Tomales, CA
Tomales, CA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Tomales sits at the 90th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 163 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Tomales's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 93rd percentile nationally.
Tomales's building exposure, zone by zone
163 buildings are counted in Tomales, and 50.3% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Where Tomales ranks
Tomales ranks lower within California (62nd percentile statewide) than its 90th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Tomales ranks 3,113 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,276 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 603 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
Tomales 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 90th-percentile score like Tomales's can end up mattering for. More on the disclosure law.
Hardening a home in Tomales
With 50.3% of Tomales 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.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Tomales's 3,113-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Tomales, see the exposure-zones guide.