Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
State presenter outlines HB 48 plan for high‑risk WUI mapping, lot assessments and fees
Loading...
Summary
Joseph Brave told the Tooele Council of Governments on March 19 that House Bill 48’s high‑risk wildland‑urban‑interface program uses a state map (top 5% risk), delays fee collection until 2027, requires owner-requested lot assessments by certified assessors and will tier fees by structure size and triage score.
Joseph Brave, a division presenter for the state wildland fire program, briefed the Tooele Council of Governments on March 19 on implementation of House Bill 48 and related 2026 legislation aimed at addressing wildfire risk to structures.
Brave said the law was prompted by growing wildfire frequency and severity, rising taxpayer suppression costs and insurance-market volatility. “This last season in Utah, wildfires cost taxpayers $192,000,000,” he said, and added the objective of HB 48 is to reduce risk at the structure level so neighborhoods aren’t dependent on a fire engine at every house.
Why this matters: the legislation creates a state high‑risk WUI map (the top 5% of modeled structure exposure) and requires municipalities in the cooperative wildfire system to adopt the WUI code. Counties will use the state map to identify parcels for a new lot‑assessment program and to assess a structure‑based fee that is intended to fund the lot‑assessment program.
Key elements Brave described: - High‑risk map: Focuses on where structures currently sit and models ember travel from nearby fuels; it differs from local WUI maps that typically consider broader risk and future development. The state map is updated annually and is available through the division’s risk‑assessment portal and a public story map. - Timing: Fee collection is postponed for 2026; counties will begin collecting fees in 2027. Brave said states and counties will continue to refine the map before fees begin. - Fee structure: Counties will assess fees based on total structure square footage on a parcel. Brave cited a baseline example: parcels with up to 3,000 square feet currently would be charged $20 (the division described the fee as tiered by square footage and later by a triage score once lot assessments are completed). - Lot assessments: Property owners must request a lot assessment; certified assessors using a prescribed methodology will assign a triage score (1–3) that can reduce a parcel’s fee. All assessments in high‑risk areas must be completed by 2028. - Use of funds: The program is designed to be self‑funded; collected fees may only be used for the lot‑assessment/high‑risk program and not for unrelated purchases such as new fire engines. - Appeals and insurance: A new appeals process runs through counties. Once the division provides the required explanation of why areas were labeled high risk (Brave said the explanation is due to counties by Aug. 6), the county 30‑day comment/appeal window begins. The division must share triage scores with insurance companies, but carriers are not required to change rates; Brave said some insurers have expressed interest in better data to reward owners who mitigate risk.
Questions and concerns from members focused on map precision, mitigation effects, outreach and county workload. On whether mitigation can remove a parcel from the state high‑risk boundary, Brave explained that mapping is driven by landscape‑scale fuels and ember modeling, so removing a parcel from the high‑risk designation usually requires large‑scale changes beyond individual yard work; mitigation on adjacent federal lands (BLM) can affect risk and the division said it is coordinating with federal partners and using new contracting authorities to pursue mitigation projects on federal land.
Kevin Nunn, fire chief for North Tooele Fire District, praised the outreach and the state‑county collaboration: “We’ve had … great attendance; [the outreach] has been really kind of pushed out.” Nunn said local chiefs and the division have worked closely on education and expect the program to gain momentum.
Next steps Brave outlined: the division will provide counties the map and the mandated written explanation (triggering the 30‑day appeal window), counties will overlay the state map on parcel data to identify affected homeowners, jurisdictions will coordinate on mailers, and the state will stand up the lot‑assessment certification and app process. Counties manage collector responsibilities and may retain fees to cover local implementation costs before sending remainder to the state.
The division has posted an HB 48 FAQ and a link to the high‑risk map on its website; Brave encouraged jurisdictions to use the story map and contact division staff for technical help.
The presentation closed after an extended question‑and‑answer period. County officials requested the presenter’s slides for local use and follow‑up on appeals and implementation timelines.
