The California natural hazard disclosure is a short state form that tells a buyer whether a home sits in any of six mapped hazard areas: a FEMA flood zone, a dam inundation area, a high or very high fire hazard severity zone, a state wildland fire area, an earthquake fault zone or a seismic hazard zone. Civil Code Section 1103.2 sets out the exact wording of the Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement, and Section 1103.3 has the seller deliver it as soon as practicable before title transfers.
This guide walks through each zone on the form, the official map behind it, and how to check a Bay Area address yourself before a report arrives. In November 2026 we read Civil Code Sections 1103, 1103.2 and 1103.4 on the Legislature's official site, the other sections in the California Department of Real Estate's 2026 Real Estate Law (current as of January 1, 2026), and the agency map pages. Laws and maps change, so confirm before you rely on any of it.
When the disclosure applies
Civil Code Section 1103 covers a sale, exchange, real property sales contract, lease with an option to purchase, other option to purchase, or ground lease coupled with improvements of any single-family residential property. It applies when the seller or the seller's agent is required to disclose that the property lies in one of the hazard zones. Any waiver of the article is void as against public policy.
Section 1103.1 exempts certain transfers, including court-ordered sales such as probate sales, foreclosure-related transfers, transfers between co-owners or spouses or to relatives in the line of consanguinity, and sales to or from a government entity. Sales by a fiduciary administering a trust or estate are exempt too, except when the trustee is a natural person, the trust is revocable, and the seller is a former owner or an occupant within the preceding year. An exempt sale may still trigger separate disclosure duties in the Government Code and Public Resources Code.
The six hazard areas on the form
A special flood hazard area (any type Zone "A" or "V") designated by FEMA. FEMA's glossary calls the special flood hazard area the area where the National Flood Insurance Program's floodplain management regulations must be enforced and where the mandatory purchase of flood insurance applies. If FEMA has issued a Letter of Map Revision taking a property out of the zone, the seller may mark "No" and attach the letter, even if the map hasn't been updated.
An area of potential flooding shown on a dam failure inundation map. As Water Code Section 6161 requires, the Department of Water Resources' Division of Safety of Dams reviews and approves inundation maps that licensed civil engineers prepare for extremely high, high and significant hazard dams. The department says the maps are a tool for emergency action plans, and that actual evacuation zones are set by local emergency managers.
A high or very high fire hazard severity zone. That is the form's wording, not "very high" alone. Its three boxes are high in a state responsibility area, very high in a state responsibility area, and very high in a local responsibility area. There is no box for a high zone in a local responsibility area, and moderate zones aren't on the form. Owners are subject to the maintenance requirements of Government Code Section 51182.
A wildland area that may contain substantial forest fire risks and hazards. This is the state responsibility area under Public Resources Code Section 4125. The form says owners are subject to Section 4291's maintenance requirements, and that the state isn't responsible for fire protection services to a building in the wildlands unless the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has a cooperative agreement with a local agency.
An earthquake fault zone. The California Geological Survey says these Alquist-Priolo zones are long and narrow and average about one-quarter mile wide. A structure for human occupancy can't be placed over the fault and must be a minimum distance from it, generally fifty feet. Local agencies require a geologic investigation by a California-licensed geologist before permitting a new project.
A seismic hazard zone. The boxes are "Yes (Landslide Zone)", "Yes (Liquefaction Zone)", "No" and "Map not yet released by state." The Survey says the Seismic Hazards Mapping Act passed in 1990 after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and that liquefaction occurs when loose, water-saturated sediments lose strength in strong shaking.
The statute prints a warning in capital letters on the form: these hazards may limit your ability to develop the property, to obtain insurance, or to receive assistance after a disaster. Our insurance guide for older homes covers what to ask a carrier.
How fire zones are set, and why they changed
Government Code Section 51178 has the State Fire Marshal identify moderate, high and very high fire hazard severity zones based on fuel loading, slope, fire weather and wind. Under Section 51179, a city or county designates the zones by ordinance within 120 days of receiving the recommendations. It may add areas, but it may not decrease the zone level the State Fire Marshal identified.
