard Severity Zones.

405.7. Clearance of Vegetative Growth From Electrical Transmission Lines. Any person owning, leasing, controlling, operating or maintaining any electrical transmission line over any mountainous forest, brush, or hazardous vegetation covered land shall at all times cut, trim, or otherwise remove all forked, dead, decadent, rotten, diseased, or weakened branches of trees, or trees that may contact or fall upon any transmission line. Live trees shall remain pruned and trimmed to prevent exposure to electrical transmission or branch lines.

405.8. Restricted Entry or Presence in the Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Any person who enters or is present in the Fire Hazard Severity Zones, except upon public roadways, inhabited areas, or established trails and campsites open to the public, is committing a trespass. Notice of said offense shall be deemed sufficient where provided pursuant to Section 405.8.1.

Exceptions: This subsection shall not prohibit residents or owners of private property or their invitees or guests from going to or from such private property, provided that such invitees or guests have the permission of the owner or resident to be in or upon such private property.

This subsection shall not restrict any public officer in the pursuit of his/her duty.

405.8.1. Notice. For purposes of Sections 405 through 405.9.1, notice may be given as follows:

Posted Property. By posted signs identifying the property closed to the public within the Fire Hazard Severity Zones, bearing the words "PROPERTY CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC - TRESPASSING FORBIDDEN BY LAW" in letters not less than 3 inches in height, at the entrance thereto and along all exterior boundaries at equal intervals not less than three to the mile, and at all roads and trails entering the property; or

Personal Notice. By personal notice given directly to a person found in an area of the Fire Hazard Severity Zones closed to the public, advising the person that the area is closed to the public and that if the person refuses or fails immediately to leave the closed area, or if the person leaves and returns, the person's presence in the non-public area constitutes trespassing.

405.8.2. Trespass. No person shall travel or trespass upon any identified Fire Hazard Severity Zone.

405.8.3. Special Permit. No person shall operate, drive or park any motorcycle, motor scooter or other vehicle within the Fire Hazard Severity Zones, except upon clearly established public or private roads, without first having secured a Special Permit from the Fire Code Official pursuant to Section 105.8.

405.8.4. Unauthorized Parking. No unauthorized person shall park any vehicle so as to obstruct the entrance to any identified Fire Hazard Severity Zone.

405.9. Tampering With Established Locks, Signs, Barriers, or Water Tanks. No person, except one authorized and acting within the scope of his official duties, shall unlock, open, damage, or tamper with or cause to be unlocked, opened, damaged, or tampered with any lock, gate, door, barrier, seal, water tank enclosure, water valve, hydrant, or other fire protection equipment or facility installed by or under control of the designated Fire Authority.

405.9.1. Defacing Signs. No person, except one authorized and acting within the scope of his official duties, shall remove, deface, mar, mutilate, or change the position of any sign, installed by the Fire Code Official pursuant to this article, designating “CLOSED AREA,” “NO SMOKING,” “NO OPEN FIRES,” “RESTRICTED ENTRY,” or other sign or device installed to give warning and to regulate persons' actions within the Fire Hazard Severity Zone.

(Ord. No. 3070)