Building a deck where the mountains start?
What is the WUI?
The WUI is where neighborhoods meet forest and grassland. In unincorporated Jeffco, new WUI deck rules took effect July 1, 2026.
Most homes lost to wildfire catch from embers, and a deck is an easy place for one to land.
❋ Class A deckingBoards must carry a Class A fire rating. Many standard composites don't qualify, sometimes even from the same brand.
❋ Steel framingSteel is noncombustible, which takes the framing question off the table at plan check. It's the core of our Forever Frame.
❋ Metal railingsMetal railings are the simplest path through review, and they don't add fuel at the edge of the deck.
❋ What’s underneathThe space under a deck is where embers and dry debris collect. How it's enclosed or kept clear matters, and so does what you store down there.
We handle the permit.
Unincorporated Jeffco, the City of Golden, and other foothill towns each run their own permit process. We draw the plans, submit them, answer plan check comments, and meet the inspector on site. You don't have to learn any of this. That was the whole point of us learning it.
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Where the deck sits on your lot, with setbacks and distances to property lines.
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Footprint, framing layout, spans, and connections.
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Height off grade, stairs, and guardrails, drawn to scale.
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Fire-rated materials, footings, fasteners, and the connection details plan check asks for.
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We answer reviewer comments and meet the inspector on site, all the way through final.
Where we build WUI decks
We build within about 45 minutes of our Littleton base. That covers most of the WUI in Jefferson County, the City of Golden, and the foothill towns around them.
Each city and county adopts its own version of Colorado's wildfire code and its own WUI map, so we check your address first and build to the rules that apply to you.
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Foothill neighborhoods along Bear Creek, 20 to 30 minutes from our shop.
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Unincorporated Jefferson County. Steep lots and tall decks are the norm here, and we handle the Jeffco WUI permit.
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Unincorporated Jefferson County along the US 285 corridor.
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The City of Golden and the foothills above it. Golden runs its own permit process, and we work through it the same way.
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Foothill neighborhoods close to home. Don't see your town? If it's within about 45 minutes of Littleton, ask.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Usually, if you're rebuilding rather than repairing. Tell us what you've got and we'll tell you where you land.
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Maybe. Some lines are Class A rated and some aren't, sometimes from the same brand. We'll check before you fall in love with a color.
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Yes, somewhat. Fire-rated materials and steel framing cost more up front. They also don't rot, which helps the math over 25 years.
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Some insurers look favorably on fire-resistant construction. We can't promise anything on their behalf, but we'll give you documentation of exactly what was built.
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Send us your address. We'll check before we design anything, so you know which rules apply from day one.
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Steel framing carries Fortress's 25-year material warranty, and every deck we build is backed by our 3-year labor warranty.