Town staff recommends adopting 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code with historic-preservation exemption

Mr. White, a town staff member, told the board that the state requires jurisdictions in wildland-urban interface areas to adopt the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code by April 1, with proposed enforcement July 1. "It is a state mandate," he said, and staff recommended adoption of the code with the historic-preservation exemption to meet the state timeline.

Mr. White summarized technical changes the code would impose on new construction and qualifying remodels: ignition-resistant roofing and flashing, noncombustible gutters and downspouts, vents that meet ASTM standards or are screened with noncombustible mesh, tempered or multilayer glazing or 20-minute fire-rating for some windows, and measures to limit ember intrusion such as sealing gaps to less than 0.125 inch. Staff noted many modern buildings already meet some of these standards, but builders may face material-availability and cost concerns during implementation.