Photo above: Aerial view of Moraga, California, with homes below dry grass hills, October 2020. Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Maybe, and you can find out for one address in a few minutes on the Moraga-Orinda Fire District’s 2025 map. Insurance is a separate question that only a licensed insurance agent can answer for a specific house, so ask one before your contingencies run out.
Here’s how to check the zone, what it changes when you buy or sell, and where to go for coverage.
How do I look up the fire zone for a Moraga address?
Use the address search on MOFD’s Zone Zero and Fire Hazard Severity Zone page. It returns the zone for that parcel. The same page links a 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone map drawn just for the Town of Moraga, a combined Moraga-Orinda map, and two older maps from 2020 and 2009 so you can compare (Moraga-Orinda Fire District, Zone Zero and Fire Hazard Severity Zone page, checked September 25, 2026).
MOFD, not the Town, is the fire agency for Moraga. Its office is at 1150 Moraga Way, Suite B, and the phone is (925) 258-4599.
Print or screenshot the result. You’ll want it for the insurance agent and the escrow file.
What do the zones mean?
They rate wildfire hazard, not the odds that one house burns. CAL FIRE draws the zones with a model that weighs fire history, terrain, predicted flame length, blowing embers and vegetation, and sorts land into Moderate, High and Very High (MOFD, same page). MOFD notes the maps grew out of the 1991 Oakland Hills fire.
A higher zone can bring tighter building standards and defensible space rules. It does not tell you how a specific roof, yard or street will do in a real fire.
When did the Moraga map change?
In 2025. The dates, in order:
- June 17, 2020. MOFD Ordinance 20-02 designated parts of the district as a Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Area. That is the 2020 map still posted for comparison.
- February 2025. CAL FIRE released new hazard maps for local responsibility areas. MOFD opened public comment on them on February 28, 2025.
- May 21, 2025. MOFD adopted Ordinance 25-03, which designates the Fire Hazard Severity Zones and establishes an urban wildland interface community.
- January 21, 2026. MOFD adopted Ordinance 26-02, putting the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code in place with local amendments, and Ordinance 26-01 for the 2025 California Fire Code. The Town of Moraga ratified both.
Sources: MOFD Ordinances and Resolutions page and Zone Zero page, checked September 25, 2026.
So if a seller’s paperwork or an online listing shows a zone from before 2025, look it up again. The map you want is the current one.
What yard rules apply in Moraga?
Several are already law, and one is still coming. MOFD’s ordinance list shows three vegetation rules adopted in 2023:
- Ordinance 23-03 (February 15, 2023) sets fuel mitigation and exterior hazard abatement standards across the district.
- Ordinance 23-06 (June 21, 2023) declares certain hazardous vegetation and combustible material a public nuisance that can be abated.
- Ordinance 23-08 (September 20, 2023) requires fuel breaks on certain parcels.
The one still coming is Zone Zero, the first 5 feet around a house. MOFD asks owners to clear it of mulch, dry plants, wood fencing and other burnables, but says its guidelines “are not currently mandatory” while the state writes the rule under Executive Order N-18-25. MOFD expects the rule to hit new construction first, with existing homes likely phased in over three years (MOFD Zone Zero page, checked September 25, 2026).
Beyond that, MOFD describes Zone 1 as 5 to 30 feet from the house and Zone 2 as 30 to 100 feet. Walk the lot with those distances in mind before you make an offer.
Can I still get homeowners insurance in Moraga?
Ask a licensed insurance agent or broker, with the street address, as soon as you’re serious about a house. We’re not insurance agents. We can’t tell you whether a carrier will write a policy on a given home or what it will cost, and we won’t guess.
What you can do is start early:
- Quote it during escrow. Get at least one written quote before your contingencies expire, not the week you close.
- Ask the seller who insures the house now. It’s a clue about the market for that property, nothing more.
- Gather the proof. Roof type, vent screens, the MOFD certificate and any work done in the first 5 feet. Agents use it when they shop the policy.
What if a regular insurer says no?
The California FAIR Plan exists for that case. The FAIR Plan says its policies give Californians basic fire coverage when a traditional carrier won’t, and that any licensed agent or broker registered with the FAIR Plan can help you apply. It has a Find a Broker tool at cfpnet.com (California FAIR Plan, checked September 25, 2026).
Basic fire coverage is not a full homeowners policy. Ask your agent what the FAIR Plan leaves out and how to fill the gap. For anything you don’t understand in a policy, the California Department of Insurance at insurance.ca.gov is the state regulator.
Will fire work around the house lower the premium?
It can earn discounts. The California Department of Insurance says every action on its Safer from Wildfires list qualifies for an insurance discount, and that doing more can save more. The list includes a Class A fire rated roof, a 5-foot ember-resistant zone including fencing, ember-resistant vents, and belonging to a Firewise USA community (California Department of Insurance, Safer from Wildfires page, checked September 25, 2026). How big the discount is depends on the insurer.
MOFD also lists free help: a wildfire home assessment, ember-resistant vent screens, gutter guards, brush chipping, and reimbursement requests for ember-resistant vents (MOFD Zone Zero page, checked September 25, 2026). A free assessment gives you a written to-do list you can show an insurer.
What fire paperwork comes with a Moraga sale?
