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Ephraim presents state-required Wildland-Urban Interface ordinance for review
Summary
Fire Chief Jeff Hermansen presented a proposed Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) ordinance that would apply enhanced fire-safety building standards and vegetation-management rules within a city-drawn WUI boundary; the ordinance will return for consideration March 4, 2026.
Fire Chief Jeff Hermansen presented a proposed Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) ordinance to the Ephraim City Council on Feb. 18, 2026, saying the rule is required by the State of Utah and must be adopted by municipalities to comply with state code.
The ordinance maps a WUI boundary that follows Ephraim’s city limits and adjacent state and wildland properties, including the subdivision at the mouth of the canyon, and would impose enhanced fire-safety building standards on new residential construction within that zone. Existing homes, Chief Hermansen said, would see minimal direct impact under the proposed language. The proposal also includes vegetation-management requirements and a fireworks restriction within the designated boundary.
Why it matters: The ordinance would become part of the city’s permitting process — Chief Hermansen said the WUI designation and related compliance items would be added as a checklist item for zoning and building permit reviews — and the city would be required to sign a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) agreement. Council members also clarified enforcement mechanisms and how the ordinance would apply to properties that abut the WUI boundary, including certain county-owned parcels.
The council did not vote on the ordinance at the Feb. 18 meeting. Chief Hermansen said the ordinance will return to the council for further consideration and potential approval at the March 4, 2026 meeting.
Clarifying details noted in the presentation included that the WUI boundary was determined by following municipal boundary lines and adjacent state/wildland properties, that fireworks would be restricted inside the boundary, and that the CWPP is required as part of implementation. The transcript did not specify the exact construction standards, enforcement penalties, or the complete list of parcels affected; those details were left for the ordinance draft that will be brought back to council.
