Centennial staff recommends adopting Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code; council gives direction to proceed

City planning staff recommended that the Centennial City Council adopt the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code and use the state map for the city, saying the measure would establish consistent, statewide minimum standards for structure hardening in mapped wildfire-urban-interface areas.

Michael Gradis, Centennial’s planning manager, told council the code stems from a 2023 state law that created a Wildfire Resiliency Code Board and directed communities to consider a statewide standard. Gradis said the presentation focused on the building-code aspects of wildfire resiliency — not fire response, evacuation planning or insurance — and that the code applies only within areas mapped by the state as WUI (wildland-urban interface).

Chief building official Joseph Montoya reviewed technical elements the model code addresses, including ember-resistant attic and crawl-space vents, tempered or multi-pane glazing for windows, Class A roof coverings, and more ignition-resistant siding and decking. Montoya said common triggers for the code include new construction, exterior additions, major roof replacements and similar work; interior-only projects remain exempt.

Montoya gave council an estimated range for one-time exterior upgrades on a single-family home in a WUI-mapped area: roughly $3,000 at the low end to $12,000 or higher depending on materials and hazard level. He gave example item estimates — windows roughly +$10–$25 each, siding $4–$8 per square foot, decking $5–$10 per square foot — and emphasized the estimates vary by choice of materials and site hazard classification.

Gradis described how the state’s WUI map was created from 2022 data and released in 2023, then aggregated into roughly 28-acre hexagons to reduce parcel-level variability. He said Centennial has three general mapped areas: parcels near Cherry Creek State Park, a hexagon near the Dove Valley/Cherry Creek Innovation Campus edge, and large-lot neighborhoods on the city’s east side. Staff noted the map is a modeling tool that indicates risk behavior if a wildfire originates nearby and that the map will be refined over time; the state board intends to update maps approximately every three years.

Staff presented three options: (1) adopt the state map and model code (staff recommendation), (2) pursue a locally customized map subject to state board review, or (3) use parcel-level “ground truthing” (site-specific verification) by the code official to alter applicability without a state map amendment. Gradis said the code includes ongoing maintenance obligations for property owners in mapped areas, and that enforcement is typically triggered through building-permit reviews.

Council members asked about how maps apply to parcels clipped by a hexagon, notice and outreach to affected property owners, insurance implications, and whether existing homeowners must act immediately. Montoya and Gradis said the code applies to structures in the mapped hexagon (not automatically to every parcel in the hexagon unless the structure or work triggers permitting), staff intends outreach (including social channels and targeted notices) and that existing homeowners are not required to meet new WUI measures unless permit-triggering work occurs or unless they voluntarily choose to upgrade.

Staff told council there will be additional presentations from emergency service providers (the sheriff’s office and South Metro Fire Rescue) in coming months to cover response capabilities and related preparedness topics. The staff recommendation to adopt the state code and map will be followed by a draft ordinance, required public notice, and first and second readings (staff cited March calendar planning) to meet the state’s statutory schedule (adopt a standard by April 1; effective no later than July 1).

Council signaled support for staff’s recommendation by a thumbs-up direction; the council did not cast a formal roll-call vote on adoption at this meeting.

Sources: Staff presentation by Michael Gradis (planning manager) and Joseph Montoya (chief building official).