Department of Community Development
Reference: Colorado Wildfire Resiliency - Land Use & Development Code Articles 5, 6, & 8
To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council?
Through: Michael P. Martinez, City Manager
Prepared By: Summer McCann, Senior Planner
Date Prepared: February 27, 2026
PURPOSE
Review and consider modifications to the Land Use & Development Code (LUDC) to address Colorado Wildfire Resiliency requirements.
PROCESS
The LUDC outlines the code amendment process, which allows for initiation of amendments by the City Council, Planning Commission, and staff on behalf of these entities.
In considering the amendments, the City Council should use the review criteria outlined in Section 2.10(B) of the LUDC. The review criteria generally include but are not limited to furthering the purposes of the LUDC, amendments being in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan, promoting the public safety, health and general welfare of the community, and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of administering the LUDC.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF AMENDMENTS
In 2023, Senate Bill 23-166 was enacted, requiring the establishment of a Wildfire Resiliency Code Board. This Board was tasked with adopting model codes that governing bodies such as the City Council must adopt within areas located in the Wildland Urban Interface, either by adopting the model code or standards that exceed it.
In 2025, the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (the "CWRC" or the "Code") and its associated map area were established. The City of Brighton lies mostly outside the designated map area, with only a portion of the City impacted, primarily north of Baseline Road. Within these impacted areas, two wildfire risk tiers apply to Brighton: Class 1 (Low Intensity, shown in yellow) and Class 2 (Moderate Intensity, shown in orange). Depending on the class, requirements and standards within the CWRC differ, however, both classes affect site and building design to some degree.
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