A city (or county) is not an accident but the result of coherent visions and aims

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Required Contents 
The safety element must, consistent with
 Government Code 
Section 65302(g)
, provide for the protection of the community 
from any unreasonable risks associated with the effects of: 
• Seismically induced surface rupture, ground shaking, 
ground failure
• Tsunami, seiche, and dam failure
• Slope instability leading to mudslides and landslides
• Subsidence
• Liquefaction 
• Other seismic hazards identified pursuant to Chapter 7.8 
(commencing with Section 2690) of Division 2 of the Public 
Resources Code, and other geologic hazards known to the 
legislative body
• Flooding
• Wildland and urban fires
• Climate change
The safety element must include mapping of known seismic 
and other geologic hazards. It must also address evacuation 
routes, military installations, peakload water supply 
requirements, and minimum road widths and clearances 
around structures, as those items relate to identified fire and 
geologic hazards.
The safety element must also identify information regarding 
flood hazards, establish a set of comprehensive goals, policies, 
and objectives for the protection of the community from the 
unreasonable risks of flooding, and establish a set of feasible 
implementation measures designed to carry out the goals, 
policies, and objectives for flood protection. It is recommended 
that the safety element do the same for drought impacts.
The safety element must also be reviewed and updated as 
necessary to address the risk of fire for land classified as state 
Changes in planning and design can increase community 
safety and resilience
Image by Urban Advantage, Cunningham Quill | Architects

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responsibility areas and land classified as very high fire hazard severity zones. Because climate change will likely increase 
California’s frequency and intensity of fire weather conditions, even historically less vulnerable regions should reevaluate 
wildfire risk and prevention strategies in their general plan’s safety element. 
Most of the information needed to complete the analysis for the safety element, can be obtained through a combination of 
sources: the 
State Hazard Mitigation Plan 
and federal requirements outlined in the Disaster Mitigation Act (DMA) of 2000, 
MyPlan
 tool, the 
General Plan Mapping Tool
, 
Cal-Adapt
 and the 
Adaptation Planning Guide (APG)
. Some information may need 
to be generated at the local or regional level, particularly for those facilities considered critical to the community.
Consultation Requirements
Before the periodic review of its general plan and before preparing or revising its safety element, each city and county shall 
consult the 
California Geological Survey of the Department of Conservation
, the 
Central Valley Flood Protection Board
, if the 
city or county is located within the boundaries of the 
Sacramento and San Joaquin Drainage District
, as set forth in 
Section 
8501 of the Water Code
, and the 
Office of Emergency Services
 for the purpose of including information known by and available 
to the department, the agency, and the board required by this subdivision. In particular, the Office of Emergency Services can 
assist local governments with developing their safety element and aligning general plan strategies with those of the local 
hazard mitigation and emergency operation plans to ensure consistency. The 
Governor’s Office of Planning and Research’s 
Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP)
, established by 
SB 246 (Wieckowski, 2015)
, also supports local 
government’s compliance with 
SB 379 (Pub. Resources Code § 71350 et seq.)
.
Each city and county must provide a draft of its safety element or amendment of its safety element to the California Geological 
Survey of the Department of Conservation prior to adoption, for review to determine if all known seismic and other geologic 
hazards are addressed (
Gov. Code § 65302.5)(a)
). A city or county that contains a state fire responsibility area or a very high 
fire hazard severity zone must provide a draft of its safety element or amendment of its safety element to the State Board of 
Forestry and Fire Protection for review before adoption, and the Board may recommend changes regarding uses of land, policies, 
or strategies for reducing fire risk (Id. at 
§ 65302.5)(b)
). Similarly, each city and county located in the Sacramento and San 
Joaquin Drainage District must provide a draft of its safety element or amendment of its safety element to the Central Valley 
Flood Protection Board before adoption, and the Board may provide recommended changes regarding uses of land, policies, or 
strategies for reducing flood risk and protecting areas subject to flooding (Id. at 
§ 65302.7
).
Statutory Requirements
This section offers a general guide to the contents of the safety element. Note that while the focus is on the minimum 
requirements for an adequate safety element, an effective general plan will focus more extensively on those issues of greatest 
relevance to the community. The effects of climate change in particular will influence emergency management issues through 
varying impacts across local communities statewide. Increases in average temperature, a greater incidence of extreme weather 
conditions, and sea level rise all will not only exacerbate existing hazards mentioned in this section, but may also create new 
hazards where none previously existed. 

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