Utah HB0048, set to go into effect on May 7, 2025, requires Utah counties to appoint a wildlands officer to “assess a fee against property owners of high-risk wildlife urban interface [WUI] property in the amount set by the Division of Forestry, Fire and State lands.”
The term “high risk” is in reference to wildland fires and wildfire response and control, and the purported intent of the bill is to “oversee wildfire risks associated with wildland urban interface property.” Kane County officials have expressed concern over the potential ramifications of the bill for the citizens of the county, as a high percentage of county properties, especially those dedicated to agriculture, are WUI properties. County officials may be obligated to put staff in place responsible for assessing fees on some county citizens, with amounts dependent on state and federal entities determining the costs of wildland fire mitigation in the area.
Beyond the fees, the bill has the potential to complicate insurance of high risk WUI property, putting restrictions on a potential insurers’ own risk assessment and opening avenues for insurers to label additional property as “high risk” which consistently increases insurance rates.
The bill may also impose stricter building standards on high risk WUI property, both on county lands and within municipalities on county lands.
Further details are forthcoming pending reports on the end of the legislative session; further information will be available in upcoming issues of the Southern Utah News, as reported on by SUN legislature correspondent Wyatt Brannon.
