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Council says House Bill 48 will require town adoption of Wildland-Urban Interface rules, urges homeowner mitigation
Summary
Council members and staff said a recent state change tied to House Bill 48 will require Interlaken to adopt a Wildland-Urban Interface code and map, that most town properties are shown as high risk, and that the town will rework a draft ordinance and schedule public outreach with fire-district staff.
Interlaken27s council on Tuesday warned residents that a state-level change under House Bill 48 will require the town to adopt a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) code and the state-provided map, and that many properties in town are currently mapped as high risk.
The council27s chair told residents the town must adopt the applicable WUI code so the Wasatch Fire District will be able to provide firefighting support and state funding in the event of a wildfire. "If we had a fire tomorrow and we hadn't adopted this, we would get no cooperation from the state and funding to fight the fire," the chair said.
Bart, who was introduced by the chair as a town staff member, said he and other council members met for more than an hour with fire-district officials, who explained defensible-space expectations and offered to present a public slideshow and conduct property assessments. "They will do an assessment as well of your home and come out and just give you recommendations," Bart said, describing the district27s planned public presentation.
Council members noted the state map is generated from satellite data and is updated annually, and they cautioned homeowners to pursue property mitigation before a 2028 fee change that will tie higher charges to square footage. The chair summarized the practical impacts: properties not in compliance could face higher insurance costs and reduced eligibility for certain insurance payouts. "If your house burns down and you're not in compliance with the pretty strict defensible-space mechanisms that they have in the bill, it can affect your ability to claim," the chair said.
The council said it will rework a draft local ordinance to align with the final state language (the legislature was still in session and the bill could be modified), publish guidance showing the required 5-foot and 10-foot fuel-clearance expectations, and schedule a public meeting—likely at the fire station—where Wasatch Fire District staff will present findings and answer homeowner questions.
The council emphasized that while the town will provide information and maps, property mitigation remains the homeowner27s responsibility and that the town does not plan to undertake private-property contracting at town expense. Staff said they will seek ways to distribute clear guidance and to explore funding or coordinated contractor options, but declined to take on broad contracting for private properties.
Next steps: council members said they will revise the draft ordinance and present it for consideration at the next meeting, and will circulate defensible-space maps and explanatory material to residents ahead of the public presentation by fire-district personnel.
