--- title: "Wildfire Risk in Mendocino County, CA 2026 | Satelife" description: "Wildfire risk in Mendocino County varies a lot from place to place. In the scored locations, the overall score runs from 14.8 near Piercy to 80.5 in Talmage, with a middle value of 56.1." image: "https://satelife.ai/images/wildfire-risk/mendocino-county/generated/mendocino-county-locator.webp" canonical: "https://satelife.ai/wildfire-risk/california/mendocino-county/" --- [Home](/)›[Wildfire Risk](/wildfire-risk/)›[California](/wildfire-risk/california/)›Mendocino County Mendocino County, California # Wildfire risk in Mendocino County: _where it is highest_, and why Wildfire risk in Mendocino County varies a lot from place to place. In the scored locations, the overall score runs from 14.8 near Piercy to 80.5 in Talmage, with a middle value of 56.1. [Score my Mendocino County address →](#score-my-address) [How risky is this county? ↓](#risk-at-a-glance) Before 20002000s2010s2020sCommunity Mendocino County — the largest fires on record, at their perimeter centres, with the county’s main communities. Select a marker for its detail. At a glance ## Half of Mendocino County scores _High_ or worse We scored 174 points across Mendocino County on the same 0–100 scale a Satelife address report uses, and they do not land in one place. 5% of them come out Very High, while 10% are Low. Which end your own parcel sits at is not something a county map can tell you. 59% 26% **Very High** 5% · 8 of 174 points **High** 59% · 103 of 174 points **Moderate** 26% · 46 of 174 points **Low** 10% · 17 of 174 points Safest end we measured 14.8 near Piercy · Low Middle of the county 56.1 High — half of Mendocino County is above this Most exposed end we measured 80.5 near Talmage · Very High ### And the federal models agree it is a fire county Relatively High FEMA National Risk Index — wildfire risk rating · index score 97.8 / 100 $8.2M / yr FEMA NRI — expected annual loss from wildfire · rated Relatively High 0.52% USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities — mean annual burn probability · 90th-percentile cell 1.43% 5.31 ft USFS WRC — mean conditional flame length · 91% of the county carries burnable fuel FEMA NRI also rates Mendocino County: all-hazards risk Relatively High · social vulnerability Relatively High · community resilience Relatively Low · annualised wildfire frequency 0.0050. Sources: FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (Dec 2025), county record · USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities v2.0, mean of the grid cells inside the county. Both describe the county as a whole, never an address in it. What does your Mendocino County address score? A county range shows the spread. Your parcel sits somewhere inside it — the report says where, and what to do about it. Free to request · PDF report with a 0–100 score, the drivers behind it, and a mitigation plan Local context ## What the data says about _Mendocino County_ Most scored locations fall in the High tier, with 103 points in High versus 46 in Moderate. The county also includes both lower-risk and very high-risk pockets. FEMA’s National Risk Index rates Mendocino County’s wildfire risk as Relatively High, and its wildfire expected annual loss as Relatively High. FEMA also rates community resilience in the county as Relatively Low. Fire record ## Where the fires _actually were_ Since 1984, 389,560 acres have burned in Mendocino County fire perimeters, and 15.8% of the county has burned in that period. The county record here includes 216 fire perimeters since 1984. The largest fire identified for the county is Mendenhall (1987), at 65,468 acres. The most recent large fire identified for the county is Hull (2020). Other major fires tied to the county include Doe (2020) at 589,835 acres and Ranch (2018) at 410,202 acres; both are marked as partly in the county. ![Doe Fire (2020) in Mendocino County, California - View of the August 2020 Doe Fire (later merged into the August Complex fires), looking south from Forest Highway 7 of the U.S. Men](/images/wildfire-risk/mendocino-county/photos/doe-fire-looking-south-from-forest-highway-7-2020-08-19.webp) **Doe Fire, 2020** — Mendocino County. Photo: U.S. Forest Service · [Public