Grand County moves toward adopting WUI code; approves amended plan‑review IGA with Town of Granby

Community Development Director Chris Manguso updated the board on a county effort to adopt the Wildland‑Urban Interface (WUI) code. He said local stakeholders and fire officials have prepared alternative WUI maps and that a local meeting is scheduled for late January or early February. Manguso told the commissioners the county plans to take maps and code to the planning commission in March and to the board for adoption "by April 1," with enforcement beginning July 1. He warned that class 2 WUI zones will impose stricter building requirements, including changes to siding and defensible space standards.

On a separate but related item, Manguso presented an amended intergovernmental agreement with the Town of Granby: beginning Feb. 1 Grand County will provide plan review services while Granby transitions to its own cloud permit portal and inspections program. Manguso said typical plan review fees (example: roughly $1,300 for plan review on a sample single‑family house) will still apply and that the county and town are working through how inspection and fee responsibilities will be balanced. The board approved the amended IGA and asked staff to return with any recommended inspection‑fee arrangements should Granby need county support in complex cases.

Why it matters: The WUI code adoption will change building standards in wildfire‑risk areas across the county and affect homeowners, builders and the building department. The Granby agreement is a near‑term operational change that preserves revenue for county plan review while supporting town transition to its own permitting system.

Next steps: Staff will circulate the draft maps to commissioners, take the code and maps through the planning commission in March, and return with details of inspection/fee arrangements as Granby transitions.