HB 23-1273 Summary

• Creates the Wildfire Resilient Homes Grant Program within the Division of Fire Prevention and Control to provide grants to homeowners for retrofitting homes with structure hardening techniques to reduce wildfire risk.

• Establishes eligibility criteria including property location in wildfire-susceptible areas, primary residence status, homeowner income/assets, and type of improvement proposed, with potential prioritization of lower-income applicants.

• Creates the Wildfire Resilient Homes Grant Program Cash Fund in the state treasury funded by legislative appropriations, gifts, donations, and federal funds, with interest and income credited to the fund.

• Appropriates $100,000 from the General Fund to the new cash fund on August 15, 2023, with this appropriation authority repealing July 1, 2024.

• Requires the Division to submit annual reports to the Wildfire Matters Review Committee detailing number of grants made, outreach activities, retrofit details, and federal funds used in program implementation.