As of November 2026, the State Fire Marshal's fire hazard severity zone page says its State Responsibility Area maps took effect April 1, 2024, and its Local Responsibility Area maps were released in four phases from February 10 to March 24, 2025. The page also announces a public comment period on a 2026 update to the State Responsibility Area zones. A zone checked before these maps came out may be out of date, so check the newest state map and the zones your city or county adopted.
How to check an address yourself
Flood. Enter the address in FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, the official public source for National Flood Insurance Program flood hazard information. FEMA notes that its maps are continually updated, so a printout can be superseded.
Faults, liquefaction and landslides. Use the California Geological Survey's EQ Zapp, where you can type an address and see fault rupture, liquefaction and earthquake-induced landslide zones. It also shows where the Survey hasn't yet evaluated hazards. The Survey warns that the map may not show every fault or hazard area and doesn't replace geologic and geotechnical site investigations.
Dam inundation. Look up the address on the Department of Water Resources' California Dam Breach Inundation Maps site.
Fire. The State Fire Marshal's fire hazard severity zone page has a viewer where you can enter an address for the State Responsibility Area zones. For a Local Responsibility Area, the page says to contact your local jurisdiction, so check the zones your city or county adopted by ordinance.
Then compare what you found with the report your agent orders, and ask about anything that doesn't match before you sign.
Who fills out the form, and what a third-party report adds
The seller and the seller's agent sign the statement. They can make the representations on their own knowledge or check a box saying the statement relies on an independent third-party disclosure provider chosen in good faith. Under Section 1103.4, a report by a licensed engineer, land surveyor, geologist or expert in natural hazard discovery can shield the seller and agents from liability for errors that weren't within their personal knowledge, if ordinary care was used.
The same section requires the expert to check four more items and add a notice when one applies:
An airport influence area (a "Notice of Airport in Vicinity").
The jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, where use and development may be subject to special regulations, restrictions and permit requirements.
Land within one mile of designated farmland or grazing land (a "Notice of Right to Farm").
Land within one mile of a reported mine operation.
Two more rules apply. If a fault, seismic or fire map isn't accurate enough to tell whether the property is inside a zone, the seller must mark "Yes" unless a qualified report verifies it's outside. And a consultant's report must always come with a completed, signed Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement.
Timing, amendments and the buyer's right to cancel
Under Section 1103.3, if the statement or a material amendment arrives after the buyer's offer, the buyer has three days after delivery in person, or five days after delivery by mail or electronic record, to terminate the offer by written notice. Under Section 1103.5, once the seller and agent comply, they have no duty to update the buyer about later map revisions unless they know the information has become inaccurate.
The form doesn't replace other disclosures. Section 1103.8 says it doesn't limit any other disclosure duty, including facts about a property's physical condition. Under Section 1102.6f, a seller of a home built before January 1, 2010 in a high or very high fire zone also gives a fire hardening notice that lists features such as single pane or nontempered glass windows, and since July 1, 2025, a list of low-cost retrofits. Our wildfire hardening guide covers that notice and defensible space, and our post and beam earthquake retrofit guide covers seismic work on slab houses.
This is general information, not legal advice. Ask a real estate attorney how the disclosure applies to your sale, and confirm zone status with the mapping agency and your city or county.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement the same as the Transfer Disclosure Statement?
No. They are separate forms under different sections of the Civil Code. The law does allow the hazard disclosures to be made on the Local Option Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement if it includes substantially the same information and warnings.
If the form says "No," does that mean the house won't flood or shake?
No. The form itself says the maps estimate where natural hazards exist and aren't definitive indicators of whether a property will be affected by a natural disaster. It suggests getting professional advice about those hazards and others.
Can a buyer waive the natural hazard disclosure?
No. Section 1103 says any waiver of the article's requirements is void as against public policy.
Who else can use the disclosure?
Under Section 1103.2, it's only a disclosure among the seller, the seller's agent and the buyer. It isn't to be used by any other party, including insurance companies, lenders or government agencies.
Related reading
Sell a House As Is in California: Original Mid-Century Homes
Selling a Mid-Century Modern Home: What to Fix and What to Leave
More guides on this topic: Buying & Selling a Mid-Century Modern Home
Buying or selling a mid-century home and want help reading the hazard report? Call or text the Boyenga Team at Compass at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or contact the Boyenga Team to go over it before you sign.
