Planning Commission recommends adopting Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code; staff says scope limited to roughly 400 parcels

The El Paso County Planning Commission on May 21 voted 8–1 to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners adopt the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (WRC) and related Land Development Code (LDC) revisions addressing fire protection and wildfire mitigation.

Mindy Scholl, deputy director of board county planning, told commissioners that Senate Bill 23166 established the statewide resiliency code board and that local governing bodies must adopt the WRC minimum standards prior to June 30, with the county’s effective date set for July 1, 2026. "These are minimum standards," Scholl said, adding that the county cannot adopt weaker requirements than the WRC.

Scholl explained the WRC’s two class structure (class 1 = low; class 2 = moderate/high) and described structure‑hardening requirements for roofing, eaves, soffits, wall coverings, underfloor exposures and detached accessory structures. She highlighted compliance triggers: replacing more than 25% of a roof requires replacing the entire roof, and any addition or alteration that increases a building’s footprint by 500 square feet or more must comply with the WRC. The code also defines three defensible‑space zones (immediate, intermediate and expanded) with restrictions on combustible planting within 0–5 feet of structures.

Scholl estimated that the county’s enforcement responsibility would cover less than 1% of parcels (roughly 400 parcels), noting some exemptions (interior maintenance, fences more than 8 feet from a structure, detached accessory structures depending on size/location, and 35‑acre parcels with a single residence) that will shrink the count further. She said the county is not recommending adoption of the WRC appendices (permits, construction drawings, enforcement) and will rely in part on an affidavit process tied to building permits for properties outside fire protection districts; fire districts will retain enforcement authority where they have jurisdiction.

Commissioners raised operational questions about grandfathering of existing vegetation, how inspections and fees will be handled by fire districts, and whether the county’s forthcoming fire‑professional hire will have a dispositive role for outliers not in a fire district. Scholl said many implementation details remain to be worked out and that coordination with fire districts and the homebuilders association will continue after the June 30 adoption deadline.

The commission’s recommendation will go to the Board of County Commissioners for final action.