Map Your Risk: Nail Your Move to Colorado

Moving to Colorado? Use This WUI Tool First, Then Buy Smart

Colorado is gorgeous, and yes, wildfire is part of life here. Smart buyers check risk early, harden their homes, and insure correctly. Start with the Colorado State Forest Service’s Live Wildfire Ready Wildland Urban Interface map, then follow the steps below to shop with confidence. Colorado State Forest Service

Step 1: Find out if your target neighborhood sits in the WUI

The wildland urban interface, WUI for short, is where homes and human development meet or intermingle with flammable vegetation. These areas face the highest exposure to wildfire. Colorado State Forest Service

Open the CSFS Live Wildfire Ready WUI map. Search an address or zoom to a neighborhood, then read the legend to see how the tool classifies the surrounding area. The map is an educational first look at neighborhood-level risk, not a parcel by parcel rating, so plan on a site specific assessment later. Colorado State Forest Service

Pro tip: For deeper context, toggle over to the Colorado Forest Atlas Wildfire Risk Viewer to see historical fire perimeters and risk layers across a wider area. co-pub.coloradoforestatlas.org

Step 2: Interpret the results the right way

Use the map to answer two buyer questions:

1. How close is my short list to wildland fuels, and

2. Do adjacent neighborhoods also sit in the WUI, which can influence evacuation planning and insurance.
   Remember, more than one million Coloradans already live in elevated risk WUI areas, so risk management, not fear, is the goal. Colorado State Forest Service

Step 3: Plan your home hardening and defensible space

If you are serious about a property, schedule a mitigation walk through. Start with CSFS guidance on hardening the structure and creating defensible space around it. Small upgrades like ember resistant vents, Class A roofing, and properly spaced vegetation can dramatically reduce ignition potential. Colorado State Forest Service

Want an at-a-glance playbook you can hand a contractor, or use after closing? CSFS’s Live Wildfire Ready campaign consolidates practical, do-this-next actions for Colorado homes. Colorado State Forest Service

Step 4: Budget insurance wisely, and know last-resort options

Wildfire risk has pushed premiums up and made some homes tougher to insure. Get quotes early in your home search and compare mitigation credits. If you receive multiple declines from standard carriers, Colorado now operates a FAIR Plan, a limited coverage option that functions as a true last resort and typically requires three denials plus an agent assisted application. CO FAIR Insurance

Step 5: Track new statewide wildfire resiliency requirements

Colorado adopted a statewide Wildfire Resiliency Code in 2025 that focuses on construction and landscaping in WUI areas. State adoption occurred July 1, 2025, with local adoption and enforcement ramping through 2026. Expect requirements like ember resistant openings, tempered glazing, and defensible space maintenance in designated zones. CML

If you are buying in an HOA, note that Colorado now limits covenants that would block fire hardened materials, which helps owners implement mitigation. Check with your association for any reasonable design standards that still apply. Colorado General Assembly

Step 6: Due diligence checklist for buyers

Use this sequence when a home makes your short list:

• Map it: Run the address through the CSFS Live Wildfire Ready WUI map for a neighborhood-level snapshot, then review the Colorado Forest Atlas risk viewer. Save screenshots for your file. Colorado State Forest Service

• Walk it: Hire a wildfire-mitigation professional to assess the specific parcel, structure, and vegetation. CSFS field offices can point you to resources. Colorado State Forest Service

• Price it: Gather insurance quotes before you finalize the offer, factor in mitigation credits and any carrier-required work. If needed, discuss FAIR Plan eligibility with your agent. CO FAIR Insurance

• Inspect it: During inspection, focus on roofing, vents, soffits, decks, fences, and immediate vegetation. Compare findings to CSFS guidance so your objection requests are specific and actionable. Colorado State Forest Service

• Code check: Ask the jurisdiction’s building and fire departments how the state WUI code applies to your address, including permit triggers for future remodels. CML

• HOA sync: If in an HOA, request written confirmation that defensible-space work and fire-hardened materials meet the community’s standards. Reference the 2024 law if needed. Colorado General Assembly

Step 7: After you close, make wildfire prep part of normal home care

Put your defensible space maintenance on a seasonal calendar, keep gutters and roofs clear, and store flammables away from structures. Your local fire district’s Ready, Set, Go materials pair well with CSFS guidance. westmetrofire.org

How to use the CSFS Live Wildfire Ready WUI map in two minutes

1. Open the map and accept the disclaimer, it is an educational neighborhood assessment.

2. Enter an address or click the map, review the legend, zoom out to see context.

3. Capture a screenshot for your records, then schedule a site specific assessment for any home you are serious about. Colorado State Forest Service

Final word

Wildfire awareness should empower you, not scare you. With the CSFS WUI map, a mitigation plan, the right insurance, and an understanding of Colorado’s evolving code landscape, you can buy in beautiful places and sleep well at night. CML+Colorado State Forest Service+Colorado State Forest Service