September 25, 2026

Where Zone Zero stands in Malibu right now

This post is dated. We update it every time the rule moves. Last checked November 7, 2026.

Where it stands

Zone 0 comes from AB 3074, passed in 2020. It creates a five foot ember resistant zone around every structure in a fire hazard severity zone, and it told the Board of Forestry to write the rules. The Board took six years.

On August 19, 2026, the Board voted 8 to 0 to adopt emergency Zone 0 regulations. On August 28 the package was filed with the Office of Administrative Law, the state’s legal review step, as emergency file 2026-0828-03E. The five day public comment window closed September 2.

On September 8 the Board withdrew the filing. It described the withdrawal as procedural, to make technical edits before resubmitting.

On October 28, the Mountain Democrat reported that the revised package was expected back before the Board at its November 5 meeting for approval, and that it would then be resubmitted to OAL. A Board official said the soonest it could take effect was the very end of November or early December. Reports from local fire officials in October describe the revisions as keeping the phased timeline. As of November 7 we have not seen a new OAL filing, so the rule is still not in effect.

So as of today: adopted by the Board, not operative law, expected back at OAL. Anyone who tells you Zone 0 is “the law” or “not happening” is a step ahead or a step behind.

Why it matters in Malibu specifically

On October 28, 2025, the Malibu City Council adopted Ordinance 527, designating the entire city a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone based on the State Fire Marshal’s 2025 map. That puts every Malibu parcel inside the Zone 0 footprint the day the rule takes effect. There is no Malibu lot that is exempt.

A speaker at that council meeting said residents expect to be forced to comply by the end of 2028. That is a resident’s estimate, not a city deadline, and we treat it that way.

What the adopted text says about fences and gates

The final text was softer than the early drafts on landscaping. Lawns, flowers, ground cover, and existing trees can stay under conditions. On fences and gates it is specific:

No new combustible fence or gate may attach to the house.
Where an existing fence attaches to the house, a five foot noncombustible span is required within the phase-in period.
Existing wood fences can be repaired like for like.
Outbuildings under 120 square feet inside the zone must be fully noncombustible.

New construction has to comply on the effective date. Existing homes phase in over three years for debris, trees, and landscaping, and five years for fences, under-eave areas, and outbuildings. Local agencies can adopt alternatives by ordinance.

What to do now

If you are rebuilding, design the perimeter with the house. A wood fence tied into a hardened wall is the mistake the rule is written to stop, and it costs nothing extra to avoid on a new build.

If you are keeping your house and your wood fence, plan for the five foot swap: replace only the section that touches the house with aluminum or steel and a noncombustible return. It is a small job, and it is the one the rule will require first. We describe it on our Zone Zero fences and gates page.

If you are waiting to see whether the rule survives OAL, that is reasonable. Just know that the insurance side is not waiting. The IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home standard already requires the five foot noncombustible zone, and California requires carriers to offer discounts for it.

Sources

Forge & Cove builds fire hardened homes in Malibu and everything around them to the same specification. Book a site walk.