Davis County briefed on House Bill 48: state to require wildfire inspections, counties to administer fees

Amber Herrick, the Davis County emergency manager with the sheriff’s office, told commissioners at a May 27 work session that House Bill 48 will require inspections for properties the state designates as high wildfire hazard and that the state will set inspection standards, create a statewide database and publish a fee schedule by Jan. 1, 2026. “All homes in the high hazard risk area will be required to have an inspection, and they’ll be assessed a fee based on their wildfire risk score,” Herrick said.

The law assigns counties responsibility for performing or coordinating inspections while Forestry Fire and State Lands will establish the technical standards and maintain a central database, Herrick said. She described a process in which inspectors record a risk score, recommend mitigation steps that can lower that score and — as a result — reduce the annual fee assessed on a property. “They will be able to tell the individual if you do a, b, and c, you can reduce your wildfire score risk,” Herrick said.

Commissioners and staff pressed for details on how the law will be implemented locally. County staff and multiple commissioners said the state’s current Wildfire Assessment Portal (URAP) map already flags many parcels across the county, including parks and urban backyards, and that the map will be updated this fall. One participant relayed an estimate from the county fire warden that “this will be 70,000 homes in Davis County,” a figure that commissioners said underscores the scale of inspections and the manpower that would be required.

Elected officials asked whether municipalities or cities must perform inspections inside incorporated areas. Herrick said the statute places responsibility with counties but allows counties to coordinate with municipal fire agencies or hire private contractors, provided those inspectors meet the state’s criteria. Several local fire districts told commissioners they are already at or near capacity and would likely need additional staff if asked to do the inspections directly.

Commissioners also raised legal and practical questions about fees and timing: whether the assessment is treated as a tax or a special assessment, deadlines for placing fees on tax rolls, and the risk that improperly set fees could draw state auditor review. Herrick said the state will produce a fee schedule and qualifications for inspectors, but county staff will have to decide implementation and how to collect any ongoing assessments.

Insurance impacts were another major concern. Commissioners warned that publicizing numerous urban properties as high-risk could affect homeowner premiums even though wildfire coverage is commonly a separate rider. Herrick said the state database will be accessible to insurers and reiterated the program’s mitigation focus: homeowners can reduce risk scores through recommended actions.

Staff noted other implementation constraints: many drainage channels and waterways that would benefit from fuels mitigation require permits from federal agencies (such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), and older county interlocal agreements with fire districts (some dating to the 1980s) may need updating to clarify responsibilities.

For immediate outreach, Herrick said the county fire warden will continue offering free Firewise-style inspections to give residents mitigation advice before the state’s inspection standard is finalized. Commissioners agreed to monitor state deliverables, press legislators for clarifications, update interlocal agreements as needed and coordinate public education once the state releases the updated map and the fee schedule.

The commission did not take a formal vote on implementation at the work session; members asked staff to return with further updates as the state releases guidance and timetables.