AB 2013 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

High and very high fire risk areas: community water systems: preparedness and resiliency.

Summary

Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas. This bill would require a community water system that services more than 100 customers that are located in a high or very high fire risk area, as defined, to include an annex to its disaster preparedness plans, as provided, that includes information regarding system preparedness and resiliency during a wildfire. The bill would require the annex to contain several things, including, among others, an assessment that identifies the minimum number of and type of water pumps that are necessary to maintain average daily capacity, including, but not limited to, the operation of fire hydrant systems at the rated capacity. The bill would require the community water system, beginning January 1, 2028, to review the annex at least once every 3 years and to update the annex as necessary. The bill would prohibit anything contained in the annex from enlarging or diminishing any existing liability and would prohibit information provided in the annex from, on its own, demonstrating a substantial cause of any damages resulting from a wildfire.

Bill status failed 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 17, 2026 Last action May 7, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

04/06/26 - Amended Assembly → AB2013 · 9 edits

MAJOR

The bill was substantially revised to narrow its scope and refocus requirements. It now applies only to community water systems (rather than all water suppliers) serving customers in high or very high fire risk areas (dropping moderate zones), and shifts the requirement from a standalone emergency preparedness plan to an annex within existing disaster preparedness plans. The technical content of the required assessments was also reworked to focus on maintaining average daily system capacity rather than specifically on fire-fighting water supply.

SCOPE

Coverage narrowed from 'moderate, high, or very high fire hazard severity zone' to only 'high or very high fire risk area,' removing moderate fire hazard zones from the bill's requirements.

ELIGIBILITY

The covered entity changed from 'water supplier' to 'community water system,' which is a narrower category defined by reference to Health and Safety Code Section 116275.

REQUIREMENT

Instead of establishing a standalone emergency preparedness plan, the bill now requires an annex to be included within the community water system's existing disaster preparedness plans.

The water tank assessment changed from identifying minimum levels needed for fire-fighting during extreme weather or red flag warnings to assessing average daily system capacity during a fire.

The pump assessment shifted from identifying pumps necessary for fire-fighting activities to identifying pumps needed to maintain average daily capacity, including operation of fire hydrant systems at rated capacity.

The backup energy requirement changed from identifying pumps that require installation of emergency backup sources to identifying pumps that do not have backup energy sources or other redundancy measures to maintain average daily capacity.

The alternative water sources provision was expanded into a broader assessment of system resiliency during power loss, including backup energy generation, alternative water sources, or any other method maintaining average daily capacity.

The infrastructure accounting changed from a detailed listing of all pipelines, pumps, tanks, and backup facilities with fire-hardening designations to an assessment of fire risk status and hardening measures for critical points of failure in high or very high fire risk areas.

Coordination requirement changed from working with the county board of supervisors (or a designated county agency) to coordinating with any local office of emergency services and fire department with jurisdiction in the served area.

02/17/26 - Introduced → 04/06/26 - Amended Assembly · 9 edits · Apr 6, 2026

MAJOR

The amended version of AB 2013 narrows its scope from all water suppliers to specifically 'community water systems' (as defined in Health and Safety Code Section 116275), restructures the required plan as an annex to existing disaster preparedness plans rather than a standalone document, adds a January 1, 2028 start date for the review requirement, and includes new liability protections so that information in the annex cannot be used against water systems in wildfire litigation. The amendment also adds requirements for fire hardening assessments of critical infrastructure and system resiliency planning.

SCOPE

The bill now applies specifically to 'community water systems' (defined by reference to Health and Safety Code Section 116275) rather than the broader category of 'water suppliers,' narrowing which entities must comply.

DEFINITION

Three new definitions added: 'annex' (the required annex to disaster preparedness plans), 'community water system' (cross-reference to Health and Safety Code Section 116275), and 'high or very high fire risk area' (a high or very high fire hazard severity zone designated by the State Fire Marshal).

REQUIREMENT

The emergency preparedness plan is now structured as an annex to existing disaster preparedness plans rather than a standalone document, and must include any applicable emergency response plan required by Section 1433(b) of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

Coordination requirements expanded to include any local office of emergency services and fire department with jurisdiction in the area served by the community water system, in addition to the county board of supervisors.

New requirement for an assessment of system resiliency in the event of loss of power, including backup energy generation, alternative water sources, or any other method that maintains average daily capacity.

New requirement for an assessment of fire risk status and fire hardening measures for each water pump, backup electrical generation equipment, applicable pipelines, and other infrastructure elements deemed critical points of failure located in a high or very high fire risk area.

The pump assessment is expanded to specifically identify the number of water pumps servicing the high or very high fire risk area that are equipped with emergency backup energy sources and the number that do not have such sources or other redundancy measures to maintain average daily capacity.

TIMELINE

A specific start date of January 1, 2028 is added for the requirement that community water systems review the annex at least once every three years and update it as necessary.

ENFORCEMENT

A liability protection provision is added stating that no information provided in the annex shall enlarge or diminish any existing liability, nor demonstrate on its own a substantial cause of any damages resulting from a wildfire. This shields water systems from having their preparedness documents used as evidence against them in litigation.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 7, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Without further action pursuant to Joint Rule 62(a).

lower

Apr 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

In committee: Set, first hearing. Failed passage.

lower

Apr 7, 2026

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on E.M.

lower

Apr 6, 2026

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on E.M. Read second time and amended.

lower

Mar 26, 2026

Committee

(Pending re-refer to Com. on E.S. & T.M.)

lower

Mar 16, 2026

Committee

Referred to Coms. on E.M and E.S & T.M.

lower

Feb 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee March 20.

lower

1 primary · 8 co-sponsors