Town staff recommends adoption of 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code; council to consider April 1

Town staff recommended that the town adopt the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code and asked the Town Council to consider the measure at its April 1 meeting so the municipality meets the state-mandated adoption deadline.

Mr. White, introduced by the board as town staff, said the code is based on the International Code Council’s wildland-urban interface guidance and that Colorado law requires local jurisdictions to adopt the state’s wildfire resiliency code by April 1, 2026, with enforcement proposed for July 1, 2026. “State law…requires local jurisdictions to adopt the code or local codes that meet or exceed these requirements by 04/01/2026 and proposed enforcement by 07/01/2026,” he said.

The presentation described three fire-intensity classifications used for tailoring requirements: low (Class 1), moderate (Class 2) and high (Class 3). Mr. White said Castle Rock contains moderate and low areas and that the town has no high-intensity zones. Class-based measures include ignition-resistant building materials, defensible-space and vegetation-management standards, and access and water-supply requirements.

Mr. White walked through construction and component requirements that homeowners and builders will see. He cited common and specific measures: Class A roofing as a baseline, noncombustible gutters and downspouts, ember-resistant vents with screening that meets ASTM standards and mesh holes no larger than 1/8 inch, and minimum flashing thickness in roof valleys. On glazing and doors, he said windows must be tempered, multilayer glass or carry a minimum 20-minute fire rating, and exterior doors must be noncombustible solid-core or meet a comparable fire-rating standard. He also described practical compliance measures, such as weather stripping to reduce garage-door gaps to less than 1/8 inch to limit ember intrusion.

The code includes exemptions and site-level review options. Mr. White noted a historic-preservation exemption permitted under the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code that allows repair or rehabilitation of contributing historic structures when full compliance would destroy historic character. He described a “ground-truthing” process in which a qualified wildfire professional can assess a lot and submit a revised fire-intensity rating for review by the fire department.

Staff acknowledged stakeholder concerns about the implementation timeline, material availability and cost. Mr. White said many current commercial buildings and newer homes already meet many elements of the code, and he described staff plans for training, permit-review updates and public education that the department expects to manage within existing budgets. He cautioned that construction costs and material needs will vary by project scope and builder choices.

Staff’s formal recommendation at the meeting was to adopt the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code with the historic-preservation exemption so the town meets the state’s April 1 adoption date and the proposed July 1, 2026 enforcement date. The recommendation will be presented to the Town Council at its scheduled meeting for consideration the following day; no council vote occurred at this meeting.