MEEKER | Colorado’s new wildfire construction code will soon shape how homes and other buildings are built and remodeled in wildfire‑prone areas.
The Wildfire Resiliency Code, created under Senate Bill 23‑166 and finalized in July 2025, applies in the wildland‑urban interface (WUI) — where “human‑built structures meet the wildland fuels.” Local governments with these areas must adopt the code by April 1 and begin enforcing it within three months. Meeker has adopted the standards and expects enforcement to begin around May 3.
“The goal of the regulation is to improve fire safety for homes and to create better fire buffer zones around buildings,” said Carly Thomson, Meeker Community Development Director.
Christopher Brunette, section chief for the fire and life safety section of the Division of Fire Prevention and Control, gave a presentation last Thursday and spoke again Friday morning at Streamline Realty’s Coffee Talk.
Brunette said the map is based on the agency’s wildfire hazard index, which incorporates more than 50 vegetation types, topography (especially slope), and 40 years of critical fire weather data. “It is based on their wildfire hazard index. It’s really looking at vegetative fuels, it’s looking at the topography, because slope is really what will affect the fire, and then it’s looking at critical fire weather data.”
Requirements become more stringent as hazard levels rise.
The map must be updated at least every three years, but local officials can “ground truth” conditions in the field and request adjustments when the on‑the‑ground risk no longer matches the mapped hazard. Jurisdictions may also propose their own maps for approval. To avoid over‑burdening agriculture, parcels of 35 acres or more with a single home that do not abut residential or commercial areas are exempt, though the state still encourages them to follow best practices.
The code has two main components: construction standards for buildings and management of the surrounding site. There are two construction classes. In lower‑hazard yellow areas, requirements focus on ember protection: fire‑resistant roofing, noncombustible gutters and downspouts, ember‑resistant vents, and a noncombustible zone in the first five feet around the structure.
In higher‑hazard orange and red zones (Class 2 construction), all ember‑protection measures still apply, but additional standards are imposed on eaves and soffits, exterior walls, windows and doors, under‑floor areas, and the walking surfaces of decks. Outbuildings are generally exempt unless they are within 50 feet of an occupiable structure, in which case some provisions apply.
“Any building where people are going to be working, living, playing — what we call occupiable — would have to meet this code if they’re in the wildland urban interface,” Brunette said.
The code primarily governs new construction but also reaches existing buildings under two conditions. If an addition increases the footprint by 500 square feet or more, the new portion must comply. If more than 25 percent of a covered exterior feature, such as roof or siding, is replaced, the entire feature must be brought up to code. Routine interior remodeling, painting, staining, and similar work does not trigger the code.
Defensible space is a key principle, Brunette pointed out. The first five feet from a building must be free of combustible materials — including mulch, shrubs, stacked firewood and wood fence connections — to keep embers from igniting structures. In higher hazard areas, that zone is followed by two more: five to 30 feet and 30 to 100 feet. In these, vegetation should be spaced, dead branches removed and lower limbs pruned to prevent fire from climbing into tree canopies and carrying flames to buildings.
Meeker has adopted the state map, with affected areas including Sage Hills and Sanderson subdivisions, areas near the hospital, and some areas near Ute Park. Central downtown is not included. All mapped areas in town will be treated as Class 2. The town will rely on its existing building official for enforcement at the permit stage and does not plan ongoing inspections beyond what the code requires. Education for builders and homeowners is expected to play a major role.
Brunette said work has been done with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety and the Division of Insurance to align the code with practices that could help preserve insurance availability and affordability. He also outlined growing state resources for fire investigation, local code education and enforcement support.
The Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code and Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Map can be found in their entirety at https://dfpc.colorado.gov/sections/wildfire-resiliency-code-board under “Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code 2025.”
Meeker Community Development Director Carly Thomson or Building Official Carl Padilla are available to answer questions at Town Hall, 345 Market St. or by phone at 970-878-5344.
Areas in the yellow, orange and red zones are subject to new wildfire construction codes finalized last July. To view the map online visit https://dfpc.colorado.gov/sections/wildfire-resiliency-code-board under “Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code 2025.”
