Sea Ranch, CA
How exposed is Sea Ranch to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Sea Ranch lands at the 60th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 2,213 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Sea Ranch's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 60th percentile nationally.
Sea Ranch's building exposure, zone by zone
92.5% of Sea Ranch's 2,213 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 2,048 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 7.2% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0.2% are Minimal.
Where Sea Ranch ranks
Sea Ranch ranks lower within California (18th percentile statewide) than its 60th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sea Ranch ranks 12,662 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,901 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 1,288 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Sea Ranch sits in California, one of two states that legally require a wildfire-risk disclosure at sale. California's FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, ended 2025 with 668,609 residential policies after adding 21,859 in Q4 alone — the kind of market shift a 60th-percentile score like Sea Ranch's can end up mattering for. More on the disclosure law.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 92.5% of Sea Ranch in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Sea Ranch's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Sea Ranch's 12,662-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Sea Ranch's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.