Headwaters Economics is helping Colorado communities adopt and implement the state’s new Wildfire Resiliency Code by offering free technical assistance to city and county governments and councils of governments.
This program is affiliated with Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire (CPAW), a program of Headwaters Economics. CPAW provides land use planning solutions, communications assistance, and customized research to better understand and manage wildfire-prone areas and reduce risk. CPAW services are provided free to selected communities, and all recommendations are adopted at the discretion of the community.
Program
Over the course of six months, from October 27, 2025, to May 1, 2026, more than 25 communities in Colorado are working with the CPAW team and contractors to address a variety of issues that come into play as they adopt the new code, including:
- Guidance on adoption and incorporation of language into existing codes;
- Assistance with generating a new wildfire risk map or amending the state’s map;
- Guidance on enforcement of the new code;
- Assistance with public engagement and communications around the new code;
- Guidance for drafting and entering into intergovernmental agreements for code enforcement;
- Rewriting sections of existing code to comply with the new Wildfire Resiliency Code;
- Working with elected officials to support the adoption and implementation of the code.
If your state or community is interested in pursuing a cohort model for WUI code adoption, please contact Ryan Handy at ryan@headwaterseconomics.org.
Resources for communities adopting Colorado’s Wildfire Resiliency Code
CPAW is making the resources generated for this program publicly available to all communities that might need them.
Template for Code Considerations
Pathways for Code Adoption One-Pager
Enforcement Strategies Webinar
Code Breakdown with Interpretation
Adoption by Reference Model Language
Realities of Remapping Webinar
Building for Wildfire Resilience in Colorado