Wildfire High-Risk Areas - New Regulations and Assistance
On January 1, 2008, the new 2007 California Building and Fire Codes became effective statewide along with local amendments for the City of Palo Alto. The new codes require that building products comply with specific regulations and standards for use in the designated Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas, which in Palo Alto, are those areas west of Interstate 280.
Guidance for these standards is provided on the California Deparment of Forestry and Fire Protection website:
In an effort to provide homeowners, designers, contractors and local fire and building officials a readily available list of compliant building products and materials for use in the WUI areas, the State Fire Marshal's (SFM's) office has created the "WUI Compliant Products Handbook":
All products and materials listed in this Handbook have been reviewed and verified for compliance with the new Building and Fire Code standards by SFM staff. The Handbook will be periodically updated and is available on the SFM's website at the link below. It should be noted that products and materials not listed in the Handbook may still comply with applicable standards and it is not required for any products or materials to be listed in order to be used in the WUI areas. The only requirement is that they comply with the WUI standards.
