Marin County has passed some new regulations to prevent wildfires that will take effect on Jan. 1.

Starting in 2026, it will be illegal to build a home with a wood exterior in county areas of high fire danger.

It's called "WUI," short for Wildland Urban Interface. And so many people have chosen to build their homes among the trees that places like Marin are scrambling to prevent a catastrophic wildfire.

"We create defensible space and fire breaks," said Marin Building Official Erica Freeman. "And then we also, in the building codes, look at hardening the envelopes of structures. And by hardening, I mean looking at the materials that we use for roofs, windows and siding."

In November, Marin officials voted to align their fire codes with those of the State, banning any new home construct

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