Utah County, UT Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)

The Wasatch Front, including foothill neighborhoods in Provo, Orem, Alpine, Cedar Hills, and unincorporated Utah County, lies in a high-risk Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Utah Code §65A-8-203 authorizes the State Forester (through the Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands) to designate wildland fire areas and issue closed-fire seasonal restrictions; violations are a class B misdemeanor. Utah has adopted the International Wildland Urban Interface Code via the Utah Wildland Urban Interface Code (Utah Admin Code R156-15A), which requires Class A or B roofing, ignition-resistant exterior walls, ember-resistant vents, and enclosed eaves for new construction in mapped hazard zones. Defensible space rules require a Zone 1 of 0 to 30 feet (lean, clean, and green — no dead vegetation, spaced ornamental plantings, trimmed tree limbs 10 feet from chimneys), and Zone 2 of 30 to 100 feet (reduced fuel — thinned trees, removed ladder fuels, spaced shrubs). Utah County participates in the Firewise USA program and enforces county Land Use Ordinance §7.12 provisions in mapped hillside overlay zones. During closed-fire season (typically June through October), open flames, fireworks, and exploding targets are prohibited in unincorporated wildland areas under §65A-8-211.