Photo above: Aerial view of the dry northwest foothills of Mount Diablo meeting neighborhoods, October 2020. Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
There’s a good chance, yes. The State Fire Marshal’s Clayton map, dated February 24, 2025, shades a big share of the city Very High, mostly on the east side toward Mount Diablo and along the south edge, and Con Fire says the new zones took effect July 10, 2025. The northwest corner and much of the flatter center are unzoned, so the only answer that counts is the one for your parcel.
Look it up before you fall for the house. It takes five minutes, and it changes your disclosures, your inspection list and your insurance calls.
What does the Clayton fire map show?
A lot of red. On the “Local Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zones” map for the City of Clayton, the State Fire Marshal uses three levels: Very High, High and Moderate. Everything else is unzoned (CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, City of Clayton map, February 24, 2025, PDF posted by the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, checked September 25, 2026).
Here is how the map reads, by area:
- East side. One large Very High block covers most of the eastern half of the city. Street labels printed inside it include Eagle Peak Avenue, Windmill Canyon Drive, Peacock Creek Drive and Pebble Beach Drive. Keller Ridge Drive’s label sits in the High band along the north edge, just above the Very High shading.
- South edge. More Very High shading runs along the southern city line, where the map labels Regency Drive, and out along Marsh Creek Road on the east.
- The step-down bands. High and then Moderate bands sit between the Very High areas and the rest of town. They curve along Indian Wells Way, around Easley Drive and near Mount Wilson Way and El Molino Drive.
- Northwest and center. The area around El Camino Drive, Yolanda Circle, the west end of Oakhurst Drive, lower Mitchell Canyon Road and Oak Street shows as unzoned.
Just past the city line, the hills of unincorporated Contra Costa County are rated Very High on a separate state map for State Responsibility Area land, in effect since April 1, 2024 (same map legend). That open land wraps the east and south sides of town.
Streets don’t follow the bands. Two houses a few doors apart can land in different zones. Check the lot, not the street name.
How do I check my own address?
Use one of these, then save a dated screenshot:
- CAL FIRE’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewer. Con Fire links it from its Local Responsibility Area Maps page at cccfpd.org. Type the address and zoom to the parcel.
- The Clayton map PDF. The same Con Fire page posts “LRA Clayton Map (PDF).” It’s the fastest way to see the whole city at once.
- Ask Con Fire. Email the address to [email protected] and ask which zone it’s in (Con Fire, Real Property Transfer Inspection (AB 38) guide, checked September 25, 2026).
The Natural Hazard Disclosure report on a listing should also show it. Read that report early, not the night before your contingencies run out.
Who made the map, and can Clayton change it?
The State Fire Marshal drew it, and local agencies can’t lower it. Con Fire says it adopted Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps consistent with the State Fire Marshal’s recommendations, effective July 10, 2025. State law is plain on the rest: Government Code 51179(b)(3) says a local agency shall not decrease the zone the State Fire Marshal identified for any area (Con Fire, Local Responsibility Area Maps page; Government Code 51179, both checked September 25, 2026).
What’s new is the scale. Con Fire’s FAQ says the older local maps showed only Very High, and the new ones add High and Moderate. That’s why some Clayton owners who never thought about fire zones are hearing about them now.
Questions about how the map was built go to CAL FIRE. Questions about local rules go to Con Fire at 925-941-3300. Con Fire runs Station 11 at 6500 Center Street in Clayton (Con Fire, Station 11 page, checked September 25, 2026).
What happens when I sell a home in a High or Very High zone?
You’ll need proof the lot meets the vegetation rules, or a signed agreement with your buyer. Since July 1, 2021, state law has required a seller in a High or Very High zone to give the buyer documentation that the property complies with the state defensible space law or the local vegetation ordinance. If the seller doesn’t have it, seller and buyer sign a written agreement that the buyer will get it (California Civil Code 1102.19, checked September 25, 2026).
Con Fire handles this with what it calls an AB 38 inspection. Its guide says Contra Costa County Ordinance 2023-07 requires a seller in the district to hand the buyer documentation from the Fire Code Official before close of escrow (Con Fire, Real Property Transfer Inspection (AB 38) guide, checked September 25, 2026). The steps it lists:
- Confirm the parcel is in Con Fire’s area and in a High or Very High zone.
- Email [email protected] with the address to request an inspection.
- Submit the application and pay the fee. Con Fire’s guide doesn’t list the amount, so ask.
- An inspector reaches out to schedule. Con Fire says that can take up to 5 working days.
The first visit usually runs one to two hours, and you don’t need to be home. The report comes by email with photos of anything that needs work. If the lot doesn’t pass, you get a re-inspection. If it still doesn’t meet the rules, the guide says seller and buyer sign an agreement for the buyer to get compliance within one year after closing.
Do the brush work before you list. A failed inspection in week three of escrow is a bad week.
What does Con Fire look for?
Three rings around the house. Con Fire’s guide describes them:
- Zone Zero, 0 to 5 feet. The ember resistant zone. Plants, decks and outdoor furniture count as fuel here. Gravel and hardscape work well.
- Zone 1, 5 to 30 feet. Remove dead plants and debris, space out shrubs and trees, clear “ladder fuels” under trees, and keep it irrigated.
