Monte Vista staff plan adoption of Colorado wildfire resiliency code; city readies building-department transition

City staff told the Monte Vista City Council that Colorado municipalities must adopt either the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code or a more stringent local code by April 1, 2026, and be compliant by July 1, 2026.

Staff said the new rules will apply to limited areas of the city where brush or grassland raise fire risk, and will generally be triggered for new construction, renovations or changes to landscaping that affect parcel vulnerability. The staff presentation recommended adopting the 2025 resilience code for affected districts rather than creating a stricter local standard.

The staff presentation noted that the state’s wildfire resiliency requirement stems from Senate Bill 23166 and implementing regulations (8 CCR 1507‑39) that formally adopted the 2025 wildfire code in July. Staff said the chosen approach would place the resiliency code into a district overlay in the land use code to avoid multiple sequential ordinance changes if the city adopts an updated land use code later.

Staff also reported that Rio Grande County — which had been providing building-inspection services to the city — has indicated it may not be able to continue that support. In response, staff said Monte Vista is preparing to establish its own building-department processes and records. Because the current workload does not justify a full‑time in‑house inspector, staff propose contracting third‑party inspectors under a municipal framework, plus formalizing permit, certificate-of-occupancy and recordkeeping procedures.

Staff described grant work already under way to support planning and capacity needs. The city secured a local planning capacity grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to update GIS; DOLA also offered a pilot for AI-assisted plan review. Staff cautioned that an initial vendor estimate for an AI review tool returned a price of about $42,000, which staff said would not be sustainable long-term unless costs decline after the grant period. Staff said they will issue an RFP for consulting/inspection services and aim to transition building-division responsibilities in January, when permit volume traditionally slows.

Council members did not adopt an ordinance at the meeting; staff asked for direction on timing and said they will return with ordinance language or the assembled land-use package depending on whether the full land use code is approved in time to incorporate the resiliency provisions.

Staff emphasized implications for homeowners in affected districts: the code will apply when a renovation, new construction or new landscaping “touches the parcel,” which could cause additional compliance requirements for certain East Drive, North and South-side parcels. Staff noted the change will likely increase costs for affected properties when work triggers the new standards.