Two items land in almost every Moraga escrow.
- MOFD Certificate of Compliance. MOFD says every property transfer needs an in-person inspection by MOFD fuels mitigation staff. The first inspection is $336 per parcel and covers one re-inspection. Another re-inspection is $397. The certificate is good for 90 days, and MOFD asks you to allow about two to three weeks (MOFD Certificate of Compliance page, checked September 25, 2026). The fee schedule is Ordinance 26-03, operative July 1, 2026.
- State disclosure. Since July 1, 2021, a seller of a home in a high or very high fire hazard severity zone must give the buyer documentation that the property complies with state or local vegetation rules (California Civil Code 1102.19). The Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement in Civil Code 1103.2 also has a line for fire hazard severity zones (California Legislative Information, checked September 25, 2026).
Sellers, order the MOFD inspection early so a fix-it list doesn’t stall your closing. For what any disclosure means for your deal, ask a real estate attorney.
How would I get evacuation alerts in Moraga?
Know your zone and sign up for alerts. The Town of Moraga says it is divided into 23 evacuation zones, and responders use the Contra Costa County Community Warning System to notify a zone. The Town posts a zone map, an evacuation planning document and the Lamorinda Residents Guide to Wildfire Preparedness and Evacuation, and asks residents to register for alerts (Town of Moraga Police Department, Emergency Operations Plan page, checked September 25, 2026).
Evacuation is also a live local debate. SAFE Moraga, a nonprofit of residents, says it sued the Town in Contra Costa County Superior Court on February 14, 2025 to make the Town study wildfire evacuation, after the Town approved a 66-unit apartment project at 1600 School Street (SAFE Moraga release, published by News24-680, February 17, 2025). Separately, the Town and the City of Orinda are sharing a $508,000 federal planning grant to study the 4.7-mile Moraga Way corridor from Moraga Road to Orinda BART, including walking, biking, driving and transit. Lamorinda Weekly reports it is a planning study only, with no construction included (Lamorinda Weekly, February 11, 2026).
We don’t take sides on either. For what a lawsuit means for any property, talk to an attorney. For your own plan, start with the Town’s zone map.
Questions people also ask
Is all of Moraga in a very high fire hazard zone?
Don’t assume it either way. The Moraga-Orinda Fire District adopted the 2025 hazard zones on May 21, 2025, and they run from moderate to very high depending on the parcel. Type the exact address into the lookup on MOFD’s Zone Zero and Fire Hazard Severity Zone page, save the result, and give a copy to your insurance agent before you commit.
Who inspects a Moraga home for fire compliance when it sells?
The Moraga-Orinda Fire District. MOFD requires an in-person inspection for every property transfer to issue a Certificate of Compliance. The first visit costs $336 per parcel and includes one re-inspection. Extra re-inspections are $397. Certificates last 90 days, and MOFD suggests allowing two to three weeks, per its Certificate of Compliance page checked September 25, 2026.
Is Zone Zero required in Moraga yet?
Not yet, according to MOFD. The fire district recommends clearing burnable material from the first 5 feet around a home but says its Zone Zero guidelines are not currently mandatory while the state finishes rules under Executive Order N-18-25. MOFD expects existing homes would likely get about three years to comply once a rule takes effect.
What is the California FAIR Plan?
It’s the fallback for owners who can’t get fire coverage from a traditional insurer. The FAIR Plan offers basic fire coverage, and any licensed agent or broker registered with it can help you apply, per cfpnet.com, checked September 25, 2026. It is usually narrower than a full homeowners policy, so ask a licensed agent what else you need.
Your next step
Send us the Moraga address you’re looking at. We’ll pull the MOFD zone, the Certificate of Compliance status and recent nearby sales, and remind you to get an insurance quote while you can still walk away. Ask a Moraga agent on our team or call (510) 949-5525.
More on Moraga: Is Moraga, CA a good place to live? · Selling a home in Moraga · What’s my home worth?
By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Moraga, CA. Updated September 25, 2026.
Sources
- Moraga-Orinda Fire District, Zone Zero and Fire Hazard Severity Zone page (address lookup and 2025, 2020 and 2009 maps): mofd.org (checked September 25, 2026)
- Moraga-Orinda Fire District, Ordinances and Resolutions page (Ordinances 20-02, 23-03, 23-06, 23-08, 25-03, 26-01, 26-02, 26-03): mofd.org (checked September 25, 2026)
- Moraga-Orinda Fire District, Certificate of Compliance (Property Sale or Transfers) page: mofd.org (checked September 25, 2026)
- Town of Moraga Police Department, Emergency Operations Plan page (evacuation zones): moraga.ca.us/255 (checked September 25, 2026)
- California Department of Insurance, Safer from Wildfires page: insurance.ca.gov (checked September 25, 2026)
- California FAIR Plan: cfpnet.com (checked September 25, 2026)
- California Civil Code 1102.19 and 1103.2: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (checked September 25, 2026)
- News24-680, “Citizens Group Sues Town Of Moraga Over Fire Evacuation Concerns” (SAFE Moraga release), February 17, 2025: news24-680.com
- Lamorinda Weekly, “Moraga and Orinda awarded $508K grant for Moraga Way Safety Study,” February 11, 2026: lamorindaweekly.com