Homes in Jefferson County’s wildfire zone 1 will be required to be built with fire-resistant materials thanks to a building and residential code update approved by Jefferson County commissioners.
The amendment will be effective for all permits applied for after Jan. 1, 2020, and it affects homes in the wildfire zone 1 of Jefferson County, which is just west of C-470 and includes Evergreen and Conifer.
“It is based on chapter five of the 2018 international wildland urban interface code. This was an outcome of a work session that was held in May of this year,” said Becky Baker, director of building safety with Jefferson County, during a Nov. 5 hearing. “We took a look at hardening of structures … and what we would need to do to incorporate that into the county’s existing processes and systems.
Among other things, the updated code would require buildings and structures, including decks, roofs and sheds, constructed, modified or relocated into the wildfire zone to meet new construction requirements.
Exterior walls of buildings or structures would be required to be made with:
• Materials approved for not less than one-hour fire-resistant rated construction on the exterior side.
• Approved noncombustible materials.
• Heavy timber or log wall construction.
• Fire-retardant-treated wood on the exterior side.
• Ignition resistant materials in compliance with another section of the code.
Decks will have similar requirements with wood at a minimum thickness of at least 2 inches for joists and 4 inches for beams and columns or posts. Exterior doors, excluding garage doors, must be made of approved noncombustible construction, solid core wood no less than 44 millimeters thick or with a fire protection rating of not less than 20 minutes.
Changes can be made piecemeal. So, for example, if a person needed to replace some of a home’s siding, he or she wouldn’t be required to replace all of it at once. Roofs are the sole exception. Once 25 percent needs replacing, the whole roof must be replaced to be compliant.
The required materials are from the California state fire marshal’s office listing of approved materials.
“That will save staff a lot of time,” Baker said.
During an August workshop with those working in the building and construction industries, some said they feared higher costs for materials might affect homeowners’ insurance and could push folks to try to build without permits. However, those in favor of the changes said updating the code will help make the county safer.
“This is such a great example of partners coming together to really work through what can be very challenging issues,” said Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper.