Committee Approves Cutter, Exum Sr. Bill to Better Protect Communities from Wildfires, Establish Wildfire Resiliency Code Board

SB23-166 will protect new construction from wildfires, help local governments keep wildland-urban interface safe 

DENVER, CO – Legislation sponsored by Senators Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, and Tony Exum Sr., D-Colorado Springs, that would better protect communities from wildfires earned approval before the Senate Local Government & Housing Committee today.

SB23-166 would help communities and Coloradans living in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) defend homes and property from catastrophic wildfires by establishing a statewide wildfire resiliency code board charged with establishing proven building codes that will better protect new structures against wildfires. Local governments in the new WUI area would be required to adopt the model code or a code of their own that meets those minimum standards.

“The risk of wildfires in our state is growing, and we must act now to protect our homes and businesses and create more resilient communities,” Cutter said. “Fires don’t recognize boundaries, and the impacts of a fire in any part of our state affect all of us, so creating minimum building standards just makes sense. We ask firefighters to put their lives at risk to battle these fires, which is why we must use every tool possible to protect them and our communities. According to FEMA, adopting and carrying out building codes is the single best way we can defend against wildfires, which is why I’m so proud to sponsor this bill.”

“Wildfires do not respect boundaries, and when it comes to growth in the wildland-urban interface we need a statewide policy that reflects that,” Exum Sr. said. “Our legislation will give Colorado communities the tools they need to defend themselves, and will set smart standards that protect families, homes, and businesses against increasingly dangerous wildfires. I am proud to champion this important legislation that will defend our people and our property.”

Cutter and Exum Sr.’s bill would create a Wildfire Resiliency Code board made up of 21 voting members and three non-voting members from local governments, utilities, and other relevant disciplines such as firefighters and building professionals that would work to define and establish minimum standards that better defend areas in the WUI from dangerous wildfires.

The bill also requires the Board to adopt minimum codes and standards that would protect homes, businesses and communities from wildfires, and to support local governments struggling with the cost of wildfire mitigation, suppression, and recovery.

Wildfires have grown increasingly destructive in recent years. The Marshall Fire in 2021 burned more than 1,000 homes and over 30 commercial structures, and caused more than $2 billion in damage, while 2020’s East Troublesome Fire destroyed 366 houses, causing $543 million in damage.

SB23-166 will now move to the Senate Appropriations Committee. More information about the bill is available HERE.