IICRC Fire Standards Set to be Focal Point of New Colorado Legislation

In the wake of devastating wildfires in Colorado, legislators in the Colorado General Assembly have put forth legislation calling for a study on remediation of property damaged by fire (House Bill 24-1315).

Following the devastating 2021 Marshall Fire in Boulder County, Colorado, many residents required fire restoration services. Unfortunately, some of these citizens experienced subpar work from contractors. This led a group of state legislators to develop HB24-1315.

The bill directs the Colorado Division of Insurance to conduct a study regarding the remediation of residential premises that have been damaged from smoke, soot, ash, and other contaminants because of a fire. As a part of the study, the division will be required to consider any existing standards, “including any relevant standards established by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC).”

“Federal and state governments have a history of utilizing voluntary consensus-based standards for policy objectives,” said Robbie Bradshaw, IICRC director of government relations. “We’re glad to see Colorado is looking to IICRC’s standards in this instance.”

According to a press release from the IICRC, this includes two accredited-industry standards: the S700 Standard for Professional Fire Damage Restoration and the S760 Standard for Professional Wildfire Investigations and Restoration of Impacts to Structures, Systems, and Contents.

In addition, the proposed legislation states that the division may engage with stakeholders from the restoration and remediation industries in Colorado. The results and recommendations of the study shall be provided to the state legislature by January 2026.

“The IICRC and its volunteers have been working tirelessly to develop these fire standards for our industry,” added Carey Vermeulen, IICRC president and chairman. “We look forward to working with Colorado’s Division of Insurance and providing the standards to them once they are published.”