Jefferson County is one of the most at-risk counties for wildfires in the country, and the board of commissioners is attempting to lessen the danger.

The Jefferson County commissioners approved updates to the Wildfire Resiliency Code on March 10, including creating buffering areas around structures and tougher building requirements.

The changes will go into effect on July 1, working to help mitigate wildfires in a county with a higher risk for fires than 98% of counties in the country, according to Wildfirerisk.org.

“Jefferson County is one of the highest fire-risk counties in the country. Record low snowpack, unseasonably high temperatures and other factors contribute to the sense of urgency to act now,” Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper told The Denver Gazette. “The wildfire fire threat in Jefferson County requires us to think differently about how we build, what we plant and how we protect our communities.”

The changes were made and approved to meet the requirements of the state’s Wildfire Resiliency Code, which was established on July 1, 2025, with a deadline of April 1.

Cities within Jefferson County, like Lakewood, have already approved updates to their specific resiliency codes ahead of the deadline.

The updates regarding Jefferson County’s Wildland Urban Interface Overlay District mean someone can build a structure but must hire a certified fire specialist to verify the structure has a “defensible space” — cleared and thinned vegetation around the structure — and that roads and driveways meet access standards so emergency vehicles can reach the location.

These defensible space permits expire every three years, and property owners are legally required to maintain their clearings from vegetation growth.

Ronda Scholting, spokesperson for West Metro Fire, said the adoption “is a vital step in addressing the growing wildfire risk facing our communities.”

Einar Jensen, risk reduction coordinator with Evergreen Fire Rescue, told The Denver Gazette that while the updates are important to create consistency between areas in the state, efforts must still be completed by owners.

“Even with the new codes in place, home and other property owners remain responsible for maintaining their buildings and landscaping, removing dead vegetation, planning for evacuations and registering for their county’s reverse notification systems. Community safety requires all of us to do our parts,” Jensen said.

The changes related to building homes include requiring fire-resistant materials for new homes and case-specific improvements to existing homes.

For example, gutters must be made of noncombustible materials, attics must have ventilation openings and decks must be made of ignition-resistant materials.

“The 2020 big wildfires (in Colorado) and the Marshall fire have set an impetus for action,” said Anne Miller, director of the Colorado Resiliency Office, at a panel in 2025.

The changes come at the same time as one of Colorado’s driest winters on record and wind gusts already reaching nearly 80 mph in the county — similar conditions to 2021 when Colorado’s most destructive wildfire, the Marshall fire, burned more than 1,000 homes and businesses in Boulder, Louisville and Superior and killed two people.

“Wildfire doesn’t know the difference between county lines,” Dahlkemper. “We are all in this together.”

More information can be found at Jeffco.us.

Denver Gazette reporter Bernadette Berdychowski contributed to this report.