Changes to Wildfire Resiliency Code Board

The bill makes changes to the existing wildfire resiliency code board (board). The bill adds the following members to the board:

• One additional municipal representative representing rural communities who is appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives, and one additional county representative representing rural communities who is appointed by the minority leader of the senate;
• One additional municipal representative representing urban communities who is appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and one additional county representative representing urban communities who is appointed by the president of the senate;
• One additional municipal and one additional county representative representing a municipality and a county that, prior to September 30, 2023, adopted codes that provide, minimally, for wildfire-resilient structures and best practices, each appointed by the executive director;
• 2 mayors of urban municipalities and 2 mayors of rural municipalities; and
• The state water engineer or the state water engineer's designee.

The bill removes 4 members from the board, including a member representing hazard mitigation professionals, a member representing the building trades, a member representing a statewide association of nonprofit utilities, and a member representing a nonprofit home builder for affordable home ownership that serves populations with incomes under 80% of an area's median income. The bill removes the board's ability to define the wildland-urban interface and instead defines the wildland-urban interface as land in Colorado that is:

• 3 miles or less away from the boundary of any city with a population of 100,000 or more people as of the 2020 United States census;
• 3 miles or less away from the boundary of a transit-oriented community; or
• 3 miles or less away from land that is zoned to allow 40 units or more per acre.

The bill requires each county in the state to create and present to its board of county commissioners a wildland-urban interface map designating all land within the county that is part of the wildland-urban interface. Each board of county commissioners shall approve and submit to the wildfire resiliency code board a wildland-urban interface map no later than July 1, 2026. The board shall adopt minimum codes and standards related to wildfire resiliency no sooner than the date it has received a wildland-urban interface map from every county and no later than January 1, 2027. Governing bodies have one year from the board's adoption of minimum codes and standards related to wildfire resiliency to adopt the codes. Current law requires a governing body of a city, town, or city and county with jurisdiction in an area within the wildland-urban interface to, within 3 months of the wildfire resiliency code board (board) adopting wildfire codes and standards, adopt wildfire codes and standards that meet or exceed those adopted by the board. The bill extends that time frame to 9 months. The bill allows an adopting governing body to enter into a cooperative agreement with another entity, such as a third-party contractor or another governing body, in order to enforce wildfire codes and standards. The bill makes other conforming changes.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)