Practitioner guide

Public sources for CEQA hazards and wildfire review

A practical guide to building separate source records for Appendix G Hazards IX(d) and Wildfire XX.

Appendix G Hazards IX(d) and Wildfire XX rely on different public records. Hazards IX(d) starts with the lists compiled under Government Code section 65962.5 and the underlying agency record. Wildfire XX starts with the project’s relationship to a state responsibility area or land classified as a very high fire hazard severity zone, then requires plans, project facts, and site information for the four wildfire questions. A public-list result or map classification is a starting fact, not the completed analysis.

Use separate source records

The two Appendix G sections ask different questions and depend on different evidence.

Hazards IX(d) asks whether a project would be located on a site included on a list compiled under Government Code section 65962.5 and, as a result, create a significant hazard to the public or the environment. The research record therefore needs to identify the relevant statutory list category, the agency source searched, the record returned, and the relationship between that record and the project.

Wildfire XX applies if a project is located in or near a state responsibility area or land classified as a very high fire hazard severity zone. It then asks about emergency response or evacuation plans, factors that could exacerbate wildfire risk, associated infrastructure, and post-fire runoff, slope instability, or drainage changes. The research record therefore needs both location evidence and the project-specific facts needed for the applicable questions.

Combining both sections into one generic constraints note can hide which source supports which statement and which facts remain open.

Hazards IX(d) starts with section 65962.5

Start with the statute, not with a single database. Government Code section 65962.5 assigns list responsibilities to several agencies and programs. Identify the subdivision and list category that matter before recording a database result.

CalEPA’s Cortese List data-resources page directs readers to public sources for facilities and sites that may meet section 65962.5 requirements. Two of those sources are DTSC’s EnviroStor Public Data Export and the State Water Resources Control Board’s GeoTracker. Record the particular source and list category used rather than citing “Cortese List” as if it were one complete parcel database.

For each source, retain the exact record identifier, site or facility name, location information, status shown by the publisher, source date or version when available, and the date of the search. Also record how the project location was compared with the public record. A name, address, text, coordinate, or proximity match still needs review against the project footprint and the underlying agency record.

If one source returns no record, state that the named source returned no record under the documented search. Do not turn that result into a statement that no listed record or hazardous-materials condition exists.

Wildfire XX starts with location scope

Start by establishing which responsibility-area and fire-hazard source applies. The Office of the State Fire Marshal Fire Hazard Severity Zones page publishes the state source for fire hazard severity zone information. Preserve the exact map, layer, viewer, or document used, its release or effective date when available, the query date, and the project location reviewed.

Keep state and local records distinct. State responsibility area information supports an SRA location record. For a local responsibility area, review the State Fire Marshal recommendation and the applicable local ordinance or map. Government Code section 51179 describes the local agency’s designation by ordinance after receiving State Fire Marshal recommendations. An SRA layer does not supply missing LRA coverage, and a state recommendation should not be recorded as the local agency’s adopted designation without checking the local source.

The map review only establishes a location or classification fact supported by that source. The four Wildfire XX questions require additional records as applicable:

  • the adopted emergency response or evacuation plan and current access and egress facts;
  • project design, roads, utilities, water supply, fuel breaks, and other associated infrastructure;
  • slope, prevailing wind, fuels, and other site conditions relevant to wildfire spread or pollutant exposure; and
  • drainage, geology, hydrology, and downslope or downstream conditions relevant to post-fire effects.

The phrase “in or near” also requires a project-specific review. A map does not decide what proximity is relevant to the project or the lead agency’s analysis.

Keep a recheckable source record

A reviewer should be able to reopen the source and understand exactly what was checked. At minimum, retain:

Record item What to preserve
Appendix G question Hazards IX(d), Wildfire XX, and the specific Wildfire XX subquestions being researched.
Authority The applicable Appendix G text, statute, regulation, local ordinance, or adopted plan.
Public source Publisher, exact title, and the specific list, record, map, layer, viewer, or document used.
Source date Published, released, effective, adopted, or version date when the publisher provides one. Use “date not published” when it does not.
Search date The date the list, database, map, or local record was checked. Keep it separate from the source date.
Project location The address, coordinates, parcel or footprint source, and any assumptions used to locate the project.
Method The search terms, record lookup, spatial comparison, distance, or other matching method used.
Returned fact The exact record, status, classification, designation, or plan information the source supplied.
Limits and next review Missing coverage, unresolved project relationship, needed local record, or project and site facts still to verify.

A screenshot can supplement this record, but it should not replace the source title, date, method, and returned fact needed to reproduce the work.

Public lists and maps have limits

A public list or database reports what its publisher makes available under that program. A result from one source does not answer the other section 65962.5 categories or every project fact relevant to Hazards IX(d). A nearby point or text match does not by itself establish that the project is located on the listed site. A source-specific no-return does not establish absence.

A fire hazard severity zone map classifies fire hazard based on the source’s criteria. It does not replace a review of evacuation, infrastructure, slope, drainage, project design, or other facts raised by Wildfire XX. Fire hazard is also not the same as a project-specific risk or environmental impact conclusion.

For both sections, preserve the narrow fact the public source supports. Leave applicability and unresolved factual connections visible for the lead agency and practitioner to review.

Move from screening to project review

For Hazards IX(d), open each possible match in the underlying agency record. Confirm the relevant section 65962.5 category, record identity, status, and relationship to the project site. If a source or category has not been checked, name the gap and the next search.

For Wildfire XX, confirm the responsibility area, applicable zone source, and any local designation. Then gather the adopted plan and project or site records needed for the relevant subquestions. If LRA status, the meaning of “near,” or another project fact remains unresolved, record it as unresolved rather than filling the gap with an SRA layer or a broad map statement.

Use the resulting facts as support for the Initial Study. The lead agency and practitioner remain responsible for selecting the applicable sources, evaluating the whole project, and making the document’s conclusions.

Official sources

Published 2026-09-10 · Last materially reviewed 2026-09-10