If you are building a new home in Central Oregon — or helping a client do so — the rules changed on April 1, 2026. Deschutes County and the City of Sisters officially activated Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC) Section R327, the state's wildfire hazard mitigation building standard. The City of Bend voted in April 2026 to align with the same requirements, creating a consistent regional framework for wildfire-resilient construction across the region's fastest-growing communities.

This is not a minor administrative update. R327 represents the most significant change to residential building codes in Central Oregon in a generation, and it has direct implications for homeowners, buyers, builders, and anyone insuring property in a wildfire-prone area.

What Is R327?

Section R327 of the Oregon Residential Specialty Code is a set of home hardening construction standards designed to reduce the likelihood that a new home will ignite during a wildfire. The Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) describes home hardening as "steps that can be taken to make a home more resistant to damage from a wildfire, such as using materials for siding and/or roofing that resist ignition during a wildfire, installing fire resistant windows to protect openings, or using attic ventilation devices that help reduce ember intrusion."

The standard focuses on three primary ignition pathways that research has shown are responsible for the vast majority of structure losses in wildfires:

Ember intrusion — airborne embers can travel miles ahead of a fire front and ignite homes through vents, gutters, and gaps in the building envelope

Radiant heat — intense heat from nearby burning vegetation or structures can ignite combustible exterior materials without direct flame contact

Direct flame contact — flames from burning landscaping, fences, or adjacent structures that reach the home's exterior

R327 addresses each of these pathways through specific material and construction requirements. Critically, as Deschutes County's Building Safety Division emphasizes, "it does not mean the home is fireproof." The goal is to slow ignition, improve survivability, and buy time for evacuation and emergency response.

Where and When Does R327 Apply?

The following table summarizes the current adoption status across Central Oregon as of April 2026:

Jurisdiction	Status	Effective Date
Unincorporated Deschutes County	Mandatory	April 1, 2026
City of Sisters	Mandatory	April 1, 2026
City of Bend	Adopted / Aligning	Spring 2026 (April 1 Council vote)
Ashland	Mandatory	Previously adopted
Grants Pass	Mandatory	Previously adopted
Medford	Mandatory	Previously adopted

The Bend City Council directed staff in February 2026 to move forward with local adoption, with the ordinance scheduled for its April 1, 2026 business meeting. Bend's new residential building permit applications are now subject to R327 requirements, creating a consistent regional standard across the Deschutes County area.

What Does R327 Apply To?

Understanding the scope of R327 is critical for builders, buyers, and insurance professionals alike.

R327 applies to:

All newly constructed one- and two-family dwellings

All newly constructed accessory structures (garages, shops, barns)

R327 does NOT apply to:

Existing homes

Remodels, additions, or partial repairs

Non-habitable detached accessory structures under 400 sq ft with a maximum roof height of 15 feet

Manufactured dwellings (built to federal HUD standards — though many manufacturers now offer optional fire hardening packages)

Commercial buildings, apartments, or mixed-use structures (these fall under the Oregon Structural Specialty Code)

This means that if you are buying an existing home in Deschutes County, R327 compliance is not required retroactively. However, the voluntary compliance pathway allows any homeowner anywhere in Oregon to follow R327 standards when replacing exterior components — a step that can meaningfully improve insurability.

Key R327 Construction Requirements

Deschutes County's Building Safety Division has worked to make compliance as straightforward as possible by endorsing the CalFire Building Materials Listings & Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Listed Products Handbook — a comprehensive, pre-vetted list of compliant siding, roofing, vents, gutters, and decking products. If you specify products from this handbook on your drawings, the county will accept them as compliant.

The three areas Deschutes County identifies as the biggest changes under R327 are:

1. Attic and Crawlspace Ventilation

Standard construction vents have openings large enough for embers to pass through. R327 requires either an unvented attic/crawlspace design, ventilation placed above the 12-foot threshold, or products specifically manufactured to resist ember intrusion. This is the change most builders will encounter first.

2. Elevated Decks

Under R327, the underside of all elevated decks must be protected — there is no 12-foot exception. Deck and porch covers for elevated decks are also subject to protection requirements when within 12 feet of the walking surface below. Stair assemblies to elevated decks are exempt per BCD guidance.

3. Eaves and Soffits

The exposed underside of rafter or truss eaves and enclosed soffits with any portion under 12 feet from grade must be protected. This is a particularly vulnerable area where embers and heat accumulate. Truss and rafter tails will likely need to be either fire-protected or enclosed.

