Deschutes County wildfire mitigation: what homeowners actually need to know
Between a new state building code, the City of Bend’s vegetation rules, and the county’s wildfire plan, it is easy to lose track of what applies to your property. Here is the plain version for homeowners in Bend, Sisters, Redmond, and unincorporated Deschutes County.
The new building code: R327
Oregon adopted a wildfire section of its residential building code, R327, and local governments choose when to opt in. In our area it is now in effect:
Unincorporated Deschutes County and the City of Sisters: April 1, 2026.
City of Bend: May 15, 2026.
R327 applies to new homes and new accessory structures. It does not apply to remodels, additions, commercial, or multifamily buildings. It requires noncombustible or ignition-resistant materials for the parts of a house embers attack first: roofing, gutters, vents, windows, and siding. If you are building, or adding an ADU, this is now part of your permit.
Bend’s flammable vegetation code (this one applies to existing homes)
The building code is for new construction. Bend’s Flammable Vegetation Code applies to every property in the city, right now:
Half an acre or less: remove all flammable vegetation.
Larger than half an acre: maintain a 20-foot cleared fuel break around the property, including rights of way and easements.
Cut back limbs overhanging structures or within ten feet of the eaves, and limb trees up five to six feet.
The maximum penalty is $750 per day, per lot.
The city leans heavily on voluntary compliance, around 97 percent of cases. But the standard is real, and enforcement exists.
The county’s wildfire plan
Deschutes County and the Project Wildfire coalition maintain Community Wildfire Protection Plans that map risk and set local priorities for fuel reduction and home hardening. They are worth reading, because they show where your neighborhood sits on the risk map and which programs and grants are active.
Why interest jumped, and why it is not seasonal
Wildfire assessment requests in the Bend area went from about 115 a year to over 1,000 in 2025, after the January 2025 Los Angeles fires. People watched dense suburban neighborhoods burn and realized the same thing can happen here.
But the thing driving most of the calls we take is not a season. It is insurance. Non-renewal and premium notices arrive year-round, on the carrier’s schedule, not the fire calendar. By the time smoke is in the air, the work window is already tight. The homeowners in the best position are the ones who did the work before they needed it.
What this means for you
If you own an existing home, the building code mostly does not touch you, but the vegetation code and your insurer both do. The highest-return work is the same regardless of jurisdiction: a noncombustible first five feet, ember-resistant vents, clean gutters, and managed defensible space. Start with our defensible space guide. If you are building, R327 is now part of the plan, and our guide to ember-resistant vents covers one of the components it requires.
SafeHaven Fire Defense is Central Oregon’s GC-licensed wildfire hardening company (Oregon CCB #259806), serving Bend, Sisters, Redmond, Sunriver, Tumalo, La Pine, and Deschutes County. They are Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialists (CWMS) and NFPA Firewise trained. Call (541) 241-6157 or email [email protected] to schedule an assessment.
