Santa Barbara County Municipal Code Art. XIX Primary Wildland-Urban Interface Code

That certain building code known and designated as the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, 2025 Edition, promulgated by the California Building Standards Commission, 2525 Natomas Park Drive, Suite 130, Sacramento, California 95833-2936, published by the International Code Council, 500 New Jersey Ave., NW, 6th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, is hereby adopted and enacted as amended as the primary wildland-urban interface code of the county and made a part of this Code by reference.

(Ord. No. 5270, § 1, 11-18-2025)

A. Section 101.3.1 of the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code is hereby replaced in its entirety to read as follows:

101.3.1 Applications. New buildings, additions and alterations located in any Fire Hazard Severity Zone or any Wildland-Urban Interface Areas designated by the enforcing agency constructed after the application date shall comply with the provisions of this Chapter. Only the altered area of existing building needs to comply with the provisions of this Chapter unless otherwise exempted herein.

Exceptions:

1. Alterations to the existing buildings where less than 50% of roof framing is modified or replaced.

2. Alterations to the existing buildings where less than 50% of exterior walls exterior finish material is modified or replaced.

3. Buildings of an accessory character classified as a Group U occupancy and not exceeding 120 square feet in floor area, when located at least 30 feet from an applicable building.

4. Buildings of an accessory character classified as Group U occupancy of any size located at least 50 feet from an applicable building.

5. Buildings classified as a Group U Agricultural Building, as defined in Section 202 of this Code (see also Appendix C — Group U Agricultural Buildings), when located at least 50 feet from an applicable building.

B. Section 202 of the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code is hereby amended by adding or amending the following:

BOARD. The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.

BUILDING AND STRUCTURES. Any structure intended for supporting or sheltering any occupancy. They are those buildings and structures, described within this Article VII, whether inhabited or not.

COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS. Are weeds, stubble, brush, rubbish, litter, dry grass, dry leaves or other flammable materials that are readily ignitable and endanger the public safety.

PARCEL. Is a portion of land of any size, the area of which is determined by the assessor's maps and records and may be identified by an assessor's parcel number whether or not any buildings or structures are present.

ZONE 0. A five-foot ember-resistant area required around structures in high-fire-hazard zones to reduce home ignition from wind-blown embers during wildfires. Zone 0 regulations require the use of hardscaping like concrete or pavers, removal of dead plants and debris from roofs and gutters, clearing of combustible items from decks and porches, and the replacement of combustible fences attached to the home with non-combustible alternatives.

C. Section 603.3.1 of the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code is hereby amended to read as follows:

1. Delineation of the 5-foot (1524 mm), 30-foot (9144 mm) and 100-foot (30 488mm) fuel management zones from all structures.

2. Identification of ground coverings within the 5-foot (1524 mm) to 30-foot (9144 mm) zone, with adherence to PRC 4291 within the ember resistant zone (Zone 0) from 0-foot (o mm) to 5-foot (1524 mm) from all structures.

D. Section 604.2 of the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code is hereby amended to read as follows:

Buildings and structure locations in the following areas shall maintain the required hazardous vegetation and fuel management:

1. All unincorporated lands designated as a State Responsibility Area (SRA).

2. Land designated as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone by a city or local agency.

3. Land designated in a city or local agency ordinance as a wildland-urban interface (WUI) area.

E. Section 613 is added to the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code to read as follows:

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY FIRE HAZARD ABATEMENT

613.1 Applicability. The provisions of Section 613 shall be applicable to all areas within the Santa Barbara County Fire Protection District and all other unincorporated areas of the County, except the areas within the Carpinteria/Summerland Fire Protection District, Montecito Fire Protection District, Vandenberg Air Force Base, and Bureau of Indian Affairs Lands, unless otherwise specified by this Chapter, and those areas in independent fire districts having governing bodies other than the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors that choose to enforce this Section. If any part of this Article is in conflict with any other part, the more restrictive provisions shall be controlling.

613.2 Prohibited disposal of combustible material. No person shall place, deposit or dump combustible material, which in the opinion of the Code Official constitutes a fire hazard, on a parcel, whether or not he owns such parcel, or whether or not he so places, deposits or dumps on such parcel with the consent of the owner thereof.

613.3 Clearance of Brush, Vegetative Growth and Combustible Material from Parcels. All parcels declared a fire hazard shall be cleared of combustible material to the satisfaction of the fire code official.

613.4 Clearance of brush or vegetative growth from roadways. The fire code official is authorized to require areas within 10 feet on each side of portions of Fire Apparatus Access Roads and driveways to be cleared of non-fire-resistive vegetation growth.

Exception: Single specimens of trees, ornamental vegetative fuels or cultivated ground cover, such as green grass, ivy, succulents or similar plants used as ground cover, provided they do not form a means of readily transmitting fire.

613.5 Clearance of fire protection equipment, ground-mounted photovoltaic panel systems and utilities is amended to read as follows:

A minimum of 30 feet of defensible space shall be maintained around communication towers, non fire-resistive water tanks, water supply pumps, pump houses, generators and ground-mounted photovoltaic panel systems which are 1,500 square feet or greater in combined panel area.

