The IBHS Base level certification for wildfire [PDF] is likely to become, in the short term, a requirement for obtaining home insurance coverage in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in California.
The Base level carries both yard firescaping and home hardening requirements. The yard firescaping requirements are very similar (although not totally identical) to the CA-wide specification for the Wildland Urban Interface.
The home hardening mitigations required by the Base level are:
- Clear all tree debris from your roof and gutters regularly.
- Replace a wood shake/shingle roof with a Class A fire-rated roof
- Replace plastic/vinyl gutters and downspouts with metal.
- Ensure there is a minimum of 6 vertical inches (measured from the ground up and from any attached horizontal surface like a deck) of noncombustible siding material around your home.
- Install ember-resistant vents or cover all existing vents with 1/8-inch metal wire mesh.
- Ensure your dryer vent has working louvers or a flap to reduce ember entry. Due to its design and function, wire mesh should not be used on dryer vents.
- Regularly clear all tree debris from decks and covered porches.
- Remove combustible structures such as a pergola or gazebo from wood or composite decks.
- Place all vinyl/wood pergolas within 30 feet of structure on a noncombustible surface
- Remove 50% of their slats or cover their roof with a Class A material
- Install 6 inches of noncombustible siding material
- Remove hot tubs from underneath a covered porch and from combustible (wood or composite) decks. Place hot tubs to at least 10 feet away from the home if located on a noncombustible patio material such as stones, pavers, or concrete. Ensure it includes the surrounding 5-foot noncombustible buffer and 6 vertical inches of noncombustible material such as flashing.
- Install 6 inches of noncombustible siding material to the bottom of the posts of the decks where they meet the ground.
- Include a 5-foot noncombustible buffer around deck and stairs.
- Additionally, for decks with a walking surface at a height of 4 feet or less from the ground, enclose the area underneath with one of the following:
- Install 1/8-inch or finer metal wire mesh around the outer edge of the walking surface extending to the ground, or
- Install a noncombustible wall covering.