How Longmont Handles Fire Regulations: A Practical Guide

Longmont maintains 129 local ordinances across all categories, and 4 of those deal specifically with fire regulations. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Longmont falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Outdoor Burning

Longmont bans operating solid fuel-fired heating devices, wood stoves, fireplaces, pellet stoves, on days the state health department declares a high pollution day, unless the owner holds a city exemption.

Key details: Governs: Solid fuel heating devices only. Trigger: State-declared high pollution day. Grace period: 3-hour burndown window. Coal: Banned outright, no exception. Exemption: Sole heat source or pre-1989 install.

Operating a banned device during a high-pollution day is punishable under LMC ch. 1.12 as a separate offense per day and is also enjoinable as a public nuisance.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Longmont actively enforces its outdoor burning requirements.

Propane Storage

Longmont requires an operational fire permit before storing or using LP-gas containers with a combined individual water capacity of 250 gallons or greater. The rule sits in the city's local amendments to the International Fire Code and is enforced by the fire code official. Smaller residential-scale tanks fall under the threshold and need no permit under this section.

Key details: Permit trigger: LP-gas container 250 gallons water capacity or more. Governing section: LMC § 16.32.080 (formerly § 16.32.070). Permit type: Operational permit, fire code official. Fee basis: Set by city council resolution, not fixed in code. Recordkeeping: Reports due within 7 days via Compliance Engine.

Storing or using LP-gas above the 250-gallon threshold without the required operational permit is a violation of Chapter 16.32, punishable under the general penalty in Chapter 1.12: up to a $500.00 fine and up to 90 days in jail, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. Section 113.4 (§ 16.32.150) also lets the city attorney pursue the violation as a public nuisance and seek an injunction in court, on top of any criminal penalty, and paying one penalty never excuses a continuing violation or extends the deadline to correct it.

Fireworks

Longmont bans discharging any fireworks on city streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks or other city property without a sparkler permit, and bans discharge from vehicles or near grassland and combustible material. Selling to or purchasing by anyone under 16 is also illegal, and only permissible fireworks like sparklers and fountains may be possessed under Municipal Code § 10.60.030.

Key details: Governing section: Longmont Municipal Code § 10.60.030. City property discharge: Requires a sparkler permit. Minimum purchase/sale age: 16 years old. Max fine: $999.00. Max jail time: 180 days.

Violations of Title 10 offenses, including chapter 10.60, are punishable under the general penalty in section 10.02.020: a fine of up to $999.00, imprisonment of up to 180 days, or both, imposed by Longmont Municipal Court on conviction. Officers responding to illegal fireworks calls can also confiscate any fireworks that are not on the permissible list under subsection G, separate from any citation issued. Because sections B and C make both selling to and buying by minors under 16 distinct offenses, an adult supplying fireworks to a teenager and the teenager purchasing them can each be cited.

Compared to other cities, Longmont takes a harder line on fireworks. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Wildfire Zones

Longmont adopted the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code and directs the Chief Fire Marshal to map the city's wildland-urban interface, the area where structures meet wildland vegetation and face elevated wildfire risk.

Key details: Adopted code: Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, 2025 ed.. Map keeper: Chief Fire Marshal. Map location: Dept. of Public Safety. Enforcement: Chief Building Official. Adopted: Ord. O-2026-11, March 2026.

Building within the mapped wildland-urban interface without meeting the adopted Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code's standards is enforced by the Chief Building Official under LMC ch. 16.54.

The Bottom Line

Longmont is tougher than many cities when it comes to fire regulations. Out of the 4 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Longmont, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Longmont's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.