Marin County bans wood exteriors for some future home constructions

By John Ramos

Marin County has passed some new regulations to prevent wildfires that will take effect on Jan. 1.

Starting in 2026, it will be illegal to build a home with a wood exterior in county areas of high fire danger.

It’s called “WUI,” short for Wildland Urban Interface. And so many people have chosen to build their homes among the trees that places like Marin are scrambling to prevent a catastrophic wildfire.

“We create defensible space and fire breaks,” said Marin Building Official Erica Freeman. “And then we also, in the building codes, look at hardening the envelopes of structures. And by hardening, I mean looking at the materials that we use for roofs, windows and siding.”

In November, Marin officials voted to align their fire codes with those of the State, banning any new home construction with wood siding in WUI areas within their jurisdiction.  What’s not clear now is what those homes will be made of.

“They are coming out with products more and more because this is an issue,” said Fire Marshal Scott Alber.

“You know, to do what they’re suggesting, it’s going to have to be kind of a more ‘modern’ type look, I think,” said homeowner Joe Faimali. “If somebody did something like that here, it’s really going to stand out. People will probably frown on it.”

Faimali has lived in the hills above San Rafael for more than 35 years and takes fire prevention seriously. He recently removed all the flammable juniper bushes in front of his home and likes the look of the new metal gate that completes the fire-safe “Zone Zero” surrounding his home.

“I think it’s a good thing to do for a fire safe standpoint,” Faimali said. “Plus aesthetically, it’s a lot better than the wood gate that I had.”

But he wondered whether the residents would be willing to give up the warmth that wood siding brings to a home.

“The wood look is what kind of seems to fit in the neighborhood here,” he said.  “I don’t know. I can’t see a modern house in the neighborhood. It would definitely stand out.”

But if necessity is the mother of invention, Clough Construction is helping with the delivery. The San Rafael company, which built Joe’s new gate, specializes in decking with an eye to fire prevention. And owner Scott Clough said the construction industry has made huge strides in producing materials that resist burning without being an eyesore.

“Ten, 15 years ago, there was hardly any choices, you know?  If you didn’t have a stucco house, they were pretty much all wood,” he said.  “So, I think the construction industry has pushed it, along with the insurance industry, to make it more fire resistant.”

For example, the TimberTech boards he sells are made from PVC but look and feel just like wood. And he said they won’t rot or turn gray like early forms of composite decking. And there’s no reason the same material couldn’t be used for exterior siding, as well.

“And that’s what is attracting people a little bit more, is that it’s not the “ugly, old” composite that it used to be,” said Clough.

The county understands it needs buy-in from the residents.  

“You know, we’ve got a lot of support in our community around home hardening,” said Supervisor Eric Lucan.  “And we want to maintain that support, every step of the way.” 

So, they’re taking a cautious approach. Included in the ban are so-called “fire-retardant” woods, treated with chemicals to make them more resistant to embers. 

But the Board stopped short of extending the regulation to home remodels. Right now, it only applies to new home construction in unincorporated WUI areas.