Codes & Standards

During the 2007 legislative session, House Bill 1146 (HB 07-1146), was passed in an effort to improve the energy efficiency of Colorado’s new buildings as part of the New Energy Economy. HB 07-1146 calls for all jurisdictions that have a building code to adopt a minimum energy code standard effective July 1, 2008. Adoption of energy codes for buildings by Colorado jurisdictions can contribute to approximately 16% of the needed emissions reductions proposed in Governor Ritter’s 2007 Climate Action Plan. As directed by HB 07-1146, the Governor's Energy Office (GEO) works in close partnership with building departments to provide energy code training, information and other resources to support local adoption and implementation of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

In the summer of 2009, the GEO partnered with Colorado's code jurisdictions to host 23 workshops on the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code in locations throughout the state. The nationally recognized code training organization, the International Code Council (ICC), delivered the trainings at no cost for local code officials, home builders, developers, architects, engineers and other building industry professionals. A total of 600 participants attended and received official code books, work book resources and continuing technical assistance from ICC. The GEO would like to thank the following partners for hosting the workshops: City & County of Broomfield, Town of Trinidad & Trinidad State Junior College, City of Sterling, Alamosa County, City of Greeley, Otero County, City of Fort Collins, Pueblo Regional Building Department & Pueblo Association of Home Builders, City of Golden, Douglas County, City of Aurora, City of Westminster, City of Glenwood Springs, City of Craig, Winter Park/Fraser Building Department, Town of Vail & Eagle County, Mesa County, City of Montrose, City of Durango, Clear Creek County, City of Louisville, City & County of Denver, and Lincoln County.

If you missed out on these sessions, check out the list of resources below or contact Jamil Dillon at jamil.dillon@state.co.us.

Resources

• In the Fall of 2008, the GEO commissioned a survey of Colorado’s code jurisdictions to develop a comprehensive catalog of the current building and energy codes and to inquire about future adoption plans. Over half (174) of the 329 code jurisdictions participated in the survey. The results are summarized in the report, Colorado Building & Energy Codes Survey Results found in the Publications section of this Web site under Reports and Industry Studies.
• Download a free summary presentation prepared by the International Codes Council (ICC), summarizing the 2003 IECC and 2006 IECC for Colorado.
  • 2003 IECC Summary Presentation by ICC (PDF 1,057 KB)
  • 2006 IECC Summary Presentation by ICC (PDF 1,180 KB)
  • 2009 IECC Summary Presentation by ICC (PDF 1,127 KB)
• Download a free compliance guide on the 2003 IECC and 2006 IECC for Colorado:
  • IECC® 2003 Compliance Guide for New Homes in Colorado (PDF 128 KB)
  • IECC® 2006 Compliance Guide for Homes in Colorado (PDF 24 KB)
• Download free code compliance software from the U.S. Department of Energy's website:
  • Residential (REScheck)
  • Commercial (COMcheck)
• House Bill 07-1146 (PDF 38KB)
• The Office of the Attorney General issued the following memo regarding the adoption of residential and commercial energy codes as required by HB 07-1146: Memo from the Office of the Attorney General (PDF 51 KB)
• If your jurisdiction would like to request complimentary 2009 IECC code books and Colorado-specific workbooks, please contact Jamil Dillon at Jamil.Dillon@state.co.us.