Sonoma County Wildfire Adapted

On this page:

• Wildfire Adapted Program Map
• Adapt Your Home - What Does the Wildfire Adapted Program Do?
• Phase One: Assessments
• Phase Two: Rebates to Help You Reduce Risk
• Program Funding
• Contact Information

The Sonoma County Wildfire Adapted program (SoCo Adapts) is a pilot program that uses community-scale risk-reduction techniques to reduce wildfire’s potential for home destruction.

Dry vegetation and other fuels near structures can increase the risk of fire spreading, and the embers and heat from a wildfire can exploit building vulnerabilities. The Wildfire Adapted program helps residents within pre-determined high-risk areas understand how to create defensible space and harden homes against the heat and embers of wildfire.

To stay up-to-date on the latest information for the SoCo Adapts program, sign up to receive email updates. 

The Wildfire Adapted Program Map depicts the 14 areas that are currently included in the Wildfire Adapted program. These areas were selected based on wildfire hazard severity, population density, potential for home loss, and consultation with local fire authorities. Check to see if your property is included in the program area. 

The Wildfire Adapted program is just one effort to reduce the risk of wildfire. You can learn more about our other Risk Reduction Programs and Planning Efforts.

Adapt Your Home

What Does the Wildfire Adapted Program Do?

The Wildfire Adapted program aims to help property owners learn how to reduce fire-related risks. The program provides defensible space and home wildfire risk assessments, community workshops, and rebate incentives to help property owners understand, prioritize, and complete risk-reduction projects.

Phase One: Assessments

Permit Sonoma’s professional fire inspectors go to your home to provide a free Defensible Space Assess if you are in the program area. The Home Wildfire Risk Assessment focuses on identifying the vulnerabilities of a building to wildfire; these assessments are free and voluntary. You must sign up to receive one— check if you're eligible for a free assessment.

Both types of assessments identify risk-reduction strategies on and near your home and are not part of a code enforcement program.

• • Defensible Space Assessments
    Professional fire inspectors will visit each home and unimproved parcel in the program area to provide free Defensible Space Assessments. These assessments provide information on essential risk-reduction techniques that can help reduce home ignition. The goal of the program is to inspire residents toward positive action. This is not a code compliance program.
    
    
  • Home Wildfire Risk Assessments
    Sign up for your free Home Wildfire Risk Assessment now! Home hardening, or ignition-resistant construction, is replacing or modifying parts of buildings that can cause them to catch fire, especially from windblown embers. Permit Sonoma and the Wildfire Adapted program have contracted with Wildfire DefenseWorks and Madronus Wildfire Defense to provide Home Wildfire Risk Assessments to the program areas. After each assessment, our trained assessors provide a list of potential vulnerabilities and what can be done to reduce risk. Like Defensible Space Assessments, these assessments are not part of a code compliance program.

Phase Two: Rebates to Help Reduce Risk

To help you reduce risk, the Wildfire Adapted program may provide up to $10,000* in rebates for property owners to complete high-priority defensible space and home hardening/ignition-resistant construction projects in the program's second phase.

After completion of the assessments, property owners within the program areas will be able to apply for a rebate to help pay for defensible space and home hardening/ignition-resistant construction projects. To be eligible for funding, property owners must be able to pass Defensible Space Inspections by the end of the project.

Rebates may reimburse owners up to 75% of eligible costs. Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Owners are encouraged to apply immediately once the submittal period opens in 2024-2025. Projects will allocated proportionally across the 14 communities within the program.

More information will be posted about how to apply for rebate incentives as we get closer to that phase.

* Rebate amounts are subject to change.

How to receive a rebate:

• • Sign up for email updates to receive a notification when the application window opens for your area.
  • Sign up now for your free Structure Hardening Assessment! See the sign up instructions above. A limited number of assessments are available; be sure to sign up as quickly as possible.
    
  • Complete your application once the window opens. Select the defensible space and home hardening projects you wish to complete; your selections will be reviewed for compatibility with Assessment recommendations and priorities.
  • Sign a contract with the County of Sonoma.
  • Do the work. You will hire a contractor chosen from an approved contractor list and complete the risk-reduction work. We will reinspect to confirm the work was completed as proposed and to verify your property passes a post-project Defensible Space Inspection.
  • Rebates available up to $10,000 (rebate amount is subject to change) will be made on a first-come, first-served basis— all work must occur after application approval and successful completion of the contract with the County. 

Program Funding

Permit Sonoma received funding in 2020 from FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to help Sonoma County Residents perform this important work. Total funding for both phases is $6.7 million.

Permit Sonoma received a second HMGP grant in November 2021 to expand this critical program to new communities in Sonoma County. Total funding is $2.5 million.

Contact Information

For more information and/or questions about the Wildfire Adapted program, email us at WildfireAdapted@sonoma-county.org or call us at (707) 565-8575.