Colorado Requires IECC Adoption
Originally published by: CodeWatcher — August 2, 2019
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The Governor of Colorado’s signing of HB10-1260 is notable because Colorado is a home rule state. While this bill would allow jurisdictions to retain some freedom regarding their energy bill, it would also require them to use one of the model energy codes that were developed and published within the last decade.
The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is an industry standard that establishes the design and construction requirements for energy efficient buildings. House Bill 19-1260 directs counties, when adopting or updating building codes, to meet or exceed the standards in one of the three most recent versions of the IECC. Once an energy code is adopted or updated, the bill encourages counties and municipalities to report to the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) within a month. The bill also requires counties and municipalities that have enacted a building energy code to report to the CEO by January 1, 2020.
Rep. Cathy Kipp, one of the bill’s sponsors, stated, “Bringing energy codes up to date is good for cities, good for residents, and good for our planet.”
The time frame for when the bill goes into effect is as follows: “By January 1, 2020, every Board of County Commissioners of a County which has enacted a building code and an energy code shall report the current version of their County’s building and energy codes to the Colorado Energy Office. Thereafter, every Board of County Commissioners is encouraged to report any change in their County’s building and energy code
to the Colorado Energy Office within a month of changing their County’s building and energy codes.