Learn how Utah’s new wildfire rule could affect your home at Thursday’s meeting

The Silver King Fire burned over 17,000 acres in south-central Utah, last year. Photo: Utah Fire Info

UTAH — Utah homeowners will have a chance to learn about new wildfire safety requirements taking effect next year during a public meeting on Thursday, November 6, from 6–7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Utah Department of Natural Resources Auditorium in Salt Lake City and is also available virtually at meet.google.com/jhx-hrzd-nrn.

At the meeting, state officials will explain House Bill 48, a new state law requiring homeowners who live in Utah’s Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) — areas where homes border wildland — to meet updated wildfire protection standards starting January 1, 2026.

The law introduces defensible space and home-hardening requirements designed to reduce wildfire risk in vulnerable areas. These standards include using fire-resistant building materials, clearing vegetation near structures, and maintaining defensible zones around homes to slow or prevent the spread of wildfire.

The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands (FFSL) will create a new, Utah-specific mapping tool to designate high-risk WUI zones, and then they will assess properties within those zones to determine wildfire vulnerability on an individual basis. 

• In 2026 and 2027, homeowners will pay a flat statewide fee based on home size.
• Beginning in 2028, fees will adjust according to each property’s individual wildfire risk score.

Homeowners who opt out of the assessment will automatically be charged the highest fee. All collected funds will go into Utah’s new Wildfire Fund, which supports assessments and local mitigation projects.

The law could also influence home insurance costs. Insurers will now use the state’s official High-Risk WUI boundary map when setting premiums and must notify homeowners if wildfire-related premiums increase by more than 20% or if coverage changes.

For FAQs and more information, visit ffsl.utah.gov/wuirisk.