HB 5152 — AN ACT CONCERNING CERTAIN AUTHORITIES RELATED TO THE PREVENTION OF WILDFIRES.

House of Representatives General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

515235 February Session, 2026 LCOHouse Bill No.

10195152 ReferredHouse toof Representatives, March 17, 2026 The Committee on ENVIRONMENTEnvironment Introducedreported by:through REP.

(ENV)PARKER ANof ACTthe CONCERNING101st CERTAINDist., AUTHORITIESChairperson RELATEDof TOthe THECommittee PREVENTIONon OFthe WILDFIRES.part of the House, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING CERTAIN AUTHORITIES RELATED TO THE PREVENTION OF WILDFIRES.

Subsection (f) of section 22a-174 of the general statutes is repealed andthefollowing issubstitutedis substituted inlieuthereof(EffectiveOctober 1, 2026):

(3) when the forest fire danger in the area is identifiedHB5152 by/ theFile commissioner as high, very high or extreme and where LCO 1019 1 of 6 Raised Bill No.

515235 woodland1 orHB5152 grassFile landNo. is within one hundred feet of the proposed burn;

35 identified by the commissioner as high, very high or extreme and where woodland or grass land is within one hundred feet of the proposed burn;

clearing vegetative debris following a natural disaster;andvegetativemanagementorenhancementofwildlifehabitat or ecological sustainability on municipal property or on any privately ownedHB5152 property/ permanentlyFile dedicatedNo. as open space.

Open35 burning LCO 1019 2 ofHB5152 6File Raised Bill No.

515235 forowned such purposes on state property maypermanently bededicated engagedas inopen withspace. the written approval of the commissioner.

Open burning for such purposes on state property may be engaged in with the written approval of the commissioner.

Each district fire warden may, with the approval of the State Forest Fire Warden, appoint deputies to assist in extinguishing fires and to take charge of such extinguishing in such district fire warden's absence, provided, in cities having paid fire departments and whose boundaries are coterminous with the town boundaries, the State Forest Fire Warden may appoint a district fire warden and may assume responsibility for forest fires only upon the writtenHB5152 request/ ofFile the mayor of such city and for such portions as may LCO 1019 3 of 6 Raised Bill No.

515235 be3 designatedHB5152 byFile suchNo. mayor.

35 written request of the mayor of such city and for such portions as may be designated by such mayor.

The chief of any volunteer fire company may prepare bills for services rendered by said company and by the personnelHB5152 and/ automobilesFile and other apparatus employed or used by LCO 1019 4 of 6 Raised Bill No.

515235 them4 inHB5152 extinguishingFile forestNo. fires, if said company is allowed by town ordinance to receive payment for such bills.

35 personnel and automobiles and other apparatus employed or used by them in extinguishing forest fires, if said company is allowed by town ordinance to receive payment for such bills.

(1) That any or all sections of woodland and brush land in the state shall be closed,HB5152 for/ suchFile time as [he] the Governor may designate, to all persons LCO 1019 5 of 6 Raised Bill No.

515235 except5 theHB5152 ownersFile orNo. tenants of such woodlands and their agents and employees, and [during such period of closure] (2) that no fire shall be kindled in the open air in any or all areas of the state.

35 closed, for such time as [he] the Governor may designate, to all persons except the owners or tenants of such woodlands and their agents and employees, and [during such period of closure] (2) that no fire shall be kindled in the open air in any or all areas of the state.

4 October 1, 2026 23-50 ENV Joint Favorable LCOHB5152 1019/ 6File ofNo. 6

35 6 HB5152 File No.

35 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $ Resources of the General Fund GF - Potential See Below See Below Revenue Gain Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill makes various changes that limit activities across the state to prevent wildfires.

The bill prohibits open brush burning within 100 feet of a woodland or grass land area when the Department of Energy and EnvironmentalProtection(DEEP) commissioner identifiestheforestfire risk as high or very high and extends the length of time the state forest fire warden may approve reimbursement for various emergency services.

These procedural changes do not result in a fiscal impact as the agency currently has the ability to provide reimbursements beyond the one-month deadline.

Additionally, the bill (1) broadens the Governor's authority to ban access to and burning on certain woodlands and brushlands, and (2) increases the fine for violating a ban from a minimum of $5 and a maximum of $100, to a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $1,000, resulting in a potential revenue gain to the General Fund beginning in FY 27 .

The extent of the revenue gain will depend on whether the governor enacts such a prohibition, the number of violations, and the 1In the past four years, no person has been charged or fined under CGS 23-50 HB5152 / File No.

35 7 HB5152 File No.

35 fines imposed, with a minimum potential revenue gain of $400 per violation.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to the increased number of violations and additional fines collected.

HB5152 / File No.

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