Utah law to impose fee on wildfire-prone homes
Nov 19, 2025, 6:00 PM
FILE - Smoke rises above homes as a grass fire burns near Interstate 580 in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Noah Berger, Associated Press)
(Noah Berger, Associated Press)
SALT LAKE CITY — Homeowners in high wildfire risk areas should soon expect home assessments and a new fee.
HB48 Wildland Urban Interface Modifications requires the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands to draw a high wildfire risk boundary across the state. The division will inspect homes within the boundary for fire risk, and property owners will pay a fee based on their risk and square footage, which will cover the cost of the program and lot assessments.
State Wildfire Risk Reductions Programs Manager Joseph Anderson said the assessments will focus on the vegetation surrounding the home and the materials used in the structure.
“The goal is to remove any vegetation or anything that could catch an ember and allow that ember to burn and catch the structure on fire,” Anderson said.
The bill comes after catastrophic wildfires across the West, like the California Eaton Fire from January 2025.
“We’re encouraging homeowners in Utah to reduce their individual risk, and the more people do that as a community, the (more) productive the whole community will be,” Anderson said.
HB48 will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. To learn more about the bill, visit the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands website.
Read more: Authorities make an arrest related to deadly January wildfire that leveled LA neighborhood
