HB 215: Landscaping Restrictions Amendments - Utah

Amended 1/30/2026 10:01:856 → Substitute #1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah laws to restrict counties, municipalities, and homeowner associations from banning vegetation removal in wildland-urban interface areas to improve fire safety. It also updates the definition of the 'wildland-urban interface' to reference a specific code edition and removes the 'Senate Sponsor' name from the header. Additionally, the bill deletes the requirement for homeowner associations to adopt rules supporting 'water wise landscaping' and removes a provision prohibiting the removal of vegetation in those areas, creating a conflict with the new fire safety restrictions.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding vegetation removal is narrowed for homeowner associations by deleting their specific prohibition on removing vegetation in wildland-urban interface areas, while maintaining the restriction for counties and municipalities. The definition of 'wildland-urban interface' is updated to reference a specific code edition.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'wildland-urban interface' was updated to explicitly reference the edition of the International Wildland Urban Interface Code adopted under Section 15A-2-103.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for homeowner associations to adopt rules supporting 'water wise landscaping' (including low water use requirements and design criteria) was deleted.

The specific prohibition preventing homeowner associations from restricting vegetation removal in wildland-urban interface areas was removed, likely to resolve a conflict with the new fire safety mandate.

TECHNICAL

The 'Senate Sponsor' name was removed from the bill header, and the effective date was changed from May 6, 2026, to January 27, 2026.

Amended Excerpts 1/30/2026 10:01:856 → Amended 1/30/2026 10:01:856 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was reformatted from a committee amendment log into a formal legislative substitute bill. The substantive policy content remains largely the same, restricting local governments from banning water-wise landscaping and allowing vegetation removal in wildland-urban interface areas for fire safety. The primary change is the addition of specific definitions for terms like 'mulch' and 'vegetative coverage' and a new clause clarifying that municipalities can still require site plan reviews or specific design standards, provided they do not force the installation of small lawns in narrow areas.

Scope change

The bill's scope of applicability is unchanged; it still applies to counties, municipalities, and homeowner associations regarding landscaping regulations.

DEFINITION

Added specific definitions for 'mulch', 'overhead spray irrigation', 'private landscaping plan', 'vegetative coverage', and 'water wise landscaping' to clarify regulatory terms.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new provision allowing municipalities to require site plan reviews or specific design requirements for water-wise landscaping, as long as they do not mandate small lawns in areas less than eight feet wide.

TECHNICAL

Converted the text from a raw amendment diff format into a formal bill structure with a long title, general description, and specific section amendments.

Enrolled → Amended Excerpts 1/30/2026 10:01:856 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to clarify that counties and homeowner associations are now subject to the same restrictions on vegetation removal as municipalities. The changes also updated legal definitions to reference a specific state code for 'wildland-urban interface' and added an exception allowing vegetation removal when required by defensible space codes.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded from only applying to municipalities to explicitly including counties and homeowner associations, ensuring uniform rules across all local land-use authorities.

SCOPE

The restriction on prohibiting vegetation removal now explicitly applies to counties and homeowner associations, not just municipalities.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'wildland-urban interface' was updated to cite Section 65A-1-1 of the Utah Code, providing a specific legal reference for the term.

REQUIREMENT

A new exception was added allowing property owners to remove vegetation if it is required to meet defensible space requirements under the International Wildland Urban Interface Code.

The text was clarified to specify that vegetation removal restrictions apply only to portions of property within designated wildland-urban interface areas, rather than the entire property.

Introduced → Enrolled · 4 edits · Mar 17, 2026

MODERATE

This bill was updated to include homeowner associations alongside counties and municipalities as entities restricted from banning vegetation removal in wildland-urban interface areas. The definition of 'wildland-urban interface' was changed to reference a specific International Code, and the prohibition on removing vegetation now explicitly requires that removal be necessary to meet defensible space standards.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include homeowner associations, and the conditions under which vegetation can be removed were clarified to be tied to specific defensible space requirements.

SCOPE

Added homeowner associations to the list of entities prohibited from banning vegetation removal, expanding the bill's applicability beyond just local governments.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'wildland-urban interface' to specifically reference the International Wildland Urban Interface Code adopted under Section 15A-2-103.

REQUIREMENT

Modified the rule prohibiting vegetation removal to specify that removal is only restricted if it is not required to comply with defensible space requirements under the referenced International Code.

TECHNICAL

Adjusted the numbering of subsections in the municipal and county sections to accommodate the new defensible space requirement text.

Landscaping Restrictions Amendments

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