California legislation · 2025-2026 Regular Session
California AB1699: Good Fire Act: Prescribed Fire Liability Pilot Program: burn bosses: California Environmental Quality Act.
Status: Chaptered, September 29, 2026
What the bill says
An act to amend Sections 4477, 4493, 4500, and 4799.05 of, to add Sections 4497.3 and 21080.49.1 to, and to repeal and add Section 4503 of, the Public Resources Code, relating to wildfire, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. wildfire, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately Good Fire Act: Prescribed Fire Liability Pilot Program: burn bosses: California Environmental Quality Act…
From the chaptered text, September 29, 2026:
An act to amend Sections 4477, 4493, 4500, and 4799.05 of, to add Sections 4497.3 and 21080.49.1 to, and to repeal and add Section 4503 of, the Public Resources Code, relating to wildfire, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. wildfire, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately Good Fire Act: Prescribed Fire Liability Pilot Program: burn bosses: California Environmental Quality Act. Existing law establishes, until January 1, 2028, the Prescribed Fire Liability Pilot Program, to be administered by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, to increase the pace and scale of the use of prescribed fire and cultural burning and to reduce barriers for conducting prescribed fires and cultural burning. Existing law creates the Prescribed Fire Claims Fund in the State Treasury to support coverage for losses from prescribed fires and cultural burning by nonpublic entities, such as cultural fire practitioners, private landowners, and nongovernmental entities. Under existing law, moneys in the fund are under the control of the department, and the department or a contracted third-party administrator is authorized to direct payments for claims from the fund, consistent with specified guidelines adopted by the department. These guidelines include, among other things, (1) a requirement that an eligible claim relate to either a prescribed fire conducted …