For manufacturers & distributors
Join the network: noncombustible materials for Zone 0
California adopted its Zone 0 regulation on August 19, 2026. It is not yet in effect, but the direction is set: within five feet of a structure, materials have to be noncombustible, and the regulation defines that as passing ASTM E136. In practice that is aluminum, steel, wrought iron, chain link, masonry, concrete and stone. Wood, vinyl, composite, fire-retardant treated wood and fire-rated coatings do not pass.
That creates a specification problem for everyone downstream. Homeowners cannot tell a tested material from a marketing claim. Contractors get asked to prove what they installed. Nobody can point to a fence assembly certification, because no fence-assembly fire test exists in US code. We are building a materials directory to close that gap, and we want manufacturers and distributors in it.
What we are building
- A materials directory homeowners and contractors can search by category, with each listing stating exactly what the product is tested to and, just as important, what it is not. Preview it here.
- Substantiation, not adjectives. Listings carry the standard, the result and the report reference. No "fireproof," no "fire-rated" borrowed from an interior-finish test.
- Buyer introductions. Homeowners and contractors coming through our tools tell us what they need. Distributors and manufacturers in the network hear about the relevant ones.
Who this is for
Zone 0 is the reason people arrive, but the audience is a homeowner in a wildfire zone spending money on resilience. That covers more than fencing.
| You make or sell | Where it fits in Zone 0 |
|---|---|
| Aluminum, steel and wrought iron fencing and gates | The five-foot span where a fence meets the house, and full replacements within the zone |
| Chain link systems | Same, where an open system suits the site |
| Masonry, concrete, block and stone | Walls and spans as a non-metal path |
| Gravel, decomposed granite, pavers and rock ground cover | Replacing combustible mulch in the first five feet |
| Metal sheds and outbuildings | Outbuildings, which must be entirely noncombustible to sit in Zone 0 |
| Metal planters, pergolas, privacy screens and enclosures | Replacing combustible décor structures and bin storage |
| Noncombustible post, footing and hardware systems | The parts that quietly fail an otherwise compliant assembly |
| Class A roofing, ember-resistant vents, mesh and gutter guards | Named in the Safer from Wildfires insurance measures and funded by most local grant programs |
| Fire defense systems: exterior sprinklers, suppression, extinguishers, alarms | Beyond Zone 0 itself, but the same buyer at the same moment |
| Energy resilience: solar, battery backup, generators | What homeowners in these zones buy alongside hardening, especially after a public safety power shutoff |
Apply to join
Tell us what you make or distribute. We will follow up with the listing requirements, including the test documentation we ask for.
What we will not do
We will not describe a fence, gate or assembly as certified fire-resistant, because there is nothing in US code to certify it against. ASTM Committee F14, which governs fencing standards, maintains no fire test for fence assemblies; the ICC Evaluation Service category for fences and gates contains no reports; and California’s State Fire Marshal Building Materials Listing has no fence category. What we will do is state the material-level test result precisely, which is a stronger position with a code official, an underwriter or a court than a claim nobody can support.
Related reading: what passes ASTM E136 · the fence provisions, section by section · how contractors are told to quote this work.