domain](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Doe_Fire_looking_south_from_forest_highway_7_\(2020-08-19\).jpg) ![Ranch Fire (2018) in Mendocino County, California - #RanchFire #MendocinoComplex \[update\] off Highway 20 near Potter Valley, northeast of Ukiah (Mendocino County) is now 51,539 acres](/images/wildfire-risk/mendocino-county/photos/ranch-fire-cal-fire-facebook-731.webp) **Ranch Fire, 2018** — Mendocino County. Photo: CAL FIRE · [Public domain](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ranch_Fire_-_CAL_FIRE_-_Facebook_-_731.jpg) 216 mapped fire perimeters centred in the county since 1984 389,560 acres inside those perimeters since 1984 15.8% of the county's area, as a share of 9,986.2 km² Hull 2020 most recent large fire on record Before 20002000s2010s2020s Fire perimeters coloured by decade. Select a perimeter for its name, year and size. Named fires on record - **Doe Fire**2020589,835 acres in totalcrossed into the county - **Ranch Fire**2018410,202 acres in totalcrossed into the county - **Mendocino Lake Complex Fire**201736,525 acres - **Redwood Fire**201736,523 acres - **North Pass Fire**201241,813 acres - **Mendenhall Fire**198765,468 acres - **Comptche Fire**193133,102 acres - **Will Creek Fire**194530,725 acres Perimeter sources: NIFC Interagency Fire Perimeter History · WFIGS Interagency Perimeters · largest on record: Mendenhall 1987. Perimeters are simplified for display; acreage is the figure the source records. Communities ## Where in the county you are _matters most_ Among the named communities shown, some of the higher overall scores are in Potter Valley (72.0), Covelo (69.0), and Ukiah (62.4). Some lower scores appear along the coast, including Caspar (26.8), Mendocino (28.3), and Fort Bragg (29.8). Several communities sit in the middle range, such as Willits (44.4), Boonville (49.7), and Gualala (52.6). Potter Valley village 72 _High_ Covelo village 69 _High_ Redwood Valley village · 1,722 people 67.7 _High_ Hopland village 67.7 _High_ Calpella village 67.3 _High_ Laytonville village 64.4 _High_ Ukiah town · 16,036 people 62.4 _High_ Talmage village · 1,130 people 60.2 _High_ Philo village · 319 people 59.8 _High_ Leggett village · 122 people 56.4 _High_ 14 more communities in Mendocino County Brooktrails village 54.7 _High_ Gualala village 52.6 _High_ Elk village 51.3 _High_ Piercy village 50.6 _High_ Boonville village · 1,018 people 49.7 _Moderate_ Willits town · 5,055 people 44.4 _Moderate_ Comptche village 43.8 _Moderate_ Irish Beach village 41.7 _Moderate_ Westport village 37.3 _Moderate_ Albion village 34.7 _Moderate_ Point Arena village · 460 people 34 _Moderate_ Fort Bragg town · 7,273 people 29.8 _Moderate_ Mendocino village · 894 people 28.3 _Moderate_ Caspar village 26.8 _Moderate_ The score is the median of the sampled points nearest that community — a community-scale indicator, not a score for any individual property in it. Population comes from the community's own record where the source carries one. Terrain & fuels ## Terrain, vegetation and _fuels_ Terrain contributes differently across the county. Terrain scores range from 5.0 in Albion to 65.0 near Hopland, with a middle value of 40.0. Vegetation and fuels are generally elevated in many scored places: that layer has a middle value of 68.8, with a high of 80.0 near Covelo and a low of 5.0 in Gualala. Two other non-weather factors also vary sharply. Hazard-zone scores run up to 92.7 in Talmage, while fire-history scores reach 95.0 in Hopland. 40 median terrain score (max 65 near Hopland) 68.8 median vegetation & fuels score (max 80 near Covelo) ![LANDFIRE existing vegetation type map of Mendocino County, California, with the county boundary outlined](/images/wildfire-risk/mendocino-county/generated/mendocino-county-fuels.webp) LANDFIRE existing vegetation type across Mendocino County — the same fuel data that feeds the vegetation layer of a Satelife property report. Fire weather ## Fire weather across _Mendocino County_ Fire-weather scores were measured across the county’s scored locations and vary from 50.7 in Westport to 79.2 in Gualala, with a middle value of 58.2. A separate federal burn-probability model is also shown for county context, but it is not a fire-weather measure. In that model, mean annual burn probability is 0.52 percent, and the 90th-percentile cell is 1.43 percent. 