Building Services Newsletter
WELCOME TO THE BUILDING SERVICES NEWSLETTER

Welcome the Building Services Newsletter.  

I hope you all had a great holiday season and happy new year! Thank you for the work that you do and our partnership ensuring the life, health, and safety of everyone who lives, works, and plays in Fort Collins. If you have any feedback for us on how we can continue to improve our services and processes, please, don’t hesitate to reach out.   

Additionally, if there is any material, news, or updates you feel would be beneficial to include in the next newsletter, let us know.  

Best, 

Marcus Coldiron

Chief Building Official   

City of Fort Collins  

970-416-2324  

REMINDERS

BUILDING PERMIT EXPIRATIONS:

  • Per section R105.5 of the 2021 IRC and IBC, every permit issued will become invalid unless work authorized by such permit is commenced within 180 days after its issuance or if more than 180 days pass between inspections. 
    • Extensions will only be considered on a limited basis when justifiable cause can be demonstrated.  

HEADS UP! STOCK PLAN HOLDERS:

  • The 2024 I-codes have been adopted with an effective date of April 1st, 2026. All stock plans must be updated to the new codes on the effective date. New permits will not be issued without updated stock plans. 

2024 I-CODES ADOPTION UPDATE

The 2024 Building Codes were adopted by Fort Collins’ City Council at second reading on December 16th, 2025, with an effective date of April 1st, 2026. The 2021 codes will remain effective until April 1st.   

The new codes and the adopted amendments are posted at Building Code City of Fort Collins under the ‘new code previews’ drop down menu.   

For the first time, the City of Fort Collins has adopted the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, complying with CO state law. This code only applies to properties that fall within the designated Wildfire Urban Interface areas. See 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code Map for impacted parcels.  

ENERGY CODE PATH TO ZERO CARBON NEW CONSTRUCTION BY 2030

Fort Collins’ Energy Code Path to Zero Carbon New Construction by 2030 was adopted as part of the 2024 I-Codes package. It is implemented through required appendices CZ (commercial) and RZ (residential), which are available for preview in the draft 2024 IECC Amendment found under “New Code Previews” at www.fortcollins.gov/Government/City-Code-and-Charter/Building-Code. The code will take effect on April 1, 2026.

The Zero Carbon Code team is busy building out a compliance calculator, an implementation guide, trainings, and other supporting resources so keep an eye out as we near April 1, 2026.

Visit: https://ourcity.fcgov.com/zero-carbon-construction-code to learn more, share thoughts and engage with city staff. You can also access this site through the “Learn more or engage with staff” link at www.fortcollins.gov/zerocarboncode.

It’s likely that heat pumps will be increasingly important in the path to compliance. Interested in learning more about heat pumps? Several webinars can be found at a Colorado Energy Office video channel.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FUGITIVE DUST

Did you know? Uncontrolled dust emissions—including dust from construction sites—can be a health hazard and may violate City code. Dust can negatively impact health, especially for sensitive populations such as children and older adults, and can also create safety concerns by reducing visibility.  

Learn about best management practices to control fugitive dust from activities like earthmoving, demolition and renovation, stockpiles, and more. 

WATER DEMAND CALCULATOR TO REDUCE WATER, ENERGY, AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL COSTS

Fort Collins’ City Council adopted the Water Demand Calculator (WDC) for calculating peak water demand and designing better plumbing systems for multi-unit residential housing, which is effective on April 1, 2026. Beginning then, all multi-unit housing must use the WDC and single-unit housing may use it as an approved option. 

The WDC is part of the Uniform Plumbing Code and was created to account for the decades’ long improvements to water efficiency, which have resulted in lower peak demand and smaller piping needs. Right-sizing piping results in less water and energy waste, and less material costs. More information can be found here: https://iapmo.org/we-stand/water-demand-calculator 

Staff are developing a WDC training for a date in March. More details will be coming soon. 

Building Services
281 N College
Fort Collins, CO 80524