Boulder County, CO Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Parks Rangers, Sheriff's Office
- Campfires
- Unlawful anywhere in the park system
- Charcoal fires
- Only in provided grills, picnic areas
- Exceptions
- Written permission from Director/Board only
- Governing rule
- Resolution No. 2023-024, Rule 7
Summary
Boulder County Parks & Open Space bans campfires outright and allows charcoal fires only in grills or fireplaces the department provides, or in a visitor's own portable grill or stove, inside designated picnic and camping areas. Fires must be attended and fully extinguished, and rangers can shut down all fires, charcoal included, by posted notice.
7. Fire (a) Campfires are unlawful. Charcoal fires may be built only in established picnic and camping areas, and then only in grills and fireplaces provided by the department or in personal grills or stoves. All charcoal fires must be built in a safe manner and attended at all times. All charcoal fires must be properly extinguished and left in the provided grills. Exceptions may be granted only with written permission from the Board or the Director. (b) Fires may be prohibited entirely by order of the Board, the Boulder County Sheriff, or the Director by the posting of special notices or public notification through the press. (c) It shall be unlawful to violate an order or special notice prohibiting fires on any Boulder County Parks & Open Space area... Violation of any rule or regulation above shall be a civil infraction as provided for in Section 29-7-101(2) and Section 30-15-402, C.R.S., as amended, and punishable by fine or as otherwise provided by law.
Full Breakdown
Rule 7 of the county's Parks & Open Space Rules and Regulations, Resolution No. 2023-024, treats campfires and cooking fires very differently from backcountry burning. Campfires, meaning open ground fires, are unlawful anywhere in the park and open space system. Charcoal fires are allowed, but only inside established picnic and camping areas, and only in a grill or fireplace the Parks & Open Space Department has installed there, or in a visitor's own personal grill or camp stove brought to that same designated area; a charcoal fire built directly on the ground or outside a picnic or camping area is not permitted.
Whoever starts a charcoal fire must stay with it the entire time it burns and must fully extinguish it and leave the ashes inside the provided grill rather than dumping them nearby. The Director of Parks & Open Space can grant a written exception to any of these rules, but only in writing, not verbally. Separately, the Board, the Boulder County Sheriff, or the Director can shut down all fires, charcoal included, across any park or open space area by posting special notices or notifying the press, and ignoring a posted fire closure is its own violation. § 16-2-201.
Violations & Fines
Building a campfire anywhere in a Boulder County park or open space area is always a civil infraction, and so is a charcoal fire built outside a designated picnic or camping area or left unattended. Ignoring a posted fire closure is a separate violation. Parks Rangers, Security Officers, and Sheriff's deputies can issue a citation or a penalty assessment notice under C.R.S. § 16-2-201 for any of these.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a portable charcoal grill at a Boulder County trailhead?
Are campfires ever allowed on Boulder County Open Space?
What if the county posts a total fire ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boulder County
Compare Boulder County to another location·View the Colorado outdoor cooking overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.