Homeowners in wildfire-prone communities are already paying for what the courts may never resolve. More states are joining Colorado and California in banning wood shake roofing in high-fire-hazard zones, and a new Colorado law, Colorado House Bill 25-1182, requires insurers to credit documented wildfire mitigation. The roof remains the single largest opportunity for homeowners to act.
Key facts:
-
CEDUR synthetic cedar shake delivers a standalone Class A fire rating with the look of natural cedar, made in Colorado and is eligible for these credits.
-
The Supreme Court heard arguments Oct. 5 in Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, but a ruling in 2027 won’t change codes or premiums that are already in motion.
-
Colorado and California building codes already require Class A fire-rated roofing in wildfire zones, banning wood shakes and shingles on the roof and various other combustible building materials.
-
Colorado’s new insurance law requires carriers to credit documented wildfire mitigation, including Class A roofing through direct premium discounts or directly into their pricing models.
AURORA, Colo., Oct. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Oct. 5 in Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, the city and county’s climate-cost case against Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil. A decision is expected in 2027. Whatever the outcome, the financial mechanics of wildfire risk are expanding across most of the United States — and for the share no lawsuit resolves, homeowners are on their own. CEDUR delivers a standalone Class A fire rating under ASTM E108 and UL 790, with no fire-resistant underlayment required.
CEDUR engineers its shakes from a proprietary polyurethane compound, molding each from more than 50 natural cedar forms.
The costs are not waiting for a verdict
The December 2021 Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Boulder County, the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history. Many of the replacement homes, and every new build in wildland-urban interface jurisdictions, now fall under frameworks that were law long before the Supreme Court took up the case:
-
Colorado’s 2025 Wildfire Resiliency Code requires Class A fire-rated roof coverings for new construction, and for existing roofs where 25% or more of the surface is replaced. Local jurisdictions in WUI zones were required to adopt the code by April 1, with enforcement beginning July 1. Mountain jurisdictions including Aspen, Summit County and Boulder already ban natural wood shakes outright.
-
California’s 2025 WUI Code, effective Jan. 1, updates Chapter 7A of the California Building Code and prohibits cedar shakes and wood shingles in WUI zones and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones regardless of fire-retardant treatment. It also formalizes Zone 0 ember-resistant requirements for the zero-to-five-foot perimeter around structures.
-
The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, the research organization funded by property insurers, expanded its Wildfire Prepared Home designation program to 10 additional states for a total of 14 states in April 2026. The designation requires a Class A roof covering, among other mitigation measures.
Meanwhile, Colorado House Bill 25-1182 requires property insurers to account for documented wildfire mitigation in their ratings and to maintain a written appeal process for wildfire risk scores. Carriers including State Farm, Chubb and American Family already offer premium credits for Class A roofing. Estimates are that a typical WUI-zone homeowner paying $2,400 a year can trim premiums by 15% to 25%, or $360 to $600 annually.
The roof is the decision homeowners control
A court ruling, whichever way it goes, will take years to affect premiums or rebuilding. A roof replacement takes weeks. CEDUR, a Colorado manufacturer of synthetic cedar shake roofing, builds the only category of product that answers both sides of the problem: the warmth and character of real cedar with fire performance that satisfies the strictest codes in the country.
-
Standalone Class A fire rating under ASTM E108 and UL 790, with no fire-resistant underlayment required
-
Class 4 impact rating under UL 2218 for hail an
Source: finance.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.
