Manitou Springs, CO Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

010, to protect life and property and create a safer environment for citizens, businesses and visitors from open fires and open burning, including cooking fires, recreational fires, and spark-producing work like grinding or welding. 050 gives the Fire Chief, or a designee in the chain of command if the Chief is unavailable, authority to declare that dangerous fire conditions exist and impose either a Stage I Fire Restriction or a Stage II Fire Ban depending on the severity of the hazard, with written notice going to the mayor, city council, city administrator, the public information officer and department heads for distribution to employees and media.

040 layers an automatic trigger on top of that: whenever the National Weather Service issues a red flag warning covering all or part of the city, a Stage II Fire Ban applies to that area for as long as the warning lasts, on top of any other restriction already in force. 070 prohibits all open fires and open burning, all solid-fuel fireplaces such as fire pits and chimineas, charcoal and pellet grills, outdoor tobacco smoking outside approved receptacle zones, the sale and use of fireworks and explosives, and spark- or flame-producing tools like grinders and welders unless a rated fire extinguisher is on hand.

Gas-fueled grills and stoves stay exempt if kept ten feet from combustibles, and compliant indoor wood stoves and fireplaces are unaffected. 080 lets the Municipal Judge treat chapter violations as penalty-assessable offenses under a fine schedule the Judge sets.