Last month, Orinda's City Council became the second local government to ratify a pair of updated fire ordinances from the Moraga-Orinda Fire District. The votes were procedural, quiet, and easy to miss. But what they formalized has real implications for any homeowner in MOFD's service area who is planning exterior work this year.
Here is what actually happened, who it affects, and what it practically means for your next project.
What Was Ratified
MOFD's board held a public hearing on January 21, 2026, and adopted two new ordinances:
- Ordinance 26-01: an updated Fire Code
- Ordinance 26-02: an updated Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Code
Moraga Town Council ratified both ordinances on February 11, 2026. Orinda City Council followed on March 3, 2026. Planning Director Sonia Urzua provided the staff report for Moraga's vote.
This dual ratification is standard process: MOFD adopts and enforces the codes, but the cities and towns within its jurisdiction must formally affirm any local amendments. Both councils did exactly that.
Sources: Lamorinda Weekly, March 11, 2026, p. 5, by Vera Kochan | MOFD Notice of Adoptions, January 28, 2026
Who This Applies To, And Who It Doesn't
MOFD serves Moraga and Orinda. If you own property in either city, these ordinances apply to you.
Lafayette is not MOFD territory. Lafayette is served by ConFire (Contra Costa County Fire Protection District). These specific ordinances do not apply to Lafayette homeowners. Lafayette has its own code framework; we will cover that separately when relevant changes come through.
If you are unsure which fire district covers your address, MOFD's service area map is the place to check.
What the Codes Actually Say
Ordinance 26-01: Fire Code
California updates its Fire Code on a three-year cycle. The 2025 code cycle is the current one. Ordinance 26-01 adopts that updated state code with local amendments. MOFD is authorized to adopt local amendments that are more restrictive than state minimums when "reasonably necessary due to local climatic, geological, and/or topographical conditions." The Lamorinda hills qualify on all three counts.
The specific updates in Ordinance 26-01 include:
- Clarification of what requires operational versus construction permits
- Updated requirements for fire apparatus access, emergency access, and water supply
- Updated criteria for fire sprinkler and alarm systems
- Updated fire safety protocols during construction
- Hazardous materials management requirements
For most homeowners, the permit and access requirements are the most directly relevant. If you are pulling a permit for a project, a room addition, a new deck, an ADU, your contractor and the city planning office will be working from the updated code from the point of permit application forward.
Ordinance 26-02: WUI Code
This one matters more for exterior hardening work. Ordinance 26-02 adopts the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code with local amendments tailored to MOFD's service area.
The WUI Code governs ignition-resistant construction in designated WUI areas. Moraga and Orinda are WUI areas. The local amendments address site design and fire protection features.
What does that mean in practice? In WUI-designated areas, construction and renovation work on exterior components (roofing materials, vent assemblies, decking materials, siding) must meet ignition-resistant standards. The specific material requirements flow from the WUI Code and vary by construction type and proximity to wildland interface. Your contractor and the building department will be your authoritative source for what is required for a specific scope of work.
To be direct: the source material we are working from does not enumerate every specific material requirement. What we know with confidence is that the local codes are more restrictive than state minimums, and that MOFD has the authority to maintain them that way because of Lamorinda's documented local conditions. When you pull a permit, the applicable standards will be stated clearly.
Zone Zero: Still Pending
One significant item is not yet resolved: Zone Zero.
MOFD Deputy Fire Chief Lucas Lambert addressed this directly at the time of the January board hearing. His statement, as reported in Lamorinda Weekly: "We are at the mercy of the process, and currently the process holds with the Board of Forestry. It's working through public comments and other things. Zone Zero applies to State Responsibility Areas. It will be at the purview of MOFD's board to adopt or amend with whatever is proposed." MOFD expected to hear more from the Board of Forestry in March or April 2026.
Zone Zero, the 0-to-5-foot perimeter immediately surrounding your structure, is the highest-leverage area in terms of ember ignition risk. We have covered it in detail separately. But the formal regulatory requirements for Zone Zero are still in process at the state level and have not yet been adopted by MOFD. What MOFD adopts (and potentially amends) will be a separate action from these two ordinances.
For more on Zone Zero as it stands now, see: The Zero-Foot Perimeter: Lamorinda's New Line of Defense and MOFD Defensible Space Requirements for 2026.
