State fire official briefs Scofield on House Bill 48, WUI mapping and fees

Jeremy Jorgensen, a Fire Technician 4 with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands, told the Scofield Town Council on May 11 that House Bill 48 aims "to reduce the risk of wildfire spreading to and from structures in the wildland urban interface." He described a state mapping process that places structures in a high‑risk WUI layer and said classification can trigger per‑structure fees collected by counties to fund program implementation.

Jorgensen said the state uses a computer model ("ember casting") and satellite imagery to map ignition risk and that structures that "touch" a high‑risk map layer will be assessed a fee based on square footage. "Fee amounts will be determined annually by [FFSL] based on the cost of implementing the program," he said, adding that property owners who complete defensible‑space work and home hardening can qualify for lower fees but "you will never be all the way out of that fee with the way the law is written."

The state’s Collective Wildfire Suppression (CWS) program provides financial delegation so the state can cover suppression costs for fires that start inside town limits and spread off‑site; participation in CWS is tied to adopting and enforcing the state WUI code, Jorgensen said. He noted municipalities and counties must adopt WUI mapping and code (the state set January 1, 2026 as a target adoption date and was allowing some leeway) and that the county will collect any fees and retain an implementation share.

Council members asked how the mapping treats parcels that are partly inside a high‑risk zone. Jorgensen said that if a structure touches the high‑risk layer it will be assessed, even if only part of the lot intersects the mapped boundary. He offered to come back to town staff and review the mapping in detail.

Council discussion emphasized uncertainty about mechanics and timing. The chair said he would prefer to wait and "see how this all shakes out" with the county and recommended delaying any local adoption until the county code and implementation details are clear. The council did not adopt a code at the meeting; members asked staff to arrange further briefings and to invite county building officials so the town can compare the county’s implementation approach before acting.

The presentation closed with Jorgensen providing QR codes and state web resources for residents to check whether a property is in the high‑risk WUI layer and to view the fee schedule.