Uintah County fire official presents updated Wildland‑Urban Interface map to Ballard; city asked to adopt map

Jeremy Raymond of the Uintah County Fire Department presented the State's Wildland‑Urban Interface (WUI) mapping approach to the Ballard Combined City/Zoning work meeting on March 18, 2026, and said he will prepare an updated WUI map for Ballard and present it to the City Council on April 7.

Raymond described a State classification that uses a "structure score" ranging from 0 to 10, with higher numbers indicating greater hazard. He said Ballard currently does not contain areas the State rates as high hazard. Raymond explained that the map is subject to periodic review—either annually or on a five‑year schedule—and will be updated as development and vegetation changes alter local risk levels.

Council Member Shaun Murray raised concerns voiced by board members about possible new fees or additional requirements beyond Ballard's existing building codes. Raymond said that while some requirements (for example, defensive tree setbacks or other defensible‑space measures) can apply, he told the meeting that no additional fees would be imposed for adopting the map. Raymond also advised the city will need to adopt the updated WUI map; he noted that the underlying WUI code has already been adopted by the city.

The transcript records Raymond's statement that "cities are required to adopt the WUI map if they are five or more," but the record does not make clear whether that phrase refers to the number of mapped areas, a numeric threshold on the State's 0–10 structure score, or another criterion; the transcript does not specify further. The city will receive Raymond's prepared map at the April 7 council meeting for formal consideration and adoption.