South Taft, CA
How exposed is South Taft to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, South Taft lands at the 62nd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 928 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks South Taft at the 63rd national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where South Taft's buildings actually sit
96.3% of South Taft's 928 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 3.7% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
How South Taft compares
South Taft ranks lower within California (20th percentile statewide) than its 62nd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, South Taft ranks 11,997 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,484 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 1,260 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
South Taft's 62nd-percentile score lands in California, the only two states requiring a wildfire disclosure at sale. California's surplus-lines homeowners market passed 300,000 policies for the first time in 2025, driven by carriers pulling back from wildfire-exposed areas statewide. The disclosure-law guide covers what it requires.
Hardening a home in South Taft
With 96.3% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, South Taft gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where South Taft's figures come from
South Taft's 62nd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what South Taft's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.