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Boulder County adopts 2021 model building codes with stepped energy requirements
Summary
The Boulder County Board of County Commissioners approved an update to local building codes to adopt the 2021 International Codes with local amendments, tightened residential energy requirements, a one-year delay for embodied-carbon rules, and an exemption for Article 19 Marshall Fire rebuilds.
Boulder County commissioners on Jan. 23 approved a package of building-code updates that adopts the 2021 International Code Council model codes with local amendments and tightens residential energy standards, including new HERS and DOE Zero Energy Ready Home requirements and phased embodied-carbon limits for large homes.
County staff said the changes are intended to align local rules with recent model-code updates, push residential electrification, and raise energy-efficiency requirements for new and altered homes. Ron Flax, deputy director and chief building official, told the board the proposal replaces Boulder County’s existing 2015-based code and would bring the county closer to statewide and regional practices while clarifying several local interpretations.
Flax said the adoption package updates which code books and appendices the county will enforce, refines wildfire and ignition-resistant construction language, and makes targeted edits to preserve consistency with the county land-use code. On energy,…
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