Wildfire Risk in Travis County: Homes Near the Wildland Edge

Travis County sits in a region where dry vegetation, drought, and development mix. The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is where homes and wildland fuels are close together. Over half of Austin falls inside one of three WUI Code zones. Each zone has different rules for how your home and property must be built or maintained to reduce fire risk.

Small sparks matter here. Austin Emergency Management puts human activity behind about 90% of wildfires. For unincorporated areas, burn-ban status lives on the county Fire Marshal page, with the public line at (512) 854-4621. That page is the quick stop before a brush burn, spark-throwing work, or a smoky outdoor chore.