In a unanimous decision on April 22, 2025, the Oregon State Senate passed Senate Bill 83, a sweeping measure to repeal the state’s controversial wildfire hazard map. The bill represents a significant pivot from the statewide wildfire mitigation strategy originally implemented under Senate Bill 762 in 2021 and signals a broader shift toward localized decision-making in wildfire risk management.
The wildfire hazard map, released in 2022, was developed by the Oregon Department of Forestry to identify areas at elevated risk of catastrophic wildfires. It was designed to guide new building codes and defensible space requirements across the state. However, the map quickly became a source of public outrage, particularly among rural residents and property owners who said the map unfairly labeled their properties as high risk. Critics argued that the classifications led to inflated insurance premiums, decreased property values, and a lack of transparency in how risk determinations were made.
Senate Bill 83 formally repeals the wildfire hazard map and rolls back state-level mandates tied to it. Specifically, the bill removes the requirement that homeowners in designated high-risk zones adhere to strict defensible space rules and construction codes. In their place, SB 83 grants authority to local governments to voluntarily adopt fire-safe building standards and community-specific risk reduction practices.
Supporters of the bill contend that the top-down approach in the original legislation failed to reflect the on-the-ground realities in many parts of the state, especially in rural communities. By turning the decision-making power over to local jurisdictions, the legislation aims to build trust and encourage community-driven wildfire mitigation planning.
SB 83 also directs the Office of the State Fire Marshal to develop a model defensible space code, based on the 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code. This model will serve as a guideline that counties and municipalities can choose to adopt based on their unique geographic and environmental needs. Adoption remains optional under the bill, reinforcing the emphasis on local control.
In addition to repealing the map, the bill includes changes to the structure of the Wildfire Programs Advisory Council, a state body that provides guidance on wildfire prevention strategies. Two new seats will be added to the council—one for a representative from the firefighting community and another for a member of the insurance industry. Lawmakers say this expansion will help bring additional expertise and balance to discussions about wildfire resilience.
Furthermore, the legislation includes new transparency and oversight provisions. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality will now be required to submit annual reports to the Legislature detailing the implementation and effectiveness of community smoke response plans. Similarly, the Public Utility Commission must provide yearly updates on the actions taken by utility companies to reduce wildfire risk from infrastructure, such as power lines and substations.
While the bill’s passage was unanimous in the Senate, it must still be approved by the Oregon House of Representatives before becoming law. If enacted, it would mark a major reworking of the state’s wildfire mitigation policies just a few years after they were first enacted in response to the devastating fires of 2020.
Supporters argue that SB 83 does not signal a retreat from wildfire preparedness, but rather a redirection of the state’s approach—shifting from a broad mandate to a more collaborative and localized model. As the state continues to face increasingly destructive wildfire seasons, the debate over how best to prepare communities remains a critical policy challenge.
For now, the repeal of the wildfire hazard map offers relief to thousands of Oregonians who felt blindsided by the state’s previous strategy. Whether this new approach will be more effective at reducing fire risk without the statewide map remains to be seen.