County to adopt 2024 I‑Code cycle, integrate state 'electric/solar‑ready' requirement; wildfire‑resiliency code raises inspection and land‑use questions

San Miguel County building official Matt Gonzales briefed the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 26 about a planned 2025 adoption of the 2024 International Code Council (I‑Code) cycle, new state mandates to include ‘‘electric‑ready,’’ ‘‘EV‑ready’’ and ‘‘solar‑ready’’ provisions, and a draft Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code the state has tasked to a code board.

Key points presented: • Code cycle: The county intends to move from the 2018 I‑Code set to the 2024 I‑Code cycle, adopting code books used across the country (IRC for residences, IBC for commercial, IECC for energy) and updating local amendments. Gonzales said adoption is planned for fall 2025 and will follow public hearings and staff training.

• State energy mandates: Under recent state legislation (cited by Gonzales as House Bill 2022‑1362 in the meeting), jurisdictions are required to adopt a minimum energy code and incorporate a state model ‘‘electric ready/solar ready/EV ready’’ appendix. Gonzales explained those state elements generally require new construction to be built to allow straightforward future installation of PV, EV charging and electrification infrastructure, though the current model focuses on new construction and ‘‘ready’’ infrastructure rather than mandatory immediate electrification of existing homes. He noted the county received grant funding to support public education, contractor training and staff work on code amendments.

• Wildfire Resiliency Code: Gonzales summarized a separate state process creating a Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code. He said the draft code includes retrofit measures, landscaping standards and new inspection/verification obligations; a draft map from the state places most of the county inside the Wildland‑Urban Interface (WUI) subject to the code. Gonzales and staff urged careful review; county staff will monitor code board sessions and provide feedback because the draft mixes building‑code and land‑use elements and may generate new inspection and staffing requirements without dedicated state funding.

• Renewable Energy Mitigation Program (REMP): Gonzales described proposed updates to the county’s mitigation calculation sheet (now used to offset fossil‑fuel‑heavy building features such as snow‑melt systems, outdoor heaters or gas appliances). The consultant spreadsheet being considered would broaden items subject to mitigation and thus increase in‑lieu payment calculations for some features (examples cited using a Mountain Village draft showed materially higher in‑lieu estimates for large snow‑melt areas). The county has directed staff to workshop the mitigation rates and consider incentives or grant uses to offset costs for homeowners.

County reaction and next steps: Commissioners asked for staged briefings: a focused session on the REMP calculation spreadsheet and a separate briefing on wildfire resiliency due to its broader land‑use implications. Gonzales said staff will coordinate public‑education and contractor training funded by a grant, draft jurisdictional amendments for the 2024 IECC, and return with proposed REMP calculations. The board suggested coordinating with neighboring jurisdictions where practical to reduce confusion for contractors and residents.

Ending: Gonzales said staff will pursue outreach and return with chapter‑level amendments and specific REMP proposals; commissioners asked for periodic updates and a future workshop to take public comment on the proposed mitigation and wildfire code implications.