Austin adopts updated wildfire protection plan with 71 recommendations and no dedicated funding

Austin has a new playbook for wildfire. On Thursday the City Council adopted the 2026 Austin-Travis County Community Wildfire Protection Plan, an update of the plan first adopted in 2014. The plan has 71 recommendations, from clearing brush and hardening homes to improving evacuation routes. It does not come with money to pay for them.

The plan was item 11, record 26-2680, and passed on the consent agenda. The consent agenda was adopted without objection, with Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison absent. Our record of the item says the resolution has no fiscal impact.

At the briefing, staff singled out the west side of Austin and the Hill Country, where homes sit among woodlands, as a hard place to plan for. A public speaker Thursday noted that fire moves faster through grassland, such as along the SH 130 corridor in East Austin.

What's in it

Staff from Austin Emergency Management and the Austin Fire Department briefed the council on Oct. 20. They said the plan updates wildfire risk maps and adds public tools and shared project dashboards. The 71 recommendations cover preparedness, mitigation and response. Staff also said that having a current plan keeps the city and county eligible for grants, which is a main reason for adopting it.

The Austin American-Statesman reported that the plan has no cost estimates for individual strategies and no dedicated funding. Officials told the paper that spending decisions will come later, project by project.

The plan also reflects what residents said in a 2026 survey. Staff said 32% named cost as their biggest obstacle to hardening their homes and clearing defensible space, and 88% said they would consider a cost-share or tool-share program.

The debate over spacing between buildings

One recommendation drew the most questions. It calls for a minimum 50-foot separation between structures. Staff told the council that home builders had raised concerns about the separation-distance provisions. Some recommendations are aimed more at unincorporated Travis County than at the city, and any code change would go through its own adoption process.

The Statesman reported that Mayor Pro Tem José "Chito" Vela worried the 50-foot rule could limit smaller housing types such as accessory dwelling units and duplexes. Fire Chief Tom Vocke acknowledged it would not suit most of the city but could help in the highest-risk areas. That exchange starts here in our transcript.

What council members said Thursday

Council Member Marc Duchen, whose District 10 sits in West Austin, called the plan "the culmination of nearly a year's worth of work." He said the city received nearly 400 survey responses and held several open houses. He said wildfire risk in West Austin "is not gonna go away" and is likely to grow with climate change. He also pointed to new reporting provisions that will track acres treated, homes assessed, home-hardening actions and outreach.

During public comment, a speaker representing an environmental group argued that the plan puts too much weight on thinning and cutting trees. The speaker said mature forests retain moisture and resist fire.

Earlier steps

The plan builds on other recent changes. At an Oct. 5 Public Safety Committee briefing, fire officials described the city's updated wildland-urban interface code, 28 Firewise communities and 427 structure ignition zone evaluations. In July 2025, Council Member Paige Ellis noted from the dais that the city was updating data for the 2014 plan.

What's next

• Oct. 27: Travis County Commissioners Court is set to vote on its own adoption of the plan, the Statesman reported.
• Nov. 6: The Austin-Travis County Wildfire Coalition holds its implementation kickoff at Austin Energy headquarters, staff said.
• Each year: Staff said the plan will be reviewed annually and updated every five years.