50.7 lowest fire-weather score — near Westport 79.2 highest fire-weather score — near Gualala What drives it ## Which part of the risk _moves_, and which doesn't Scores are not uniform across Mendocino County. For example, Fort Bragg is at 29.8 while Covelo is at 69.0, showing a wide gap between communities. That same spread shows up in nearby inland communities: Potter Valley is 72.0 and Redwood Valley is 67.7, while Mendocino is 28.3. In practice, countywide patterns help with context, but risk still changes meaningfully between specific towns and nearby areas. Each bar is what one part of the score covers across Mendocino County, on the same 0–100 scale. A long bar is a part of the risk that depends on where you are; a short one is the same almost everywhere. Terrain 5–65 highest near Hopland Vegetation & fuels 5–80 highest near Covelo Hazard zone 10–92.7 highest near Talmage Fire history 5–95 highest near Hopland Fire weather 50.7–79.2 highest near Gualala Overall score 14.8–80.5 highest near Talmage The tick on each bar is the middle value. Tier boundaries — Moderate at 25, High at 50, Very High at 75 — are the faint lines behind them. Show every number behind these bars Layer Min Median Max Lowest place Highest place Points Terrain 5 40 65 Albion near Hopland 174 Vegetation & fuels 5 68.8 80 Gualala near Covelo 174 Hazard zone 10 70 92.7 Gualala Talmage 174 Fire history 5 20 95 Gualala Hopland 174 Fire weather 50.7 58.2 79.2 Westport Gualala 174 Composite 14.8 56.1 80.5 near Piercy Talmage 174 Independently of Satelife's layers, the USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities grid puts the county's mean annual burn probability at **0.52%** (90th percentile cell: **1.43%**), with a mean conditional flame length of **5.31 ft**. **91%** of the 25,652 grid cells inside the county carry burnable fuel at all. Source: USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities v2.0 (ImageServer, county extent). CAL FIRE has no mapped Fire Hazard Severity Zone at **43** of the 174 sampled points — the zones cover Local Responsibility Areas. At **28** of them the USFS grid above supplied the hazard reading instead; at the remaining 15 the hazard weight is renormalised away rather than scored as low. 174 sample points on a ~2.3 km grid, plus one at the centre of each community, weighted with the Satelife county profile v1 · median layer coverage 100%. Scores are 0–100 and comparable within the county, not across states. For a property ## What a county range means for _one address_ This county view does not measure house-by-house features such as roof type, vents, siding, or defensible space. What it does show is place-level wildfire risk around properties. For example, hazard-zone values range from 10.0 in Gualala to 92.7 in Talmage, and fire-history values range from 5.0 in Gualala to 95.0 in Hopland. For countywide context on potential impacts, FEMA’s National Risk Index rates Mendocino County as Relatively High for wildfire expected annual loss. Across 174 sampled points in Mendocino County, the score runs from 14.8 to 80.5 — two neighbouring parcels can sit in different tiers. A county number is the middle of that spread; it says nothing about which end yours is at. Find out where your Mendocino County parcel sits Slope, the fuel touching the structure, the road out, the fire history within a mile — measured at your address, not averaged across the county. Free to request · PDF report with a 0–100 score, the drivers behind it, and a mitigation plan Coverage ## ZIP codes we cover in Mendocino County Every one of the 38 ZIP areas that touch Mendocino County — we run address-level reports in all of them. They are grouped by the median score of the points we sampled inside each, which is a neighbourhood-scale indicator and **not** a score for any property: two homes in the same ZIP routinely land in different tiers. **High** 17 ZIPs - [95469 Potter Valley72](/wildfire-risk/zip/95469/) - [95470 Redwood Valley71](/wildfire-risk/zip/95470/) - [95449 Hopland69](/wildfire-risk/zip/95449/) - [95429 Covelo68](/wildfire-risk/zip/95429/) - [95428 Covelo66](/wildfire-risk/zip/95428/) - [95425 Hopland66](/wildfire-risk/zip/95425/) - [95482 