SB 25-142: Changes to Wildfire Resiliency Code Board - Colorado

Revised (05/02/2025) → PA1 (04/16/2025) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to change its status from a revised version with adopted amendments to a preamended version containing committee amendments that have not yet been adopted. The substantive text changes shown in the diff appear to be formatting artifacts and placeholder text rather than actual policy modifications to the wildfire resiliency code board's requirements.

TECHNICAL

Document status changed from 'Revised' (adopted amendments) to 'Preamended' (unofficial version with committee amendments not yet adopted).

Sponsorship list formatting changed with some names removed from Senate sponsorship and House sponsorship marked as 'None'.

Committee assignments changed from Energy & Environment for House to no House committees listed.

Reading status changed from '2nd Reading Unamended' to 'Preamended' with updated dates.

Text lines showing code enforcement requirements appear to be formatting artifacts with inconsistent capitalization and placeholder text rather than substantive policy changes.

Rerevised (05/03/2025) → Revised (05/02/2025) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to update its title and revision status from 'Rerevised' to 'Revised', reflecting that amendments were adopted on second reading rather than in the second house. Additionally, new text was added to Section 17, expanding requirements for governing bodies in wildland-urban interface areas to adopt building or fire codes within nine months of the board's adoption, with enforcement through local rules or cooperative agreements.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include specific requirements for governing bodies with jurisdiction in wildland-urban interface areas regarding code adoption timelines and enforcement mechanisms.

TECHNICAL

Title and revision status changed from 'Rerevised (05/03/2025)' to 'Revised (05/02/2025)', indicating a procedural update in the bill's revision history.

Removed references to '3rd Reading Unamended' and specific House Committee listings, likely due to procedural progression of the bill.

REQUIREMENT

New subsection (2)(a) requires governing bodies in wildland-urban interface areas to adopt building or fire codes meeting minimum standards within nine months of board adoption.

ENFORCEMENT

New subsection (2)(b) establishes that code enforcement follows local governing body rules or cooperative agreements.

Final Act (05/13/2025) → Rerevised (05/03/2025) · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill revises the wildfire resiliency code board's composition, authority, and implementation timeline. It adds specific rural and urban representatives to the board while removing four existing members, redefines the wildland-urban interface with precise distance-based criteria, and establishes a mandatory July 1, 2026 deadline for counties to submit interface maps. The changes aim to standardize wildfire safety codes across Colorado with clearer geographic boundaries and more balanced board representation.

Scope change

The bill narrows the definition of the wildland-urban interface from a board-defined concept to specific distance thresholds from cities, transit communities, and high-density zones, making applicability more predictable for municipalities.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement for all counties to create and submit wildland-urban interface maps by July 1, 2026, with the board adopting minimum codes by January 1, 2027.

Added new board members including rural and urban municipal/county representatives, mayors, and the state water engineer.

DEFINITION

Changed the definition of wildland-urban interface from board discretion to fixed criteria: within 3 miles of cities with 100,000+ population, transit-oriented communities, or areas zoned for 40+ units per acre.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed four board members representing hazard mitigation professionals, building trades, nonprofit utilities, and affordable housing builders.

TIMELINE

Established specific statutory deadlines for map submission (July 1, 2026) and code adoption (January 1, 2027) replacing previous flexible timelines.

Engrossed (04/25/2025) → Reengrossed (04/28/2025) · 3 edits · Apr 28, 2025

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to include additional sponsors and updated the status note to reflect that amendments were adopted in the House of Introduction. The substantive text regarding wildfire resiliency codes was removed in this version, likely due to a formatting or versioning error in the provided diff.

TECHNICAL

Added three new sponsors (Exum, Jodeh, Kipp, Michaelson Jenet, Snyder, Wallace, Winter F.) to the Senate sponsorship list.

Updated the bill summary note to indicate that a summary for the reengrossed version will be available after third reading in the House of Introduction.

Removed a section of text regarding wildfire resiliency code adoption rules, which appears to be a formatting artifact rather than a substantive policy change.

Introduced (02/05/2025) → Engrossed (04/25/2025) · 6 edits · Apr 28, 2025

MODERATE

This bill was amended to clarify the Wildfire Resiliency Code Board's authority and update the composition of its membership. The changes shift focus from defining the wildland-urban interface to enforcing wildfire resiliency codes, while adjusting board appointments to better represent rural and urban communities.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from primarily defining the wildland-urban interface to establishing code implementation requirements and enforcement mechanisms for adopting governing bodies.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'wildland-urban interface' was removed from the legislative declaration and replaced with specific code adoption requirements.

MEMBERSHIP

Added two new board members representing rural communities appointed by the House minority leader and Senate minority leader.

Changed municipal and county representative appointments to be based on urban or rural representation rather than prior code adoption dates.

Removed four board members representing hazard mitigation professionals, building trades, nonprofit utilities, and affordable housing builders.

ENFORCEMENT

Added provisions for code enforcement through either direct adoption by governing bodies or cooperative agreements with third parties.

TIMELINE

Extended the timeframe for adopting wildfire resiliency codes from three months to nine months.

Changes to Wildfire Resiliency Code Board

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