John Scarffe, Jefferson County. The Jefferson County Building Safety Department announced on August 23, 2019, that the requirements for decks and soffit vents have been updated. The department proposed an addendum to the 2018 Jefferson County residential code with supplement Appendix Z, special building construction regulations in wildfire zone 1.

The new regulations are scheduled to become effective on January 1, 2020. This appendix applies to all buildings and structures located in Wildfire Zone 1. All buildings and structures located in Wildfire Zone 1 must be constructed in accordance with the standards set forth in this Appendix.

Ed Peck, manager of operations for building safety, said the proposal is still in process. He has had a couple of meetings in the past two weeks with folks in mountain districts such as Evergreen and Conifer. He has also met with the Evergreen and Elk Creek Fire Districts, which are promoting the revised codes. 

Building Safety got involved because these are construction pieces, Peck said. The main concern of the public is the cost of implementing the building changes, but Peck said they are using California prices and it isn’t prohibitive and can be done with very little cost above other options.

The next step is for staff to brief the Jefferson County Commissioners, and a formal hearing for adoption and public input will be conducted. No date has been set at this time, Peck said. 

“The objective of this Appendix is to establish minimum standards to locate, design and construct buildings and structures or portions thereof in Wildfire Zone 1 for the protection of life and property, to resist damage from wildfires, and to mitigate building and structure fires from spreading to wildland fuels,” according to Appendix Z. The proposal requires fire-resistance-rated construction according to Section 721 of the International Building Code. 

For the purpose of this Appendix, the unincorporated portion of Jefferson County is divided into Wildfire Zones 1 and 2. Any building or structure moved within or into any Wildfire Zone shall be made to comply with all the requirements for new buildings in that Wildfire Zone. 

The Wildfire Zone line generally follows what is called the “mountain front,” which is a line connecting the average easternmost points on the 6,400-foot contour line of the U.S.G.S. topographic maps, according to the proposal. The State Forest Service concurs that this line indicates the predominant change from plain to mountain topography. 

The canyons are within Wildfire Zone 1 because of the chimney effect of the terrain. The location of the Wildfire Zone line recognizes vegetation, slope, fire department accessibility, water supply, response time and infrastructure. This line has been imposed on the Jefferson County Base Map to divide the county into two Wildfire Zones.

Buildings and structures hereafter constructed, modified or relocated into or within Wildfire Zone 1 must meet the construction requirements set forth in this Appendix. For the purpose of this Appendix, “noncombustible,” as applied to building construction material, means a material that, in the form in which it is used, is either material of which no part will ignite and burn when subjected to fire of material having a structural base of noncombustible with a surfacing material not over one-eighth inch thick, which has a flame spread index of 50 or less.

Noncombustible does not apply to surface finish materials. No material shall be classified as noncombustible that is subject to increase in combustibility or flame spread index through the effects of age, moisture or other atmospheric condition, according to the draft.

The new regulations require noncombustible materials for roofing, covered soffits and facia and under floors when necessary. The regulations also cover any outbuildings.

To read the whole draft proposal, go to https://www.jeffco.us/DocumentCenter/View/17821/Addendum-to-the-2018-Jefferson-County-Building-Code-and-Supplement-Draft-PDF.

(Originally published in the September 5, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)