Wildfire risk was raised as an important community concern during the public engagement process for the City’s new comprehensive plan, Lone Tree Elevated. Specifically, the City heard that mitigating wildfire risks and protecting Lone Tree from wildfires is an important community priority. In response to these concerns, the City adopted a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) on June 17, 2025. The CWPP identifies wildfire risk areas in the City, prioritizes publicly owned lands for wildfire mitigation, and provides the community with best practices for wildfire mitigation efforts on private lands. The CWPP also identifies additional implementation actions the City can take to further wildfire mitigation efforts in the community; one of these implementation actions is adoption of the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (CWRC).
The intent of the CWRC is to construct safer and more resilient communities and reduce wildfire risk to people and property. The purpose of the CWRC is to establish minimum regulations to:
- Mitigate the risk to life and structures from intrusion of fire from wildland fire exposures and fire exposures from adjacent structures and,
- Mitigate the risk of structure fires spreading to wildland fuels and causing a wildfire.
The CWRC is paired with a wildfire hazard risk map, which identifies properties that are in a wildfire risk area. Under the CWRC, properties that fall within a wildfire risk area would be required to mitigate their property if they completed qualifying work on their property, such as a building addition 500 square feet or greater, or replacing/repairing 25% or more of an existing roof. Examples of mitigation requirements include removing flammable materials (e.g. plants) from within five feet of a structure’s exterior wall, installing noncombustible gutters, and utilizing Class A roof materials.
Current City regulations require new developments (e.g. new subdivisions, new commercial buildings) to prepare wildfire risk assessments for sites that are adjacent to open space and/or undeveloped land. If indicated by a risk assessment, such developments may be required to prepare a wildfire mitigation plan to reduce wildfire risk in the community. City regulations do NOT currently apply wildfire mitigation regulations to existing properties. Adoption of the CWRC would apply wildfire mitigation regulations to existing properties, if mapped within a wildfire risk area. As proposed, implementation of the CWRC would be a collaborative effort between the City’s Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Divisions, and South Metro Fire Rescue.
The Lone Tree City Council received an overview of the CWRC in January and directed staff to proceed with the process for proposing adoption of the code. The CWRC and associated supplemental amendments to City code will be released on public referral on February 10, 2026. We encourage members of the public to review the proposed code amendments, associated wildfire risk map, and staff’s analysis of the code proposal by accessing the project’s public referral page here beginning February 10. A link to submit comments on the proposed code will be listed on the project’s referral webpage. Additionally, you may attend the public hearings scheduled for the proposed code amendment on either (or both) of the following dates:
- February 24, 2026 – Public Hearing before the Lone Tree Planning Commission
- March 3, 2026 – Public Hearing before the Lone Tree City Council
Thank you for your continuing involvement in your community. Please contact Roshana Floyd, Planning Manager, with any questions regarding the proposed code amendments. Email roshana.floyd@cityoflonetree.com or 720-509-1271.