Ukiah64](/wildfire-risk/zip/95482/) - [95454 Laytonville63](/wildfire-risk/zip/95454/) - [95432 Elk58](/wildfire-risk/zip/95432/) - [95490 Brooktrails58](/wildfire-risk/zip/95490/) - [95466 Philo56](/wildfire-risk/zip/95466/) - [95585 Leggett56](/wildfire-risk/zip/95585/) - [95542 Piercy54](/wildfire-risk/zip/95542/) - [95494 Boonville54](/wildfire-risk/zip/95494/) - [95445 Gualala54](/wildfire-risk/zip/95445/) - [95488 Westport52](/wildfire-risk/zip/95488/) - [95589 Piercy51](/wildfire-risk/zip/95589/) **Moderate** 9 ZIPs - [95587 Piercy50](/wildfire-risk/zip/95587/) - [95437 Fort Bragg42](/wildfire-risk/zip/95437/) - [95415 Boonville42](/wildfire-risk/zip/95415/) - [95460 Mendocino41](/wildfire-risk/zip/95460/) - [95468 Point Arena40](/wildfire-risk/zip/95468/) - [95427 Comptche39](/wildfire-risk/zip/95427/) - [95459 Irish Beach38](/wildfire-risk/zip/95459/) - [95420 Caspar38](/wildfire-risk/zip/95420/) - [95410 Albion36](/wildfire-risk/zip/95410/) **No sampled point inside** 12 ZIPs [95412 Gualala](/wildfire-risk/zip/95412/) · [95417 Westport](/wildfire-risk/zip/95417/) · [95441 Hopland](/wildfire-risk/zip/95441/) · [95451 Hopland](/wildfire-risk/zip/95451/) · [95453 Hopland](/wildfire-risk/zip/95453/) · [95456 Albion](/wildfire-risk/zip/95456/) · [95463 Comptche](/wildfire-risk/zip/95463/) · [95485 Potter Valley](/wildfire-risk/zip/95485/) · [95493 Potter Valley](/wildfire-risk/zip/95493/) · [95497 Gualala](/wildfire-risk/zip/95497/) · [95595 Covelo](/wildfire-risk/zip/95595/) · [95939](/wildfire-risk/zip/95939/) Grouped from 26 of 38 ZIP areas — the rest had no sample point fall inside them. The community shown is the nearest mapped place to the ZIP's centre. ZIP areas are Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting the county boundary. Where to go next ## Mendocino County wildfire risk _in context_ [California wildfire risk The statewide picture and every county page we publish](/wildfire-risk/california/) [Wildfire risk by state Every state and county we cover](/wildfire-risk/) [How Satelife calculates wildfire risk Data sources, layers, score composition, honest limits](/wildfire-risk/methodology/) [Create a wildfire evacuation plan Zones, egress routes, refuge areas](/wildfire-evacuation-plan/) [Run a report for a Mendocino County address PDF + score + mitigation plan](/#cta) FAQ ## Frequently asked questions about _Mendocino County wildfire risk_ What does the wildfire score represent here? It represents overall wildfire risk for places in Mendocino County on a 0–100 scale, where higher scores mean more exposure. Has a large share of Mendocino County burned before? Yes. Since 1984, 15.8% of the county has burned within mapped fire perimeters. Which fire is treated as the largest and which is the most recent large fire? The largest fire identified for the county is Mendenhall (1987). The most recent large fire identified for the county is Hull (2020). Is fire weather included? Yes. Fire-weather scores are measured for the county’s scored locations, and they range from 50.7 in Westport to 79.2 in Gualala. Does this page rate my specific home’s construction and defensible space? No. It does not measure home-specific features like roof type or defensible space; it reports wildfire risk for the surrounding place. This page is generated from a Mendocino County data pack assembled on 2026-08-18 (pack v1.0). Scores are sampled across the county, not measured at any individual address, and are informational decision support — not a substitute for official evacuation orders, a fire-agency hazard determination, or an insurer's underwriting judgement. Data versions: fema\_nri 1.20.0 (Dec 2025) · landfire per adapter · nifc\_history All Years View · wfigs current · wrc v2.0 (2024) · zcta Census 2020. ## What does _your parcel_ look like, layer by layer? A county range shows the spread. An address-level Satelife report shows where in that spread your property actually sits — PDF, per-layer score, and a prioritized mitigation plan. [Start with your address →](/#cta) [![PRR](/images/prr.png)](/ficha-de-website-voucher-satelife.pdf) © 2024–2026 Satelife, Lda. All rights reserved. Satelife reports are for informational purposes only and do not constitute insurance, financial, or legal advice.