Southern Marin Fire Protection District is an independent special district established by the Marin County Board of Supervisors in July of 1999. The District was formed by the merger of the Alto-Richardson Fire Protection District and the Tamalpais Fire Protection District.

On June 26, 2012 the City of Sausalito Fire Department was annexed into the Southern Marin Fire Protection District. In October of 2010 the Southern Marin Fire Protection District signed a contract with the National Park Service to provide services to the Marin Headlands and Fort Baker areas of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

On October 26, 2022, the City of Mill Valley and the Southern Marin Fire Protection Southern Marin Fire Protection District held a joint Council / Board meeting.  At that meeting both the Mill Valley City Council and the Southern Marin Fire Protection Southern Marin Fire Protection District  Board of Directors approved Resolutions recommending that the Fire Chief and Mill Valley City Manager submit an application to Marin Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) for the Annexation of Fire, EMS and Rescue Services by the Southern Marin Fire Protection Southern Marin Fire Protection District  and consolidation of the Mill Valley Fire Department and Southern Marin Fire Protection Southern Marin Fire Protection District .  At the December 8, 2022, LAFCo Meeting, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the application for Annexation / Consolidation, and the updated Sphere of Influence (SOI).  On January 10, 2023, The Marin County Board of Supervisors approved unanimously the Resolution adopting the negotiated exchange of property tax revenue on behalf of the Southern Marin Fire Protection Southern Marin Fire Protection District.  On January 12, 2023, Marin LAFCo provided the City of Mill Valley and Southern Marin Fire Protection Southern Marin Fire Protection District with the Certificate of Completion, thereby finalizing the consolidation process.  The City of Mill Valley and Southern Marin Fire Protection Southern Marin Fire Protection District have selected July 1, 2023, to be the official date of Consolidation / Annexation so as to align with both agencies’ fiscal years. 

For more information about the agencies that consolidated to become the Southern Marin Fire Protection District (Alto Richardson Bay FPD, Homestead Valley FPD, Tamalpais FPD, Sausalito Fire Department and Mill Valley Fire Department, as well as other Marin County Fire agencies, visit the Marin Fire History Project website.