Assembly Bill 1280 Clarifies Fire Hazard Zone Disclosure on Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement

California Natural Hazard Disclosure – Fire Hazard Zones Clarification

Assembly Bill 1280 was chaptered in late July 2023, triggering the first significant change to the Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement since its inception in 1998. The welcomed change clarifies whether or not the property is within a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Over the past few years, most NHD companies have been disclosing this information, but not on the Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement since the statutory form cannot be altered.

The High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone Disclosure has been a hot topic in the disclosure industry since the passage of Assembly Bill 38 in 2019, otherwise known as the Defensible Space and Fire Hardening disclosure. If a property is with a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, it is required to disclose this information to buyers. The seller must also fill out the Fire Hardening Defensible Space (FHDS) CAR Form.

The new form is slated to take effect January 1, 2024, but since there have been no maps or data changes, HomeGuard NHD has already implemented the new form on our NHD Reports.

Learn More About California NHD Reports and the Latest on Fire Hazard Zones with HomeGuard

If you are a REALTOR or Office Manager and would like to schedule a meeting to go over these changes in-person or via Zoom Meeting, please contact JMorgan@HomeGuard.com or call Jessica at 925) 290-0797 to schedule a presentation!