R327 is in force on new homes across Bend, Sisters, and Deschutes County. What it requires, what the 2025 law did to defensible space rules, and what insurers can and cannot use.
Every new home in Bend, Sisters, and unincorporated Deschutes County is now built to Oregon's wildfire hardening code, and the rules on defensible space around existing homes changed in 2025. This guide is what a buyer, a seller, or an owner planning a build needs to know, with each rule traced to the agency that wrote it.
The building code: R327
Section R327 of the Oregon Residential Specialty Code is the wildfire hazard mitigation chapter. It governs roofing, vents, eaves, exterior walls, windows, decks, and the materials within a few feet of the structure on new construction. Deschutes County and the City of Sisters adopted it by local ordinance, mandatory on all new dwellings and new accessory structures with permit applications from April 1, 2026. The City of Bend adopted its own ordinance on second reading April 15, 2026, effective for new permit applications from May 15, 2026. As of September 2026 all three jurisdictions have it in force. A home permitted before those dates was not required to meet it.
What that means for a buyer of new construction: the ember-resistant vents, the noncombustible zone at the foundation, and the deck and siding materials are in the plans because the code requires them, not as upgrades. For a buyer of a resale home built before 2026, none of it is assumed. Ask what the roof, the vents, and the deck are made of, and read the inspection report with wildfire in mind.
Defensible space: what changed in 2025
Oregon's 2021 wildfire law, Senate Bill 762, set up a statewide hazard map and statewide defensible space and home hardening requirements tied to it. In 2025 Senate Bill 83 repealed the map and the state-level mandate. What remains is ORS 476.392, which directs the State Fire Marshal to maintain minimum defensible space standards, and a model defensible space code the Fire Marshal publishes for cities and counties to adopt locally. So the rule that applies to your address is now the one your city or county adopted, not a statewide one. Check with the jurisdiction before you assume either way.
The Fire Marshal's public guidance still uses three zones from the structure: the first five feet, which should hold nothing that burns, the five to thirty foot zone of trimmed and spaced vegetation, and the thirty to one hundred foot zone of thinned trees and cleared ladder fuels. The model code frames the outer zones by hazard tier instead of fixed distance. Either way, the five-foot noncombustible zone is the piece every version agrees on and the cheapest one to do.
Insurance
Since 2023, under Senate Bill 82, an insurer in Oregon may not use the state wildfire hazard map to cancel, decline to renew, or price a homeowner policy. Insurers still rate wildfire exposure with their own models, so two addresses a mile apart can carry different premiums. Get a quote on the specific house before you write an offer. If no carrier will write the home, the Oregon FAIR Plan is the insurer of last resort, with a dwelling policy maximum of $600,000 for all coverage parts. Our insurance guide covers the rest.
The fire seasons behind the rules
The 2025 Flat Fire south of Bend burned an estimated 23,346 acres, per the State Fire Marshal's August 31, 2025 update. The Division of Financial Regulation's wildfire claims tracker, updated September 1, 2026, shows $22.17 million in insured wildfire losses in Oregon for 2025 across 238 claims, and $5.89 million so far in 2026. Those are the numbers the code and the underwriters are responding to.
What to do with this
- Buying new: confirm the permit application date and that the plans cite R327.
- Buying resale: ask about roof, vent, siding, and deck materials, and price the quote for insurance before the offer.
- Owning: do the five-foot zone this season. It is the one every code and every insurer counts.
- Building on acreage: ask the county what defensible space standard it has adopted under the 2025 law before you site the house.
Questions
Does Bend require wildfire-resistant construction on new homes?
Yes. Bend adopted Oregon's R327 wildfire hazard mitigation code on April 15, 2026, effective for new permit applications from May 15, 2026. Deschutes County and Sisters adopted it effective April 1, 2026.
Do I have to clear defensible space around my home in Oregon?
It depends on your city or county. The 2025 law, Senate Bill 83, repealed the statewide mandate and left a model code for local adoption under ORS 476.392. The five-foot noncombustible zone around the structure is the standard every version shares.
Can an insurer drop me because of the state wildfire map?
No. Senate Bill 82, from 2023, bars insurers from using the state wildfire hazard map for cancellation, non-renewal, or pricing. Insurers use their own risk models, so quotes still vary by address.
What if no insurer will cover the house?
The Oregon FAIR Plan writes dwelling coverage as the insurer of last resort, with a $600,000 maximum for all coverage parts on a dwelling policy.
Does the wildfire code add cost to a new home?
It changes the materials for roofing, vents, siding, decks, and the foundation zone. We do not have a verified figure for the added cost in Central Oregon, and we will not print an estimate. Ask the builder for the line items.
Next step
Buying in the wildland-urban interface, get listing alerts and ask us for the insurance question on any home before you offer. Selling a hardened home, Value my home and we will put the materials in the marketing.
Matt RyanOwner & Principal Broker at Ryan Realty.