What Changes, What Doesn't
What changes:
- The code baseline for construction and renovation projects in Moraga and Orinda is now the 2025 California Fire Code and 2025 WUI Code, with MOFD's local amendments
- Projects pulling permits after the adoption dates are subject to the updated requirements
- Requirements for fire apparatus access and emergency access have been updated, relevant if you are building anything that affects road or driveway configuration
What doesn't change:
- The fundamental principle that exterior hardening is the right approach. This has been true for years and is now more formally codified
- The fact that roof, vents, and the 0-to-5-foot zone remain the highest-leverage projects for most homes
- Zone Zero is still in process. MOFD has not yet adopted final Zone Zero requirements
Our Take
These ordinances are good news for Lamorinda. They formalize what many homeowners here have already been doing: choosing ignition-resistant materials, clearing combustible debris from their perimeter, thinking about how their home interacts with the landscape during a fire.
MOFD using its authority to adopt codes more restrictive than state minimums is not overreach. It is appropriate to the conditions here. Lamorinda's topography, vegetation, and fire history are exactly the conditions the state carve-out is designed for. The updated codes mean that every home built or remodeled in these hills will be incrementally more defensible. That protects not just the homeowner doing the project, but the neighbor whose house is thirty feet away.
Here is our view: you should not wait for a permit to start the work that matters most. The codes apply to new construction and renovation. But the basic actions they codify (clearing combustible material from the area around your home, choosing fire-resistant materials when you replace something, keeping your vents screened and your gutters clean) are common sense that any homeowner can act on right now, regardless of whether a permit is involved. That said, requirements vary by jurisdiction, so check with your local building department before undertaking any structural modifications.
If you are planning a roof, deck, or vent project, the updated WUI Code means the materials you choose need to meet current ignition-resistant standards. That is not a burden; it is a reason to do the project right. And if you are not planning a project this year, there is still a 30-minute action you can take this weekend: walk the perimeter of your home and clear the first five feet of anything that could catch an ember. No permit required. No contractor needed. Just a rake, a trash bag, and the knowledge that what you do in that zone matters more than any code on paper.
On Zone Zero specifically: the formal regulatory requirements are still in process at the state level, working through the Board of Forestry. MOFD has not yet adopted final Zone Zero rules. But the science behind Zone Zero is settled: embers landing in the first five feet are the leading cause of home ignition. You do not need to wait for the Board of Forestry to clear your gutters, move your woodpile, or replace combustible mulch with gravel. The regulation will eventually catch up to the common sense. Be ahead of it.
Next Steps by Reader Type
You are planning exterior work this year (roof, deck, vents, remodel)
The most important step is a pre-application conversation with your city's building department before you finalize contractor bids. The updated codes are now in effect. Your contractor should be familiar with them; ask directly whether they have reviewed MOFD's Ordinance 26-01 and 26-02 requirements for your project type.
For material guidance on the most common projects:
- Roof replacement: How to Replace a Wood Shake Roof
- Vent screening: Screen Foundation and Eave Vents
- Deck enclosure: Enclose Your Deck Underside
- Full hardening overview: Home Hardening Checklist
You are not planning any projects in the near term
The new codes apply to construction and renovation work, not to existing structures as-is. But that does not mean there is nothing to do. The actions that matter most for your home's survivability, clearing your five-foot perimeter, screening your vents, cleaning your gutters, moving combustibles away from walls, do not require a permit or a contractor. They require a weekend.
Start with the Big Three hardening priorities and work your way through the Home Hardening Checklist. When you do eventually plan a larger project, you will already be ahead of the code, and you will have a safer home in the meantime.
You are in Lafayette
These MOFD ordinances do not apply to you. Lafayette falls under ConFire jurisdiction, which operates under its own code framework. The underlying logic (ignition-resistant materials, ember-resistant construction) applies everywhere in the WUI, and the Big Three hardening priorities are the right framework regardless of jurisdiction. But for regulatory requirements specific to Lafayette, you would look to ConFire and Contra Costa County building standards.
Sources
- Lamorinda Weekly, March 11, 2026, p. 5, "Orinda Council Ratifies MOFD Ordinances" by Vera Kochan
- MOFD Notice of Adoptions: Ordinance 26-01 (Fire Code) & Ordinance 26-02 (WUI Code), January 28, 2026