Beyond these three priority areas, R327 also addresses the following components:

Component	R327 Requirement
Roofing	Class A or Class B fire-rated materials
Siding	Ignition-resistant materials (fiber cement, stucco, metal, masonry)
Windows	Dual-pane or tempered glass
Gutters	Ember-resistant design; noncombustible materials
Fences at structure	Noncombustible connection materials where fence meets home
Decking	Fire-resistant or noncombustible decking materials

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Defensible Space: The Other Half of the Equation

R327 addresses the structure itself, but wildfire resilience requires a two-part approach. Defensible space — the buffer zone of managed vegetation and materials around your home — works alongside home hardening to reduce the probability of ignition.

The City of Bend is treating defensible space as a separate, parallel workstream. Because it involves multiple city departments and more local discretion, Bend's Council will consider defensible space requirements separately from R327, with additional public input. This means the two pillars of wildfire resilience — a hardened structure and a managed perimeter — are being developed on parallel but distinct tracks.

Defensible Space Makes a Difference — illustrated guide to wildfire home protection

Key defensible space practices that complement R327 construction include:

Removing leaves, tree needles, and debris from roofs and gutters regularly

Keeping grass mowed to under 4 inches

Spacing trees at least 10 feet from the house and from each other

Removing flammable plants within a minimum of 5 feet of the home

Clearing debris from under and around decks and fences

Ensuring the driveway is accessible to first responders and the address sign is visible from the road

Using noncombustible fencing where it connects to the home

What This Means for Your Insurance

From an insurance standpoint, R327 compliance — and wildfire mitigation more broadly — is becoming a meaningful factor in carrier underwriting decisions across Central Oregon. At Insure Pacific, we are already seeing carriers scrutinize wildfire risk more carefully, particularly for properties in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties.

Here is what the shift toward R327-compliant construction means in practical insurance terms:

Improved Insurability

Homes built to R327 standards present a measurably lower ignition risk. As the insurance market continues to tighten in wildfire-prone areas, a documented R327-compliant build can be the difference between multiple carrier options and a very limited market.

Expanded Carrier Access

Several carriers that have restricted new business in high-risk Oregon ZIP codes are beginning to differentiate between standard construction and hardened construction. A home built to R327 may qualify for carriers that would otherwise decline the risk.

Underwriting and Pricing Impact

Wildfire mitigation documentation — including construction materials, defensible space maintenance records, and proximity to fire stations — is increasingly factored into underwriting decisions. An R327-compliant home with documented defensible space may receive more favorable pricing than an equivalent home without that documentation.

The New Standard in High-Risk Areas

R327 is not a temporary measure. It reflects a permanent recalibration of what "standard" residential construction means in wildfire-prone Oregon. Buyers, lenders, and insurers will increasingly treat R327 compliance as a baseline expectation for new construction in Deschutes County and beyond.

Voluntary Compliance: What Existing Homeowners Can Do

If you own an existing home in Central Oregon, R327 does not require you to retrofit. But the Oregon BCD explicitly encourages voluntary compliance "particularly where your existing home is located in an area subject to wildfires." When you replace exterior components — roofing, siding, windows, vents, gutters — choosing R327-compliant materials is a practical, incremental path toward a more insurable and resilient home.

The BCD has published a Wildfire Home Hardening Guide and an Estimated Cost of Hardening Your Home Guide that provide specific recommendations and cost ranges for each component. Many compliant materials — double-pane windows, fiber cement siding (Hardie Panel), Class B asphalt shingles — are already common in Central Oregon construction, meaning the cost premium over standard construction is often modest.

Talk to Your Insurance Agent Before You Build or Buy

Whether you are breaking ground on a new home, purchasing an existing property, or reviewing your current homeowners insurance, wildfire mitigation is a conversation worth having with your insurance agent before you finalize decisions. The questions to ask include:

Does my current carrier recognize R327-compliant construction in their underwriting?

What defensible space documentation does my carrier require?

Are there carriers that offer better terms for hardened construction in my ZIP code?

If I am buying an existing home, what voluntary hardening steps would most improve my insurability?

At Insure Pacific, our agents work with more than 50 carriers across Oregon and understand the wildfire insurance landscape in Central Oregon better than anyone. We can help you navigate coverage options, identify carriers that recognize mitigation efforts, and build a strategy that protects your property for the long term.

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Sources: Oregon Building Codes Division — Wildfire Hazard Mitigation | Deschutes County — Fire Hardening Requirements (R327) | City of Bend — R327 Adoption News