As the legislative process continues to move forward, certain bills may be introduced and fly under the radar which, if the bill reaches its full potential, could have great impact on the life of owners within a common interest community. HB 20-1004 is this type of bill. Titled “Concerning Wildfire Mitigation Assistance for Landowners”, it seems simple enough. However, the workings of the bill provide for the establishment of a grant program to provide “outreach among landowners to inform them of resources available for wildfire mitigation and best practices for wildfire mitigation”.
To be eligible for a grant, an entity must serve property in a wildfire danger area and be:
- An agency of local government,
- A Special District,
- A tribal agency or program,
- A faith-based organization, or
- A nonprofit, not-for-profit organization that is registered and in good standing with the Secretary of State’s office.
Homeowners associations, land owners associations or condominium owners associations that are all nonprofit organizations located in wildfire areas would be eligible to apply for grants to assist in wildfire mitigation. As the cost of insurance continues to increase due to wildfire dangers, these grants may be able to assist those on the front lines of wildfire mitigation programs to educate and facilitate the performance of mitigation measures. HB 20-1004 would also increase the tax deduction available for wildfire mitigation costs from 50% of the costs incurred in performing wildfire mitigation to 100% of the costs.
Given that HB 20-1004 could greatly impact common interest communities in dealing with wildfires, we will keep tracking this bill closely on our 2020 Legislative Tracker
For more information please contact any of our attorneys at (303) 432-9999.
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