From the farmers in the Eastern plains, across the city slickers of the front range, up in elevation to the foothill commuters, through the high country and resort towns, past the rural mountain communities, and down the mountains to the Western slopes, Colorado climates, communities, and lifestyles are not the same. 

Building codes and other regulatory subjects reflect this diversity. Colorado is what’s called a “home-rule” state. This means there’re no state-wide building or energy codes. Instead, individual jurisdictions set their own requirements. So, if you live in one of the 15 counties that haven’t adopted a building code, it’s all up to you to how you build … sort of. 

Colorado has statewide plumbing and electrical codes. Recently, an energy code with statewide implications was adopted. A year later, a second piece of legislation was adopted that created confusion. If you’re trying to understand how to specify windows and doors in Colorado, here’s what you need to know.

In 2022, House Bill 22-1362 provided the legislative authority and directive for the creation of a Colorado Energy Board responsible for creating a model electric-ready code, solar-ready code, and a low-energy and carbon code utilizing the more efficient of the 2021 and 2024 International Energy Conservation Code. The model codes created by the new Colorado Energy Board are relatively straightforward, except when it comes to windows and doors, as you’ll see in just a minute.

Importantly, Colorado is still a home-rule state and building codes are still set by local jurisdictions, but individual jurisdictions are now required to adopt the new state energy code when they update their building code.

TIP: The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) created resources to aid jurisdictions in adoption, including trainings for both the building authority personnel and the public, and the free Colorado Code Helpline. Explore these resources.