The wildland-urban interface, or WUI, is the area where development meets wilderness. Homes in that zone are especially at risk of being destroyed in a wildfire.
Homeowners in that area can be required to take extra steps to defend their property, like clearing vegetation or using fire-resistant roofing materials.
At a meeting Sept. 8, the Heber City Planning Commission recommended expanding the WUI map to include most homes north of downtown.
Heber City Planning Manager Jamie Baron said the changes would add homes to the zone from Coyote Canyon Parkway up to state Route 32.
“The intent here is to really mitigate wildfire and to mitigate the spread of fire through these areas as they bump up against undeveloped areas or hillsides,” he said.
The old map followed the Wasatch Canal. Because of rapid development in the Heber Valley, Wasatch Fire Marshal Clint Neerings said the boundaries need to be expanded north to keep residents safe.
“With the level of development and the density that we're seeing, the proximity of houses one to another, [it] kind of exacerbates the potential spread of structure to structure,” he said.
New state laws about wildfire mitigation also play a role.
Utah created a program in 2025 to inspect “high-risk” properties statewide and charge them a fee of $20-$100 annually. That money will pay for inspections to make sure homeowners are being fire-wise and maintaining their land. The law is intended to make the whole state safer.
Counties and cities have until January 1, 2027, to ask the state to amend which homes fall in the new fee areas.
Neerings said an updated map will help Heber residents avoid surprise inspection fees and keep their home insurance coverage.
“The state stresses a lot: This is a voluntary program, but there is a fee associated,” he said. “In order to reduce that, you need to look at the ignition-resistant level of your home and the proximity to vegetation.”
The planning commission unanimously recommended implementing the new map.
It now heads to the Heber City Council for a vote.
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