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Ivins adopts Wildland‑Urban Interface code, agrees to include Appendix C
Summary
Ivins City Council voted to adopt the 2006 Utah Wildland‑Urban Interface (WUI) Code and the city’s WUI area map, with a modification to include Appendix C (and related appendices as clarified) when the state’s 2024 edition becomes effective. The ordinance passed on a roll‑call vote after staff clarified appendices and implementation timing.
The Ivins City Council on March 19 adopted an ordinance to incorporate the 2006 Utah Wildland‑Urban Interface (WUI) Code and to publish Ivins’s own WUI area map, with a modification that will add Appendix C into local code once the state’s 2024 edition takes effect.
Council members and staff concentrated debate on whether the city should adopt the appendices to the code — particularly Appendix C, which allows municipalities to use an alternative methodology to replace a restrictive table in the main code. Staff said adopting Appendix C would let Ivins perform more tailored property evaluations (for example, accounting for water pressure or vegetation type) rather than applying a blunt statewide table. Planning Commission chair Pam told the council the commission recommended the change to improve fire hardening and insurance stability for homeowners.
"Appendix C provides an alternative methodology and lets us evaluate properties based on type of foliage and local conditions," one council member said during the discussion. Staff confirmed they recommend adopting Appendix A, B and C as shown in the proposed exhibit, and clarified the ordinance language so it expressly includes Appendix C when the state’s 2024 code becomes effective. There were no public comments during the hearing.
The council moved and adopted Ordinance 2026‑02 by roll call; the vote was recorded as aye by the members present. The ordinance includes the city WUI map and language clarifying how the appendices will be incorporated with the transition to the 2024 state code. Council and staff noted the ordinance’s effective date and that enforcement measures and building‑permit clarifications would follow in departmental procedures.
Implementation steps outlined by staff include updating the building department’s guidance, notifying insurers and homeowners in affected zones, and scheduling follow‑up workshops for property owners to explain the practical effects of the code changes. Staff said the map and appendix adoption will not go into effect for code enforcement until the effective date specified in the ordinance and as aligned with the state’s schedule.
The adoption responds to state direction about wildfire risk and aims to improve home hardening, insurance stability and consistent permitting across Ivins neighborhoods.
The council’s action: Ordinance 2026‑02 adopting the 2006 Utah Wildland‑Urban Interface Code and Ivins WUI area map, with modification to include Appendix C upon the state’s 2024 code adoption. The council approved the ordinance on a roll‑call vote.
