Wildfire rules could soon get a lot tougher in unincorporated Jefferson County, with the Planning Commission set to take its first formal look at a draft Wildfire Resiliency Code next Wednesday. The proposal would expand the county’s wildland‑urban interface and tighten defensible‑space and home‑hardening requirements across unincorporated Jeffco. If the commission signs off and forwards the draft, the Board of County Commissioners is slated to vote on March 10, potentially changing when and how homeowners must upgrade roofs, siding, and landscaping. County officials say the goal is to align local rules with newer state standards and cut the odds of another fast‑moving blaze.
According to Jefferson County, the Planning Commission hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday at 6:15 p.m., and the Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to consider adoption on March 10. The county lists the draft under case number 25‑127495AM and notes that hearings are hybrid, with the in‑person session in Hearing Room 1 at 100 Jefferson County Parkway in Golden. The same page explains how to submit written comments and lists county contacts for questions about the case.
The draft is Jefferson County’s local spin on the statewide 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, which the Wildfire Resiliency Code Board adopted on July 1, 2025, and which sets minimum standards for structure hardening, defensible space, and WUI mapping, according to the state’s board materials. The state gave local governments a timetable to adopt rules that meet or exceed the model and be compliant by July 1, a schedule that tightens the window for county review and public input. State guidance lays out the three‑zone defensible‑space approach and two structure‑hardening classes that local governments are now translating into their own permitting rules.
What the draft would require
As outlined by Jefferson County, the proposed Wildfire Resiliency Code would push the county’s WUI map farther into the plains and update defensible‑space and structure‑hardening standards across unincorporated Jeffco. The draft focuses on new construction and exterior alterations, specifically flagging projects such as re‑roofing, re‑siding, deck replacements and additions, and it would prohibit combustible mulch or plantings within five feet of structures. The county’s summary also calls for Class A roofing, ignition‑resistant siding and decking choices, performance standards for ventilation openings to keep out embers, and limits on highly flammable plants within 30 feet of homes…