The release of the maps follows a record-breaking wildfire season last year and firestorms in 2020 that killed nine people and destroyed thousands of homes.
The state-developed maps — which will not affect homeowners’ insurance rates, under Oregon law — create new rules for those living in the most fire-prone areas that also border wildlands such as forests or grasslands.
Oregon isn't the only state grappling with how to manage the risk. Washington state and Colorado have also recently moved to address fire risk in their communities, and a new rule announced in California last week will require insurance companies to provide policies in high-risk wildfire areas in order to continue doing business in the state.
In Oregon, the new building and so-called defensible space codes will affect only about 106,000 tax lots. The building codes will require new construction in high hazard areas in the wildland-urban interface to have fire-resistant features, and will only apply to an existing home if people make certain upgrades, such as fully replacing a roof or siding, said Mark Peterson, spokesperson for the state department overseeing the Building Codes Division.
