A storm is brewing in Oregon, but this time, it’s not fire or flood—it’s a legal battle. Frustrated landowners, backed by the Oregon Property Owners Association (OPOA) Legal Center, Harney County, Grant County, and a coalition of concerned residents, have taken a stand against the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the State Forester. Their weapon of choice? A lawsuit, freshly filed in Harney County Circuit Court, aiming to dismantle the state’s controversial Wildfire Hazard Map and revoke all orders sent to property owners under its authority.
The lawsuit doesn’t mince words: state officials, it claims, cut corners, ignored due process, and left property owners blindsided by a flawed and legally questionable designation system. The heart of the argument is simple—landowners were left in the dark, with critical decisions about their properties made without their knowledge or consent.
At the center of the controversy is the state’s Wildfire Hazard Map, which assigns wildfire hazard levels and Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) designations to tax lots across Oregon. According to the lawsuit, ODF failed to follow proper legal procedures when classifying properties, depriving landowners of their constitutional right to fair notice and the ability to challenge their designations.
On January 7, 2025, ODF sent out what it called “Notices” to property owners whose land was labeled both “High Hazard” and within the WUI. But these notices, plaintiffs argue, were riddled with legal missteps. They lacked signatures from the State Forester or an authorized designee and failed to explain the real-world consequences of the classifications. For example, property owners must disclose their WUI designation when selling their land—an important financial and legal consideration that many were not even made aware of.
And it gets worse. Property owners whose land was classified as either “High Hazard” or within the WUI—but not both—received no notification at all. Instead, the state simply posted the Wildfire Hazard Map on an online portal, the Oregon Explorer Map Viewer, assuming property owners would stumble upon it themselves. The lawsuit argues that this move flies in the face of legal precedent, failing to meet Oregon’s standards for proper public notice.
For many rural Oregonians, this lawsuit represents more than just a fight over a map—it’s a stand against creeping government overreach. Activist-driven regulations have sparked concerns that certain designations could lead to heavy restrictions on property development and rebuilding efforts in wildfire-prone areas, all without clear input from the communities affected.
The lawsuit demands that state officials go back to the drawing board and implement wildfire hazard designations in a way that follows the law, ensures proper notification, and provides a clear path for property owners to challenge decisions that could have long-term financial consequences.
Since the rollout of the Wildfire Hazard Map, confusion has spread like wildfire itself. Hundreds of property owners have reached out to OPOA, desperate for clarity on what these classifications mean for their homes, businesses, and land values. Others remain entirely unaware that their properties have been designated under the new system, either due to the lack of direct communication from the state or because they lack the technical know-how to navigate the online mapping tool.
The plaintiffs stress that this case is about ensuring that all landowners—whether they own a small rural homestead or acres of forested property—understand how wildfire hazard designations affect them and have a fair chance to challenge classifications they believe are inaccurate or unjust.
The outcome of this lawsuit could have major implications not just for wildfire policy but for government transparency and property rights across the state. With legal proceedings now in motion, Oregonians are watching closely to see whether the courts will uphold the state’s controversial wildfire mapping system or force officials to reconsider their approach.
One thing is clear: the fight is far from over. As property owners and state officials prepare for a legal showdown, this battle over land, law, and due process is only just beginning.
