Colorado county now fining people $1,000 for fire restriction violations
With several large wildfires having already scorched the state this year in Colorado, Summit County has upped the penalty for violating fire restrictions, also stressing that these news penalties will be enforced.
Illegal fires have been a major concern in recent weeks, with local law enforcement responding to numerous calls related to fire ban violations. As noted by the sheriff’s office, officials have raised the maximum fine for these violations to $1,000 per occurrence, which was a decision meant to “underscore the seriousness of wildfire danger in the county.”
In Summit County, nearly 88 percent of the county is experiencing drought stage four (of four) conditions with the rest of the county’s acreage experiencing drought stage three. The Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI) score for the county was last reported to be 488, which is on a scale of 500. To help put that in perspective, the county has never recorded an index score as high as that outside of 2026, with the county still only reaching a score of 458 during the notoriously dry year of 2020.
The adoption of the increased fine was approved on July 21, increasing the maximum fine for a first offense from $150 to $1,000, plus a $10 surcharge.
“Fire restrictions are an important wildfire prevention tool,” said Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons. “Their effectiveness depends on timely implementation, clear authority, and penalties that reflect the risk posed by violations.”
On June 26, Summit County entered ‘stage two’ fire restrictions, which are still in place. Under this tier of restrictions, the following are banned:
- Open fires
- Campfires
- Smoking, except in enclosed vehicles or buildings
- Wood and charcoal grills, stoves, smokers, etc.
- Off-road parked on vegetation
- Blasting, grinding, and welding
- Chainsaws without a USDA or SAE-approved spark arrester
- Hot air baloons
- Fireworks, tracer ammunition, and exploding targets (Summit County shooting rance is closed, as well)
Learn more about Summit County’s stage two restrictions here, and make sure you’re doing your part to prevent wildfires.
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