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Fire marshal outlines House Bill 48: WUI map due and possible assessed fees for high‑risk areas
Summary
Unified Fire Authority fire marshal Wade Watkins briefed the council on House Bill 48, explaining municipalities must adopt a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) boundary map and that the state will publish a high‑risk map (and potentially attached assessment) on Jan. 1, 2026; staff said Magna will have material to consider by Dec. 9.
Wade Watkins, fire marshal for the Unified Fire Authority, told Magna City Council on Nov. 18 that House Bill 48 includes two provisions likely to affect Magna: the adoption of a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) boundary map tied to the 2006 WUI code (the state is working on a 2024 update) and the forthcoming publication of a high‑risk areas map that may be accompanied by an assessed fee.
"House Bill 48 became law after the last legislative session as of 03/03/2025," Watkins said, and he told the council the state will publish the high‑risk map on Jan. 1, 2026. Watkins described how structure exposure scores (a metric the state forestry, fire and lands agency uses) and ember-casting risk inform the scoring. He said most of Magna scored in the six range and that some west-end areas showed sixes and occasional sevens, which are closer to the state threshold that could carry an assessment.
Watkins recommended municipalities take a conservative approach on first adoption and noted state guidance encourages revisiting the adopted map on roughly a three-year cycle. He emphasized that municipalities adopt the WUI boundary map by legislative action and that building code officials and the local fire code official should be involved in the adoption process.
City staff and council members responded that MSD staff will prepare a map and bring an adoption item forward for council consideration on Dec. 9. Staff said they would verify the state-published scores and confirm what will appear in the materials presented to the council.
What residents should know Staff and the fire marshal said the WUI map determines where certain building-code measures and, potentially, assessments apply. The county/state will publish scoring and the high‑risk map that drives any fee; the council does not yet have an adopted boundary or a confirmed local fee amount.
Next steps MSD staff to prepare materials for council consideration by Dec. 9; fire marshal and building officials to coordinate on recommended boundaries and review cycles.
