What should I know about wildfire risk when buying a Colorado Springs home?

Wildfire risk is a reality for many Colorado Springs homes, and the place you'll feel it first is insurance, which has gone up significantly over the last several years. Homes near trees, open space, or the foothills generally carry more risk. Before you commit, I recommend checking the specific home's wildfire risk, getting an insurance quote during your inspection period, and learning what mitigation has been done. Colorado now requires most insurers to share a home's wildfire risk score and let you appeal it.

Why it matters here

The Pikes Peak region has lived through it. The 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire destroyed 347 homes, most of them in Mountain Shadows on the city's west side, and the 2013 Black Forest Fire destroyed 511 homes northeast of the city. The Colorado State Forest Service has estimated that roughly half of Coloradans live in areas at risk of wildfire.

It's a reality: if you live near trees, you're likely in a higher fire risk area. Trees aren't the only factor, though. Slope, nearby open space, grass and brush, how close homes are to each other, and the home's own materials all play a part. Colorado's December 2021 Marshall Fire in Boulder County, which spread through grassland and suburban neighborhoods, showed that risk isn't limited to the forest.

What it means for insurance

Insurance is often the most immediate effect. Depending on the home and the company, wildfire risk can mean a higher premium, fewer companies willing to write a policy, or conditions such as mitigation work. That's why I recommend getting a quote on the specific house before your inspection deadline, not after.

Your new rights under Colorado law

Under a 2025 Colorado law (HB25-1182), admitted insurers and the Colorado FAIR Plan that use wildfire risk models must, starting October 1, 2026:

• give you the property's wildfire risk score in writing, including how it was calculated, the score range, and the features that affected it;
• explain how mitigation affects the score;
• let you appeal an inaccurate score with evidence of mitigation, with a written decision within 30 days;
• and consider property and community mitigation, or offer discounts for qualifying mitigation.

If no standard insurer will cover a home, the Colorado FAIR Plan is a last-resort option. Why homeowners insurance varies so much between Colorado Springs houses covers the other factors, including hail.

How to check a specific home's risk

• The state's map. The Colorado Wildfire Risk Public Viewer, from the Colorado State Forest Service, lets you look up the wildfire risk around an address.
• The city's high-risk map. The Colorado Springs Fire Department publishes a map of areas it considers higher-risk, and the city's wildland-urban interface standards apply stricter building rules in those areas.
• The insurer's score. Ask for it when you request a quote.
• The home itself. Look at the roof material, vents, decks, and what's growing or stored within the first few feet of the house.

Mitigation: what helps

Mitigation focuses on the home and the area right around it. Common steps include:

• keeping the area closest to the house free of things that burn, such as wood mulch, dead plants, and firewood stacked against walls;
• trimming trees and limbs away from the roof and thinning vegetation farther out;
• using ignition-resistant materials, such as a Class A roof and ember-resistant vents;
• keeping gutters and decks clear of needles and leaves.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department offers on-site visits to suggest ways to protect a property and runs a neighborhood chipping program. Ask the seller what mitigation has been done and whether any records exist; that documentation can help with an insurance appeal.

Colorado's statewide wildfire code

Colorado adopted its first statewide Wildfire Resiliency Code, with local adoption due by April 1, 2026. It sets minimum building standards for new construction in wildland-urban interface areas. For existing homes, it can apply when repairs to the exterior walls or roof cover more than 25% of the whole. For example, a hail-damaged roof needing that much repair may need to be fully replaced with compliant materials. That's worth asking an insurance agent about, because it can affect what a claim costs. How old is too old for a roof covers roof age and insurance.

If you're buying

• Look up the home's risk and ask the seller about past mitigation.
• Get an insurance quote, and the wildfire risk score, during your inspection period. What contingencies to consider covers the insurance deadline in Colorado's contract.
• Budget for ongoing mitigation as part of owning the home.
• If you're comparing areas, living on the west side and living in Black Forest cover what's specific to those parts of the region.

What could change the answer

• The home's location, slope, and surrounding vegetation.
• Roof material, vents, and other construction details.
• Mitigation already done, and whether it's documented.
• An individual insurer's model and underwriting.
• Changes to Colorado's insurance rules or wildfire code.

When to talk with a professional

Talk with an insurance agent, or an independent agent who can shop several companies, about coverage, the wildfire risk score, and discounts. For mitigation, the Colorado Springs Fire Department's wildfire mitigation staff or a qualified mitigation contractor can help. Your real estate agent can help you fit the insurance quote and any mitigation questions inside your contract deadlines.

Sources

• Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Insurance, "New Homeowners Insurance Protections and Transparency Rights Under HB25-1182 Take Effect This Fall": https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/CODORA/bulletins/42e8cde
• Colorado Wildfire Risk Public Viewer: https://climate.colorado.gov/colorado-wildfire-risk-public-viewer
• Colorado State Forest Service, "Half of Coloradans now live in areas at risk to wildfires": https://csfs.colostate.edu/2018/11/26/half-of-coloradans-now-live-in-areas-at-risk-to-wildfires/
• The Gazette, "What does Colorado's statewide wildfire building code mean for homeowners?" (May 10, 2026): https://gazette.com/2026/05/10/what-does-colorados-statewide-wildfire-building-code-mean-for-homeowners/
• KOAA, "Colorado Springs Fire Department reminds community of mitigation programs": https://koaa.com/news/covering-colorado/colorado-springs-fire-department-reminds-community-of-mitigation-programs