Winter is roof season as Colorado renewals start showing wildfire scores

Insurers that score wildfire risk must now show Colorado homeowners what drives the number and what lowers it. CEDUR, an Aurora, Colorado, maker of standalone Class A synthetic cedar shake, says the months before hail and fire season are the time to replace the roof.

CEDUR synthetic cedar shake roof. Photo courtesy of CEDUR and Miley Roofing.

AURORA, Colo., Nov. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Colorado homeowners renewing property insurance this winter can now see their home’s wildfire risk score, the features that drive it and how mitigation would change it, under Colorado House Bill 25-1182, which took effect in October. CEDUR, an Aurora, Colorado, manufacturer of synthetic cedar shake roofing with a standalone Class A fire rating, is urging homeowners to use the months before spring hail and summer fire season to replace the roof, the largest surface on a house where embers land.

What changed on the renewal notice

Colorado House Bill 25-1182 requires admitted insurers and the Colorado FAIR Plan to explain any wildfire risk score they use, including the full score range, the property features that influenced it and the effect of mitigation, according to an Oct. 12 bulletin from the Colorado Division of Insurance. Homeowners can appeal a score. Insurers must acknowledge an appeal within 10 calendar days, issue a written decision within 30 and publish their mitigation discounts on their websites, or state that they offer none.

The score sits on top of a building code that already treats the roof as the front line. Colorado’s 2025 Wildfire Resiliency Code requires a Class A roof covering, tested under ASTM E108 or UL 790, in designated wildland-urban interface areas, and it requires the entire roof covering to meet that standard when 25% or more of a roof is replaced, according to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. Hail adds a second line item: along the Front Range and Eastern Plains, hail makes up about 50% of the premium homeowners pay, according to the office of Gov. Jared Polis.

Why the roof comes first

A roof is the largest surface on a house where embers and burning debris can land, and wind can carry them well ahead of the flames. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, the research organization funded by property insurers, found that embers first ignited as many as 90% of the homes damaged or destroyed in wildfires and that embers can fly for miles ahead of a fire front.

Colorado’s most destructive wildfire on record burned in winter. The Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Boulder County Dec. 30, 2021, according to the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder.

CEDUR molds its shakes from real cedar to carry the grain and shadow lines of heavy hand-split wood shakes. In CEDUR’s Class A burning brand test, the shakes reached more than 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit without igniting, while wood shakes ignite at about 375 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the company.

“A Colorado homeowner can now see the wildfire score on the renewal and challenge it with proof,” said Konrad C. Bolowich, chief executive officer of CEDUR, a Colorado manufacturer of Class A synthetic cedar shake roofing. “The roof is the largest surface on the house that embers can reach and the one upgrade a homeowner can finish before spring. Replace it in the quiet months, keep the paperwork and send it to your insurer before the next renewal.”

The rest of the home-hardening list

The roof leads a longer list. CEDUR’s wildfire prevention guide, written by marketing director Jason Hyland, organizes the rest by distance from the house:

• Zone 0, 0 to 5 feet: noncombustible materials only, such as concrete, brick, stone, steel or bare ground. Firewood, mulch, door mats and cushioned or wicker patio furniture belong elsewhere.
• Zone 1, out to 30 feet: clear dead plants and flammable items, and keep large trees free of debris, dry vegetation and pine needles.
• Zone 2, 30 to 100 feet: space shrubs and trees to slow the spread of fire.
• Prune or remove plants and branches within 10 feet of the house and 15 feet of a chimney.
• Clean gutters, add gutter guards and install ember-resistant vents that keep embers out of the attic.
• Firebreaks, strips cleared of vegetation and debris, typically run 10 to 60 feet wide depending on terrain and wind.

Defensible space zones around a home. Illustration courtesy of CEDUR.

Paperwork counts as much as the work. Under HB 25-1182, insurers must review mitigation evidence a homeowner submits and update the score within 30 days when it applies, so CEDUR recommends keeping invoices, product ratings and dated photos of every upgrade.

CEDUR synthetic cedar shake, molded from real cedar. Photo courtesy of CEDUR.

CEDUR synthetic cedar shake specifications:

• Standalone Class A fire rating under ASTM E108 and UL 790, with no special fire-resistant underlayment required
• Class 4 impact rating under UL 2218 for hail and wind-driven debris
• Cast from more than 50 natural cedar molds, with 3/4-inch hand-split butt ends, weathering to a natural wood hue within 90 days
• 180 pounds per roofing square, compared with 250 pounds or more for traditional cedar
• 50-year limited warranty; made in Colorado

Bolowich and Hyland are available to reporters covering homeowners insurance, wildfire mitigation and Colorado’s new risk-score disclosures.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to replace a roof in a wildfire-prone area?

CEDUR recommends the months between fire seasons and before the next insurance renewal. A replacement finished and documented in winter is on file before spring hail, summer fire season and the renewal notice that now shows a wildfire risk score.

What is a wildfire risk score in Colorado?

It is the rating an insurer’s wildfire model assigns a property. Since October, Colorado insurers that use one must disclose the score, the full score range, the features that influenced it and the effect of mitigation under House Bill 25-1182.

Can I appeal my wildfire risk score in Colorado?

Yes. The insurer must acknowledge the appeal within 10 calendar days and issue a written decision within 30. If the decision arrives after the policy expires, coverage continues for at least 10 days after notice, according to the Colorado Division of Insurance.

Does a Class A roof lower homeowners insurance in Colorado?

It can. Insurers that leave mitigation out of their wildfire models must offer a discount for qualified mitigation, and every insurer using a wildfire model must post its mitigation discounts online. CEDUR carries both a Class A fire rating and a Class 4 impact rating, and hail drives about half of Front Range premiums, according to the office of Gov. Jared Polis.

What roof does the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code require?

A roof covering classified as Class A under ASTM E108 or UL 790 in designated wildland-urban interface areas. Replacing 25% or more of an existing roof triggers the requirement for the entire roof covering, according to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.

What does a standalone Class A fire rating mean?

Class A is the highest of three roof fire ratings and reflects severe fire test exposure; Class B reflects moderate exposure and Class C light exposure. Some roofing reaches Class A only as part of an assembly with a special fire-resistant underlayment. A standalone rating means the roof covering itself earns Class A on its own, which CEDUR synthetic cedar shake does.

What is defensible space?

It is the area around a home kept free of combustible vegetation and materials. CEDUR’s wildfire prevention guide divides it into Zone 0, 0 to 5 feet; Zone 1, out to 30 feet; and Zone 2, 30 to 100 feet.

How do embers set houses on fire?

Wind lifts and carries burning embers ahead of a wildfire, and they land on roofs, in gutters and in vents. Embers first ignited as many as 90% of the homes damaged or destroyed in wildfires, according to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.

What causes most wildfires in the United States?

People. Humans started 84% of U.S. wildfires from 1992 to 2012, according to a 2017 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences led by Jennifer Balch of the University of Colorado Boulder. Lightning, power lines and equipment sparks account for others.

About CEDUR

CEDUR is a Colorado-based manufacturer of synthetic cedar shake roofing engineered to replicate the beauty of natural wood while delivering standalone Class A fire resistance, Class 4 impact resistance and a 50-year limited warranty. Using proprietary polyurethane technology molded from real cedar, CEDUR serves architects, builders, contractors and homeowners in wildfire-prone and architecturally sensitive communities across North America. Learn more at www.cedur.com.

Media contacts

Jason Hyland, CEDUR, jhyland@cedur.com, 720-974-9206
Doyle Albee, Prolexity, doyle@prolexitypr.com, 720-523-3350