Salt Lake County discusses impact and frequently asked questions for wildfire bill in public meeting

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Thursday, a meeting was held in Salt Lake County to discuss how a bill to reduce wildfires, H.B. 48, will impact local communities, including with property management and potential fees.

H.B. 48 is a bill that was passed by the legislature this year and is set to go into effect on January 1, 2026, that is meant to help mitigate fires in high-risk Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) area. The WUI is the zone where structures and human development meet undeveloped wildland.

Those areas, throughout the country, tend to have more devastating wildfires. According to Joseph Anderson with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, some of the deadliest wildfires in recent years have occurred in WUI areas and burned significantly more structures than rural areas.

Anderson cited several fires including the Hawaii Lahaina Fire in 2023, where 102 people died, and the California Palisades Fire in 2025, where over 6,000 structures burned down.

When homes are closer together and near wildfires like they are in WUIs, they are more likely to catch fire and spread ongoing fires.

Reportedly, there are three main reasons that houses burn during a wildfire. 90% of structure ignition comes from embers from ongoing fires. Houses also ignite from direct flame contact, which come from a path of fuel sources, and radiant heat in windy conditions.

Anderson said that the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (FFSL) is working to determine what areas have high-risk WUI boundaries and assessing potential lot fees for residences in those areas.

Additionally, under H.B. 48, municipalities must establish codes for H.B. 48, allowing for an enforcement mechanism to reduce wildfire risk on private land. Notably, counties were already required to do this prior to H.B. 48, but this will enforce it on municipal levels going forward.

Both counties and municipalities will also be required to determine the WUI boundaries and enforce Utah’s WUI code by January 1, 2026. The FFSL will also be creating a high-risk WUI boundary map and structures within that boundary will be assessed a fee.

Additionally, property insurance carriers must use that FFSL map when evaluating wildfire risk, according to Anderson.

The FFSL will be determining fee amounts based on square footage of taxable structures with flat fee rates between $20 and $100 for 2026 and 2027. From 2028 onward, fees will be based on annual costs of the program, and lot assessments that consider the danger that a property poses.

“This fee is not punitive. It is just meant to cover the cost of the program,” Anderson added. All funds raised as a result of the fees will be collected by the county and be deposited into the Utah Wildfire Fund.

FFSL also added that property owners can request assessments to reduce fees from 2028 onward. The assessments must be completed by a FFSL-certified WUI Coordinator, using prescribed standard methodology that is in development by FFSL.

The assessments will focus on space on the property that is defensible and home hardening, which can include clearing debris and mitigating potential fire spread and are applicable for five years.

More information on H.B. 48 can be found here. Additionally, FFSL will be holding additional public information meetings on November 13 in Richfield and November 18 in Cedar City. More information on those meetings can be found here.