Fire Mitigation & Defensible Space Clearing — Heber City, Utah

What is defensible space and why it matters in Utah

Defensible space is the buffer you create between your home and the flammable vegetation around it. Done correctly, it slows or stops a wildfire's spread, deprives flying embers of fuel near your structures, and gives firefighters a place they can safely work to defend your property.

On the Wasatch Back, our scrub oak, juniper, and dry summer grasses are exactly the fuel profile that drives the fastest-moving Utah wildfires. The combination of homes built deep into the foothills, hot dry summers, and dense ladder fuels is the reason the state passed HB 48 in the first place.

Utah HB 48 explained

Utah HB 48 — signed into law in March 2025 — creates a statewide framework for wildfire risk and funding. More than 60,000 Utah properties sit inside the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), and Wasatch County and Summit County are among the most heavily affected counties in the state.

Starting in 2026, high-risk WUI properties face an annual wildfire fee tied to their assessed risk tier. Homeowners who complete approved vegetation clearing and obtain an assessment can drop into a lower fee tier — paying back the cost of clearing year after year. Fee tier assessments begin in 2028, so the work you do this season is what gets you into the right tier when the meter starts running.

Is your property in the WUI?

Utah publishes a public wildfire risk map at wildfirerisk.utah.gov — you can look up your address in 30 seconds and see your risk classification. If you're inside the WUI, HB 48 applies to you and the time to act is now, before the 2028 assessments lock in your tier.

The 30-foot and 100-foot zones

• Zone 1 — the 0–30 ft inner zone

  Directly around your home. Aggressive clearing: remove all dead vegetation, thin trees significantly, eliminate ladder fuels (low branches that let fire climb), and keep the first 5 feet around the structure essentially non-combustible.
• Zone 2 — the 30–100 ft outer zone

  More vegetation is allowed but it must be thinned and spaced so fire moves slowly along the ground instead of crowning through tree tops. We clear ladder fuels and create breaks that buy firefighters time.

How we help

• On-site fire risk assessment

  We walk your property and identify the highest-risk fuels — overgrown scrub oak, juniper, ladder fuels, structure-adjacent vegetation.
• Defensible space clearing

  We mulch, thin, and remove vegetation in Zone 1 and Zone 2 to current Utah guidelines.
• Ember-zone hardening

  Special attention to the first 5 feet around your home — the area most likely to ignite from blowing embers in a fast-moving fire.
• Documentation for HB 48 & insurance

  Before/after photos and a written scope of work you can submit to your insurer or include in your property record for assessment purposes.

Lower your insurance premiums

Most major Utah insurers now use wildfire risk scores when setting premiums — and several offer discounts (or simply continued coverage) for homes that maintain documented defensible space. A completed clearing project with photos and a written scope is exactly the documentation those carriers want to see when you request a rate review.

Why act before 2028

Once HB 48 fee assessments begin in 2028, your fee tier locks in based on what your property looks like at that moment. Clear now, document it, and lock in the lowest possible rate — and the lowest possible wildfire risk to your home.

Service area

We provide HB 48 fire mitigation and defensible space clearing across Heber City, Midway, Park City, Kamas, and all of Wasatch County and Summit County, Utah.