Bill Commons

CA AB 261

in committee

Fire safety: fire hazard severity zones: State Fire Marshal.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Quick answers

Did CA AB 261 pass?

Not yet. CA AB 261 is in committee as of 2025-08-29 and has not come to a final vote. Latest recorded action (2025-08-29): In committee: Held under submission.

What is CA AB 261 about?

Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to classify lands within state responsibility areas into fire hazard severity zones, and, by regulation, designate fire hazard severity zones and assign to each zone a rating reflecting the degree of severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in the zone. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to periodically review designated and rated zones and, as necessary, revise zones or their ratings or repeal the designation of zones. Existing law also requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state that are not state responsibility areas as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas, and to periodically review and, as necessary, make recommendations relative to very high fire hazard severity zones. This bill would prohibit the State Fire Marshal's determination of fire hazard severity zone, in both state responsibility areas and lands that are not state responsibility areas, from being based on risk mitigation activities. The bill would, as applied to both state responsibility areas and lands that are not state responsibility areas, authorize the State Fire Marshal, in periods between the State Fire Marshal's review of areas of the state for recommendations regarding an area's fire hazard severity zone, to confer with entities, including, but not limited to, public agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations, project applicants, and members of the public, on actions that may impact the degree of fire hazard in an area or the area's recommended fire hazard severity zone designation. The bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to provide a written response to an entity on actions that may impact the degree of fire hazard, and would require this written response to be posted on the State Fire Marshal's internet website. This bill would authorize those entities to provide information to the State Fire Marshal on wildfire safety improvements or other actions the entity has taken or plans to take, and any information submitted to or by the department, as specified, before the next review that may impact the degree of fire hazard in an area or the area's fire hazard severity zone designation. The bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to consider this information in the next review, and would require any documentation provided to the State Fire Marshal to be posted in a manner that is easily accessible on the State Fire Marshal's internet website. This bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to require a fee from an entity that confers with the State Fire Marshal, or provides information to the State Fire Marshal, to cover the State Fire Marshal's costs associated with these processes, as specified.

Who sponsors CA AB 261?

Quirk-Silva is the primary sponsor of CA AB 261, joined by 1 cosponsor.

Description

Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to classify lands within state responsibility areas into fire hazard severity zones, and, by regulation, designate fire hazard severity zones and assign to each zone a rating reflecting the degree of severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in the zone. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to periodically review designated and rated zones and, as necessary, revise zones or their ratings or repeal the designation of zones. Existing law also requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state that are not state responsibility areas as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas, and to periodically review and, as necessary, make recommendations relative to very high fire hazard severity zones. This bill would prohibit the State Fire Marshal's determination of fire hazard severity zone, in both state responsibility areas and lands that are not state responsibility areas, from being based on risk mitigation activities. The bill would, as applied to both state responsibility areas and lands that are not state responsibility areas, authorize the State Fire Marshal, in periods between the State Fire Marshal's review of areas of the state for recommendations regarding an area's fire hazard severity zone, to confer with entities, including, but not limited to, public agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations, project applicants, and members of the public, on actions that may impact the degree of fire hazard in an area or the area's recommended fire hazard severity zone designation. The bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to provide a written response to an entity on actions that may impact the degree of fire hazard, and would require this written response to be posted on the State Fire Marshal's internet website. This bill would authorize those entities to provide information to the State Fire Marshal on wildfire safety improvements or other actions the entity has taken or plans to take, and any information submitted to or by the department, as specified, before the next review that may impact the degree of fire hazard in an area or the area's fire hazard severity zone designation. The bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to consider this information in the next review, and would require any documentation provided to the State Fire Marshal to be posted in a manner that is easily accessible on the State Fire Marshal's internet website. This bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to require a fee from an entity that confers with the State Fire Marshal, or provides information to the State Fire Marshal, to cover the State Fire Marshal's costs associated with these processes, as specified.

Introduced
2025-03-25
Latest action
2025-08-29 — In committee: Held under submission.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Quirk-Silvaauthor
  • Rubiocoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-01-16

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

  2. 2025-01-17

    From printer. May be heard in committee February 16.

  3. 2025-02-10

    Referred to Coms. on NAT. RES. and E.M.

    referral-committee

  4. 2025-03-25

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on E.M with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (March 24).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee

  5. 2025-03-26

    Read second time and amended.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  6. 2025-03-27

    Re-referred to Com. on E.M.

    referral-committee

  7. 2025-04-29

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  8. 2025-05-07

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  9. 2025-05-23

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 23).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  10. 2025-05-27

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  11. 2025-05-29

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 70. Noes 0. Page 1783.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  12. 2025-05-29

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  13. 2025-06-11

    Referred to Coms. on G.O. and N.R. & W.

    referral-committee

  14. 2025-06-24

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on N.R. & W. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  15. 2025-07-09

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 8).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee

  16. 2025-07-10

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  17. 2025-08-18

    In committee: Referred to suspense file.

    referral-committee

  18. 2025-08-29

    In committee: Held under submission.

Versions

  • 01/16/25 - Introduced — 2025-01-16Compare
  • 03/26/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-03-26Compare
  • 07/10/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-07-10Compare
  • AB261Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass as amended, and be re-referred to the Committee on [Emergency Management] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-03-24 · pass · 13-0

    Member-level votes (14)
    • Zbur: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Wicks: other

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-04-28 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Hadwick: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Arambula: yes

  • Do pass.

    2025-05-23 · pass · 14-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Calderon: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Sanchez: other

  • AB 261 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading

    2025-05-29 · pass · 70-0

    Member-level votes (79)
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Alvarez: other
    • Nguyen: other
    • Sharp-Collins: other
    • Chen: other
    • Ward: other
    • Bryan: other
    • Addis: other
    • Solache: other
    • Tangipa: other

  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Natural Resources and Water] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-06-24 · pass · 15-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Choi: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Jones: yes

  • Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-07-08 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Limón: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Hurtado: yes

  • Placed on suspense file

    2025-08-18 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Richardson: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Grayson: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB261

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

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