Manitou Springs, CO Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LUDC § 18.03.10.8
- Risk determination
- City's Wildfire Risk Map, Fire Department
- Triggers
- Development Plan, Subdivision, or building permit
- Standard applies to
- properties at 'rapid wildfire risk'
- Conflict rule
- wildfire standards override other landscaping rules
Summary
Manitou Springs' Fire Department has mapped the entire city as being at wildfire risk, but the Wildfire Mitigation Standards in Section 18.03.10.8 only kick in for a property flagged at rapid wildfire risk on the city's Wildfire Risk Map, triggering extra review on Development Plans, subdivisions and building permits for habitable or commercial structures.
18.03.10.8Wildfire Mitigation Standards.A.Purpose and Intent. Pursuant to the City's wildfire risk assessment, the entire City is at risk for wildfire. Mapping and/or site assessments by the Fire Department may be used to clarify wildfire risk on individual properties within the City or the City as a whole. ... B.Applicability of Wildfire Mitigation Standards. The wildfire mitigation standards in this section shall apply to any of the following activities or scenarios:1.An application for a Major or Minor Development Plan for development determined to be at rapid wildfire risk based on the City's Wildfire Risk Map;2.An application for a Major or Minor Subdivision for development determined to be at rapid wildfire risk based on the City's Wildfire Risk Map; or3.Any required building permit or property improvement permit for a habitable or commercial structure determined to be at rapid wildfire risk based on the City's Wildfire Risk Map.
Full Breakdown
8, inside the Development in Natural Hazard Areas chapter, opens by stating that pursuant to the city's wildfire risk assessment, the entire city is at risk for wildfire, and that mapping or site assessments by the Fire Department may be used to clarify the risk level on individual properties. ' Under Subsection C, once an application is subject to the section, the Fire Department conducts a site assessment to evaluate how fire code standards and the wildfire mitigation standards apply, and communicates the findings to the property owner before the standards in Subsection D are applied.
04. Because the Fire Department, not a fixed zoning map, makes the rapid-wildfire-risk determination property by property, a homeowner cannot assume a project is exempt just because a neighboring lot was not flagged.
Violations & Fines
A building permit, Development Plan or Subdivision application for a property the Fire Department has determined to be at rapid wildfire risk cannot proceed without satisfying Section 18.03.10.8's mitigation standards; skipping them is a Land Use and Development Code violation enforced under the general penalty in Section 1.01.100, up to $2,650 in fines, up to ninety days in jail, or both, with a civil abatement action available in municipal court under Section 1.01.100(D).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my whole property in Manitou Springs considered a wildfire risk?
Who decides if my project needs wildfire mitigation review?
Do wildfire rules override the city's usual landscaping standards?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manitou Springs
Compare Manitou Springs to another location·View the Colorado fire regulations overview
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Wildfire Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in El Paso County handle wildfire zones.