Commission hears early warning on House Bill 48, possible insurance and inspection impacts

Randy, a fire department representative, told the Fair City Planning and Zoning Commission on April 1 that House Bill 48 has passed and that county fire officials are preparing to map and inspect wildland-urban interface risk zones.

"House bill 48 has passed. It's an urban wildlife interface bill," Randy said, adding he had discussed the measure with Carbon County Fire Warden Jeremy Jorgensen. "This is not for you guys to freak out. Not no decisions have to be made. It's just a preemptive heads up. This is coming. And that's why I wanted to sit down with you guys. But this does affect the cities."

Why it matters: Randy warned that the county fire warden’s inspections will produce a database of high-risk zones that insurance companies can access, and that insurers have already begun canceling policies in the region. "Insurance companies were dropping houses. That has already started here. In Price, I know of 3 people that have had their homeowners insurance dropped due to a potential of a fire issue," he said.

The commission heard that the county — not the city — will run inspections and that the county fire warden will likely identify high-risk parcels both inside and outside municipal boundaries. Randy described the program’s logistics as still being set up with State Fire and Alliance and said the law does not take effect until January; the state may allow a phased implementation through mid-2026.

Commissioners and staff discussed mitigation options the city can take to reduce risk scores that would appear in the county database. Randy urged more mitigation burns and vegetation clearing around structures to lower risk and reduce the chance of insurance cancellation. He noted the state has changed the burn-window rules but said local burn permits and clearing indices continue to guide permitted burns.

Officials also raised short-term safety concerns unrelated to HB 48: Randy described open trenches and overgrown yards that could impede access or pose hazards, and commissioners agreed staff should inspect those parcels and follow up.

The discussion did not produce a formal motion or city action; Randy said he would continue to provide updates as county implementation details are finalized and that the city’s legal advisors were reviewing responsibilities for municipalities.

Randy and other staff encouraged public education and targeted mitigation now, ahead of full state implementation, to reduce the city’s assessed risk and possible insurance impacts.

Looking ahead: Randy said he will report further at the next meeting and pass along more detailed county guidance as the program’s logistics are finalized.