Colorado · Burn Bans

Before

Colorado has no single statewide fire ban — Stage 1 and Stage 2 restrictions are set separately by each county, national forest, BLM field office and national park, and units keep stepping down as the season winds off its peak. The BLM picture below was re-read from BLM's own Rocky Mountain Area fire-restriction layer on September 10, 2026, which BLM last updated on September 9, 2026; the national-forest and national-park details were last verified August 21, 2026 and were not re-checked today. STAGE 2 IS IN EFFECT (no campfires or charcoal grills at all, even in developed campgrounds) on the ARAPAHO & ROOSEVELT National Forests — the Sulphur Ranger District in Grand County, the Boulder and Clear Creek Ranger Districts in Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin and Jefferson counties, and the Canyon Lakes Ranger District in Larimer County (Forest Order 02-10-05-26-09) — and on ONE BLM field office: Kremmling, whose Stage 2 order covers Grand, Summit and Eagle counties (BLM's own restriction layer also flags Kremmling land in Jackson and Larimer counties as Stage 2 while linking a Stage 1 order for those two counties, so treat all Kremmling land as Stage 2 and confirm with the field office). Colorado River Valley and Grand Junction, which were at Stage 2 in August, have since dropped to Stage 1. STAGE 1 (campfires generally only in permanent fire rings at developed sites): the GRAND MESA, UNCOMPAHGRE & GUNNISON National Forests dropped from Stage 2 to Stage 1 at 12:01 a.m. on Aug 20, 2026, through Dec 31 unless rescinded — their fire danger is still rated Extreme; BLM's Colorado River Valley, Grand Junction, Gunnison, Little Snake, Royal Gorge, San Luis Valley, Tres Rios and Uncompahgre field offices (White River no longer carries a seasonal stage at all, only BLM's year-round order); and the National Park Service units that publish a stage, including Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado National Monument and Dinosaur (Yucca House National Monument is at Stage 2). Baseline on public lands at every stage: no fireworks, exploding targets or tracer ammunition, and engines need a working spark arrestor; gas, jellied-petroleum and pressurized-liquid-fuel stoves with a shut-off valve stay legal. Counties set their own separate bans on top of this. Confirm your exact county and land manager before any fire — Colorado restrictions change fast in both directions.

Now

Colorado has no single statewide fire ban — Stage 1 and Stage 2 restrictions are set separately by each county, national forest, BLM field office and national park, and units keep stepping down as the season winds down. NATIONAL FORESTS, re-read September 21, 2026: the ARAPAHO & ROOSEVELT National Forests have stepped down to STAGE 1 on 4 ranger districts — Boulder and Clear Creek (Order 02-10-00-26-05), Sulphur in Grand County (Order 02-10-08-26-06) and Canyon Lakes in Larimer County (Order 02-10-05-26-08) — per the forest's fire-restrictions alert starting September 1, 2026: open fires only inside Forest Service installed and maintained fire rings and picnic grills. The GRAND MESA, UNCOMPAHGRE & GUNNISON National Forests TERMINATED their Stage 1 fire restrictions effective September 3, 2026 (Forest Order 02-04-00-26-27). BLM, last re-read September 10, 2026 from BLM's Rocky Mountain Area fire-restriction layer (BLM update of September 9, 2026) and NOT re-checked today: STAGE 2 (no campfires or charcoal grills at all, even in developed campgrounds) on the Kremmling field office, whose Stage 2 order covers Grand, Summit and Eagle counties (the layer also flags Kremmling land in Jackson and Larimer counties as Stage 2 while linking a Stage 1 order for those two counties, so treat all Kremmling land as Stage 2 and confirm with the field office); STAGE 1 (campfires generally only in permanent fire rings at developed sites) on the Colorado River Valley, Grand Junction, Gunnison, Little Snake, Royal Gorge, San Luis Valley, Tres Rios and Uncompahgre field offices; White River carries only BLM's year-round order. National Park Service units, last verified August 21, 2026 and not re-checked today: Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado National Monument and Dinosaur published Stage 1, and Yucca House National Monument Stage 2 — confirm with the park. Baseline on public lands at every stage: no fireworks, exploding targets or tracer ammunition, and engines need a working spark arrestor; gas, jellied-petroleum and pressurized-liquid-fuel stoves with a shut-off valve stay legal. Counties set their own separate bans on top of this. Confirm your exact county and land manager before any fire — Colorado restrictions change fast in both directions.