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California · Civil Code §§1102.6f, 1102.19Selling a California home in a fire hazard zone: the fire hardening notice and defensible space documentation

For property in a high or very high fire hazard severity zone, a seller of a home built before January 1, 2010 gives the buyer a disclosure notice with a statutory statement about the Wildland Urban Interface codes, a list of low-cost retrofits showing which ones were completed while the seller owned the home (from July 1, 2025), and which of six listed ember-vulnerable features the seller knows exist – vents with openings over one-eighth inch, untreated wood shingle roofs, combustible materials within five feet, single-pane or non-tempered windows, loose bird stopping or flashing, and gutters without noncombustible covers; a final defensible space inspection report the seller obtained must also be provided (Cal. Civ. Code §1102.6f). Separately, since July 1, 2021, a seller in those zones provides documentation that the property complies with Public Resources Code §4291 or the local vegetation management ordinance – under the local ordinance where there is one, or from an inspection within the six months before the sale where an agency offers one; if the seller has none, seller and buyer sign a written agreement that the buyer will obtain it, within one year after close of escrow where no local ordinance applies (§1102.19(a)–(b)).

The rules

  1. 1. Pre-2010 homes (§1102.6f)

    Fire hardening notice, completed retrofits and known vulnerable features.

  2. 2. Inspection report (§1102.6f(b))

    A copy of any final defensible space inspection report the seller obtained.

  3. 3. Defensible space (§1102.19(a))

    Documentation of compliance with PRC §4291 or the local ordinance.

  4. 4. No documentation (§1102.19(b))

    Written agreement that the buyer obtains it – within a year where no local ordinance applies.

What the TC can do

  • Check the fire hazard severity zone on the natural hazard disclosure early.
  • For a pre-2010 home, track the fire hardening notice as a seller task.
  • Get the defensible space documentation, or the signed buyer agreement, into the file before closing.

Questions about California fire zone disclosures

What is the California fire hardening disclosure?

A notice for homes built before 2010 in high or very high fire hazard severity zones, with a statutory statement, completed low-cost retrofits and known ember-vulnerable features (Cal. Civ. Code §1102.6f).

What if the California seller has no defensible space inspection?

Seller and buyer sign a written agreement that the buyer will obtain the documentation – under the local ordinance, or within one year after close of escrow where there is none (§1102.19(b)).

Related guides

Add tasks in ClosingCode for the fire hardening notice and the defensible space documentation, with an owner and a due date.

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Source: California Civil Code §§1102.6f and 1102.19 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, read October 26, 2026).

General information, not legal advice. ClosingCode is software; it is not a law firm or brokerage. This guide is not a substitute for the advice or services of an attorney.