This bill allocates funding to the Idaho Department of Lands for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, directing specific amounts to support personnel costs, capital projects, and trustee benefit payments across various programs including business services, forest resources, trust land management, fire protection, and minerals. The legislation provides $2.7 million for fiscal year 2027 and $285,000 for fiscal year 2026, while simultaneously reducing certain appropriations from previous budgets to balance the overall funding. It designates $145,000 specifically for the Idaho Geological Survey and allows the Forest and Range Fire Protection Program to receive unlimited transfers from other departmental funds for both fiscal years. Additionally, the bill limits General Fund bonuses to firefighters with incident qualification cards and requires a report on 2026 fire season bonus awards to be submitted by January 5, 2027.
S 1328 amends multiple Idaho Code sections to update forest fire protection and land management rules. It clarifies that individuals responsible for uncontrolled fires must immediately act to control them, and the state can recover fire suppression costs through civil action. The bill limits property damage claims to specific categories - fire control costs, verifiable economic losses, and either restoration costs or property value loss - with a 10-year statute of limitations. It also specifies that timber owners must cover fire protection costs on their land, and the Department of Lands can place liens on timber to recover unpaid expenses.
H 511 revises the surcharge for improved forest parcels on private land in Idaho, capping it at $100 per parcel (previously ranging up to $100). It directly affects private forest landowners who maintain improved parcels, requiring them to pay this annual surcharge to fund wildfire preparedness. The bill also updates assessment rules for forest landowners (65¢ per acre for over 26 acres, minimum $25 for 25 acres or less) and establishes a wildfire equipment replacement fund. The changes take effect July 1, 2026, following its passage by the Idaho House (46-22) on February 4, 2026.