613.6 Prosecution. The Fire Chief shall serve a written order upon the owner or possessor of a parcel, when, in his or her opinion, a fire hazard exists upon a parcel. The order shall identify the fire hazard and direct such owner or possessor to remove or abate the fire hazard within a specified period of time, but not less than ten days, after such order is given. Every owner or possessor who fails or refuses to abate said fire hazard from such parcel within the time specified after being served with such order is guilty of an infraction as described in Santa Barbara County Code, Chapter 15, Article VI. Evidence that the current assessment roll of the County shows real property assessed to a person shall constitute prima facie evidence that such person is the owner of such property.

613.7 Order to abate fire hazard—Notice. The Fire Chief shall send, by certified mail, a copy of the written order providing information specified in Section 613.6, and shall include an assessor's parcel number of the parcel set forth on the county assessment roll, to the last assessee of the parcel at the address given on such roll. In addition, the order shall provide the specific date, time and location of when the Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Barbara will meet to hear the report of the Fire Chief regarding the alleged fire hazard, and include the following:

"WARNING: The Fire Chief has determined that a fire hazard exists on this parcel. If not abated, the Fire Chief or his designee, shall enter and remove or abate the fire hazard by cutting, burning or removing the flammable material. THE COST OF SUCH REMOVAL WILL BE COLLECTED BY ADDING IT ONTO THE TAXES ASSESSED AGAINST THIS Parcel. ANY OWNER OR POSSESSOR INTENDING TO ABATE THIS FIRE HAZARD AT HIS OWN EXPENSE SHOULD DO SO IMMEDIATELY."

The Fire Chief shall post each notice to abate, including the legal description in some conspicuous place in the office of the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors. It shall be the responsibility of the owner of record in the current assessment roll to notify any new owner or possessor of the parcel of the notice that was received and forward the notice to the new owner or possessor of the parcel. It shall also be the responsibility of the current owner of record to notify the fire department of this change in ownership.

613.8 Order to abate fire hazard—Posting Location. The Fire Chief may, in addition to mailing, have a written order posted in front of any parcel upon which a fire hazard exists, or, if such parcel does not front upon any street, highway or road, then either upon the portion of such parcel nearest to a street, highway or road or upon such portion that is likely to give actual notice to the owner or lawful possessor.

613.9 Order to abate fire hazard—Posting Time. The order provided for in Section 613.8 shall be posted at least ten days before the board meets to hear the report of the Fire Chief regarding the alleged fire hazard.

613.10 Hearing. At the time and place stated in the written orders, the Board shall meet to hear the report of the Fire Chief and any objections thereto. The Fire Chief or his designated representative shall attend, inform the Board as to the alleged fire hazard and supply the legal description of the parcel upon which it exists, the name and address of the last known assessee thereof and state what he has done in order to give notice of the hearing according to the provisions of this article. The Board may continue from time to time as it sees fit.

613.11 Board of Supervisors' direction to abate fire hazard. If, after a hearing, the Board finds that a fire hazard exists upon a parcel, it may direct the Fire Chief to abate the hazard. The Board shall maintain a record of its proceedings at such hearing and retain therewith the report of the Fire Chief, a legal description of such a lot or land and, where available, the name and address of its last known assessee.

613.12 Abatement procedure—Fire Chief authorized to expend funds, contract, etc. If the Board directs the Fire Chief to abate a fire hazard, he shall proceed to abate such hazard unless it has been abated, completely, before his agents arrive to begin such abatement. The Fire Chief may expend appropriated funds for such abatement and may contract with a person or persons for the performance of the work of such abatement.

613.13 Account of expenses—Report to be filed with the Board of Supervisors. The Fire Chief shall keep an account of his expenses when abating a fire hazard pursuant to the direction of the Board and file a report with the Board. The report shall include the assessor's tax area and parcel numbers according to the County assessment roll of the parcel upon which such fire hazard existed and, when available, the name and address of the last known assessee. The report shall include a reasonable administrative cost in an amount to be fixed by the Board from time to time, based on administrative costs of carrying out these regulations.

613.14 Account of expenses—Filing with Clerk—Confirmation hearing. The report of expenses referred to in Section 613.13 shall be maintained on file, open to public inspection, in the office of the Clerk of the Board for at least ten days before a hearing of the Board to confirm such report. If any person shall, before the expiration of such ten days, file a written request for notice of the hearing upon such confirmation, the Board shall mail such notice to the address supplied in any such written request. At the time fixed for such hearing, the Board shall meet to hear any objections to the report of expenses filed by the Fire Chief as required by this Section. At such hearing the Board may make any modifications in the amount it deems just, after which the report shall be confirmed.

613.15 Expenses constitute special assessment and lien. The amount of expenses incurred by the Fire Chief for abating a fire hazard shall constitute a special assessment and a lien against the parcel from which such hazard was removed.

613.16 Expense report to be transmitted to Auditor-Controller. The Board shall deliver a copy of the expense report, as confirmed, to the Auditor-Controller of the County.

613.17 Inclusion of assessment on property tax bill—Disposition of revenue. The County Auditor Controller shall enter the amount stated in the report as a special assessment against the parcel described in the report. The tax collector of the County shall include the amount of the assessment on the bill for taxes levied against the parcel. All laws applicable to the levy, collection and enforcement of County taxes are applicable to such special assessments. All special assessments collected as provided in this Article shall be accounted for as fire district revenue.

(Ord. No. 5270, § 1, 11-18-2025)