7-24-24
More Details on the draft Oregon Wildfire Hazard map posted 7-18-24
This is an informal compilation of some of the information available as of 7-24-24 gathered for SBNA members. See the Oregon Department of Forestry webpage about the map for official information.
A new draft of the Oregon Wildfire Hazard map was posted July 18th, 2024.
The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will be accepting public comment on the map until August 18. “When the comment period is complete, ODF and OSU will evaluate all public comment to see whether changes to the maps are warranted”, according to the Oregon State Fire Marsha’s web page
It appears that all of the SBNA area is classified as “low” or “moderate” wildfire hazard risk, which means that SBNA-area properties should not be subject to building codes currently in development, according to a statement that pops up when clicking on the wilddfire risk map: “Only properties that are both high hazard and in the wildland-urban interface will be subject to defensible space or fire-hardening building codes. Properties that do not meet both criteria will not be affected by the regulations.”
A new Oregon Defensible Space Code is in final draft form according to the State Fire Marshall’s website.
In 2023 the Oregon Legislature Legislature passed “a law that explicitly prohibits any insurance company from using any wildfire risk map published by the State of Oregon as a basis for increasing insurance premiums, canceling a policy, or refusing to renew a homeowners policy. Senate Bill 82 makes it against the law for any insurance company to use any state-published wildfire risk map for any of these purposes. If your agent or insurance company tells you that your premium has increased or that your policy has been dropped because of the statewide wildfire risk map, you can contact the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation‘s consumer advocacy team at 888-877-4894 (toll-free) or file a complaint online at dfr.oregon.gov.”