- Zone 2, 30 to 100 feet. Cut back dead grass, weeds and brush.
If the lot backs onto open space, walk the back fence line. That’s usually where the work is.
What else shows up in the disclosures?
Two items for most Clayton homes in these zones:
- The Natural Hazard Disclosure. The state form has a line for a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and notes the owner must meet the vegetation rules in Government Code 51182. Moderate isn’t one of its boxes. If the map isn’t clear enough to tell, the seller or seller’s agent marks “yes” unless a report shows otherwise (California Civil Code 1103.2, checked September 25, 2026).
- A home hardening notice for older homes. If the house was built before January 1, 2010 and sits in a High or Very High zone, the seller gives a notice saying it was built before the state’s wildfire building codes, lists known features like vents, wood shake roofs and single pane windows, and, since July 1, 2025, lists which low-cost retrofits the seller completed (California Civil Code 1102.6f, checked September 25, 2026).
Check the year built on the property record. If it’s before 2010, plan on that second notice. For what any disclosure means for your deal, talk to a real estate attorney.
Has Clayton had a fire recently?
Not inside the city, but close. The Morgan Fire burned near Morgan Territory Road and Marsh Creek Road on the Mount Diablo side in July 2026. CAL FIRE lists it at 50.8 acres, 100% contained, with July 20, 2026 as its end date (CAL FIRE incident data, Morgan Fire, checked September 25, 2026). It was outside city limits.
It’s a reminder of why the map looks the way it does. It doesn’t tell you anything about one house.
Can I get fire insurance on a Clayton home in a Very High zone?
Only a licensed insurance agent or broker can answer that for a specific house. We’re not insurance agents, and we won’t guess at price or availability. Where to go:
- A licensed agent or broker, early. Get a real quote on the exact address during your contingency period.
- The California FAIR Plan. It calls itself an insurer of last resort and sells basic fire coverage when traditional insurers won’t. You apply through a licensed agent or broker registered with the FAIR Plan (California FAIR Plan, cfpnet.com, checked September 25, 2026).
- The California Department of Insurance. Consumer hotline 1-800-927-4357 (Department of Insurance, consumer help page, checked September 25, 2026).
Ask the agent whether a passed AB 38 inspection or home hardening work makes a difference with their company. Let them answer that, not us.
Questions people also ask
Is Clayton in a Very High fire hazard severity zone?
Much of it. The State Fire Marshal’s Clayton map dated February 24, 2025 shades most of the east side and the south edge Very High, with High and Moderate bands between those areas and the unzoned northwest and center. Con Fire says the zones took effect July 10, 2025. Look up your exact parcel on CAL FIRE’s viewer before you rely on any summary.
Do I need a fire inspection to sell my Clayton house?
If it’s in a High or Very High zone, plan on one. Con Fire’s AB 38 guide says county Ordinance 2023-07 requires sellers in the district to give buyers compliance documentation from the Fire Code Official before close of escrow. Request it by email at [email protected] and pay the fee. Scheduling can take up to 5 working days.
Can Clayton lower my home’s fire zone?
No. Government Code 51179(b)(3) says a local agency shall not decrease a fire hazard severity zone the State Fire Marshal identified, per the statute checked September 25, 2026. Con Fire says it adopted maps consistent with the State Fire Marshal’s recommendations. For questions about how a zone was drawn, contact CAL FIRE through the link on Con Fire’s page.
Does a Moderate zone show up on the Natural Hazard Disclosure?
No. The Natural Hazard Disclosure form in Civil Code 1103.2 asks about High and Very High fire hazard severity zones, not Moderate. Con Fire’s AB 38 sale inspection is also for High and Very High parcels. A Moderate lot still sits near open space, though, so walk the property and ask the seller what brush work has been done.
Your next step
Send us the Clayton address you’re looking at. We’ll pull the parcel on the fire map and the disclosure report, flag whether an AB 38 inspection applies, and remind you when to call an insurance agent. Talk to an agent on our team or call (510) 949-5525.
More on Clayton: Is Clayton, CA a good place to live? · Selling a home in Clayton · What’s my home worth?
By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Clayton, CA. Updated September 25, 2026.
Sources
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, “Local Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zones, City of Clayton, Contra Costa County,” February 24, 2025 (PDF posted by Con Fire at cccfpd.org/DocumentCenter/View/163, checked September 25, 2026)
- Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Local Responsibility Area Maps page and FAQ: cccfpd.org/205/Local-Responsibility-Area-Maps (checked September 25, 2026)
- Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Real Property Transfer Inspection (AB 38) guide: cccfpd.org/DocumentCenter/View/411 (checked September 25, 2026)
- Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Fire Station 11 page: cccfpd.org (checked September 25, 2026)
- CAL FIRE, incident data for the Morgan Fire (acres, containment, end date): incidents.fire.ca.gov incident list, 2026 (checked September 25, 2026)
- California Civil Code 1102.19, 1102.6f and 1103.2, and Government Code 51179: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (checked September 25, 2026)
- California FAIR Plan: cfpnet.com (checked September 25, 2026)
- California Department of Insurance, consumer help: insurance.ca.gov (checked September 25, 2026)