§ 65A-8-402 — Evaluation of wildland urban interface property -- Fee amounts -- Rulemaking.

Utah § 65A-8-402

• Jurisdiction: Utah
• Title 65A: Forestry, Fire, and State Lands
• Ch. 65A-8: Management of Forest Lands and Fire Control
• Part 65A-8-4: Wildland Urban Interface Property

Text

(1) (1)(a) The division shall establish a program under which a wildland urban interface coordinator evaluates and classifies high risk wildland urban interface property using a triage scale.
(1)(b) The wildland urban interface coordinator shall be:
(1)(b)(i) a representative of the division; or
(1)(b)(ii) if the evaluation and classification is assigned to a county, a representative of the county.
(1)(c) At the beginning of each calendar year, the division shall determine whether to assign evaluation and classification under this section of high risk wildland urban interface property to a county.
(2) After completing the evaluation and classification under this section, the wildland urban interface coordinator shall inform a property owner of property described in Subsection (1)(a) of:
(2)(a) the classification assigned to the property described in Subsection (1)(a) under the triage scale;
(2)(b) the fee the property owner shall pay under Section 17E-7-401; and
(2)(c) resources from the division or county that the property owner may access to bring the property described in Subsection (1)(a) to the first or second classification by applying wildland urban interface building standards.
(3) As part of the program established under this section, the division:
(3)(a) may provide resources to a property owner described in Subsection (2)(b) to facilitate the property owner bringing the property described in Subsection (1)(a) to the first or second classification under the triage scale; and
(3)(b) beginning on January 1, 2028, shall develop and maintain a database that may be accessed by a wildland urban interface property and casualty insurer to learn the classification under the triage scale for any portion of high risk wildland urban interface property to be covered by the wildland urban interface property and casualty insurer.
(4) (4)(a) The division shall annually set a fee amount that is based on the square footage of a structure within the high risk wildland urban interface to pay for the costs associated with the implementation of this part to be assessed and collected by a county in accordance with Section 17E-7-401.
(4)(b) The division may tier the fee amount to account for what level on the triage scale a property is assigned by a wildland urban interface coordinator.
(5) The division may make rules, in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, to:
(5)(a) define high risk wildland urban interface property and wildland urban interface property that is not high risk as provided in Subsection 65A-8-203(8)(b);
(5)(b) establish the criteria used to evaluate and classify property located within high risk wildland urban interface property;
(5)(c) create a process by which the division and counties communicate classifications assigned to property described in Subsection (1)(a);
(5)(d) create a process for communicating to a property owner the information described in Subsection (2);
(5)(e) establish how the division may provide resources under Subsection (3);
(5)(f) create a process for a wildland urban interface property and casualty insurer to learn the classification described in Subsection (3)(b); and
(5)(g) establish how the fee amount described in Subsection (4) is set.

Legislative History

Amended by Chapter 17, 2025 Special Session 1