1A: Shared Responsibility: Managing Utah’s Wildfire Risk

Living in the wildland urban interface (WUI), where development meets wildland areas, comes with an increasing risk of catastrophic wildfire. Elsewhere in the United States, neighborhoods and towns that aren’t prepared for wildfires have had significant impacts on states that must address insurance shortfalls from wildfire catastrophe. Utah has a clear path to significantly reduce wildfire risk while safeguarding against the economic impacts.

House Bill 48 (2025) introduces a step towards mitigating wildfire risks within the WUI and confronting insurance issues in these areas. Many homeowners living in the WUI are understandably concerned with the state of Utah’s risk for wildfire and their ability to obtain insurance when living in these high-risk areas. However, many are also unaware that their actions can significantly improve their home’s survivability when a wildfire occurs, as well as manage the implications associated with high insurance premiums or the potential risk of uninsurability. This legislation places a greater shared responsibility on homeowners and local authorities to implement preventive measures for wildfires on Utah’s landscape. At the same time, the bill also addresses insurer responsibility regarding the high-risk WUI area boundary, cancellation of policies, and/or increases in policy premiums.

H.B. 48 incentivizes risk reduction efforts at the individual parcel level through lot assessments and property fees for those living in the high-risk WUI. Property owners can reduce these fees through actions informed by the lot assessments, which provide education and recommendations for home hardening and defensible space actions. The lot assessment risk ratings will be available to insurers to document the steps homeowners take to create defensible space and home hardening, creating a more wildfire-resilient landscape.