Washington County, UT Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- 2003 Intl. Urban-Wildland Interface Code
- State amendment
- Utah rule R652-122 (2006 WUI Code)
- Small-structure exception
- ≤1,000 sq ft with defensible space
- Accessory exception
- ≤600 sq ft garages, sheds, farm buildings
- Addition exception
- 25% or less addition keeps exemption
- Enforcing office
- County Chief Building Official
Summary
Washington County has adopted the 2003 International Urban-Wildland Interface Code, amended by Utah's rule R652-122, as its wildfire building code. It sets fire apparatus access roads, water-supply, and driveway standards for any structure built or relocated into a mapped wildland-urban interface area of the unincorporated county.
The international urban-wildland interface code, 2003 edition, as currently amended by the division of forestry, fire and state lands under rule R652-122 of the Utah administrative code (the 2006 Utah wildland-urban interface code), is hereby adopted as the wildland-urban interface code of Washington County, for regulating and governing the mitigation of hazard to life and property from the intrusion of fire from wildland exposures, fire from adjacent structures and prevention of structure fires from spreading to wildland fuels as therein provided; providing for the issuance of permits and the collection of fees therefor; and each and all of the regulations, provisions, penalties, conditions and terms of said wildland-urban interface code on file in the office of the Washington County clerk are hereby referred to, adopted, and made a part hereof, as if fully set out in this chapter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-17: Code current through: Ord. 2026-1329-O, passed 8-18-2026).
Full Breakdown
" The county revised specific sections when it adopted the code. " A structure that started under 1,000 square feet keeps that exception even after adding up to a 25% addition. 3 layers on fire apparatus access road standards, with its own exceptions for new construction on existing approved driveways and for approved driveways through undersized easements. Compliance runs through the Chief Building Official as part of the ordinary Title 9 building permit process, and Title 10's zone-change and project-plan rules separately require a fire protection plan addressing this same WUI code for any rezoning inside a designated high-fire-risk area.
Violations & Fines
Building without the required WUI fire apparatus access road, water supply, or defensible space triggers a permit denial or a stop-work "red tag" from the building inspector, and the structure cannot get a certificate of occupancy until it complies. Only the narrow exceptions in Section 9-1-4.C, sub-1,000-square-foot homes with defensible space, sub-600-square-foot accessory buildings, and additions of 25% or less, escape the access-road and water-supply mandates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What fire code applies to building in Washington County's wildland-urban interface?
Is my small shed exempt from the WUI water-supply rule?
Do fire apparatus access road rules apply to my existing driveway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
Compare Washington County to another location·View the Utah fire regulations overview
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