Colorado cities and counties will have until July 1 to implement new building codes designed to reduce damage from wildfires.
The new regulations have been advanced by the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code Board and are seen as a response to a series of unprecedented wildfires that have swept through parts of the state in recent years.
The most prominent of those fires took place in the northern town of Marshall in late 2021, causing the death of two people and destruction of 1,000 structures.
The resilience code board was established because of legislative action in 2023 and tasked with putting together a statewide model code for wildfire resilience.
Central to the new code is what is known as “home hardening,” which consists of using material that is resistant to conflagrations. The effort also mandates the creation of fire-proof buffer zones around a new structure.
Additional requirements: attics with ventilation openings, gutters made of noncombustible materials, and decks built with ignition-resistant materials.
The codes apply to both new residential and commercial buildings, as well as any existing structure undergoing substantial improvements.
The codes are applicable not only to cities and counties but also designated fire protection districts. In comments published in the site CPR News, Crystal Lambert, chairperson of the board, said she thought the “codes will save lives.”
“I think they will save property,” continued Lambert, who also added: “I think they will save people money.”
In its three years of existence, the code board has been comprised of local government officials, as well as residential and commercial builders, and hazard mitigation professionals, among others.
April 20, 2026
By Garry Boulard
