Fire Regulations in Mesa County, CO (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Mesa County, Colorado.
Verified from official government sources
Brush Clearance
In unincorporated Mesa County, new homes built on wooded or brush-covered land must thin vegetation in defensible-space Zone 1's Segment B under Land Development Code Section 8.07(C)(1)(a)(2). Brush and tree clumps must be spaced at least twice the taller clump's height apart, cut material hauled off-site, and low limbs pruned to ten feet or half the tree's height, whichever is less.
Mesa County Defensible Space Brush Clearance
Some RestrictionsMesa County Land Development Code § 8.07(C)(1)(a)(2)
Segment B shall consist of the area immediately beyond Segment A and continuing to the outer boundary of Zone 1. At the time of initial construction vegetation shall be thinned as follows to break up the horizontal and vertical continuity of fuels: (a) Spacing between clumps of brush or trees, as measured between the crown of each clump, shall be no closer than two (2) times the height of the t...
Wildfire Zones
Mesa County's Land Development Code lays out a two-zone defensible-space system for new homes built on wooded or brush-covered land. Section 8.07.C creates Zone 1, extending 30 to 120 feet from the structure depending on slope, with an inner five-foot Segment A cleared of vegetation, and Zone 2, extending to 70 feet, where trees must be thinned to keep five feet between crowns.
Mesa County Wildfire Defensible Space Zones
Some RestrictionsMesa County Land Development Code § 8.07.C(1)-(2) (Wildfire Hazards)
a. Zone 1 On parcels of land that contain an average slope of less than thirty (30) percent, Zone 1 shall consist of the thirty (30) foot area immediately surrounding the primary structure, not to extend beyond the property line. On parcels of land that contain an average slope of thirty (30) to fifty-five (55) percent, Zone 1 shall consist of the area extending forty-five (45) feet to the sid...
Propane Storage
New homes built in Mesa County's wooded or brush-covered wildfire hazard areas can't store an above-ground propane tank within 5 feet of the structure at all, and any tank kept farther out still has to sit at least 20 feet away on a gravel pad, under Section 8.07(C) of the Land Development Code.
Mesa County Wildfire Zone Propane Tank Rule
Some RestrictionsMesa County Land Development Code § 8.07(C)(1)(a)(1) & (a)(2)(a)(ii)
New construction shall comply with the following standards... Segment A shall consist of the five (5) feet immediately surrounding all sides of the structure... No above-ground propane tanks, firewood or other combustible materials may be installed or stored in Segment A. ... Propane tanks and firewood may be located in Segment B, but in no case shall such tanks and/or firewood be located withi...
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