Insurance
Rules that make insurers count mitigation, and the certification many of them recognize.
Insurance ruleIn effectReady to proceed
Wildfire risk scores and mitigation discounts (HB25-1182)
Colorado. Colorado Division of Insurance
Admitted home insurers and the Colorado FAIR Plan that use wildfire risk models must account for property-level and community-level mitigation in pricing, or give a discount for qualified mitigation if their model does not. From October 1, 2026, applicants and policyholders get a notice with their wildfire risk score, the property features that drove it, the effect of mitigation, and the right to appeal.
A premium discount or an improved wildfire risk score after you show completed mitigation; each insurer sets and posts its own amounts.
Ready to proceed. It applies to insurers in your state. Keep the record of the work.
Details and how to use it
- Details
- The law doesn’t list actions. Each insurer posts which actions it credits and its discounts; the Division of Insurance points to work certified under IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home as an example. Evidence can be receipts, photos, certificates, or inspection reports.
- How
- Check your insurer's website for its list of qualifying actions, discounts, and appeal instructions. After the work is done, send evidence such as receipts, photos, completion certificates, or inspection reports by the electronic method named in your notice; the insurer must acknowledge within 10 calendar days and decide within 30. Under the draft rule you have at least 30 days from a renewal or nonrenewal notice to appeal, and if evidence is short the insurer must say what is missing and give 30 more days.
- We prepare
- Mitigation record and Request for a mitigation review
CertificationOpenReady to proceed
Wildfire Prepared Home
Nationwide. Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
A certification from the insurance industry’s research institute that a house meets its wildfire standard. An evaluator visits and documents the work, and many insurers in the states where it’s offered recognize it.
Discounts vary by insurer and state and aren’t guaranteed. A designation lasts 3 years, with a yearly photo review to keep it active.
Ready to proceed. It applies to insurers in your state. Keep the record of the work.
- Work it may recognize
- Vents, gutters and gutter guards, and the first 5 ft around the house
- You’ll need
- A fee and a yearly review
Details and how to use it
- Details
- Essential, the ember level, also asks for a Class A roof and 6 in of noncombustible wall base. Enhanced adds gutter guards, enclosed eaves, tempered windows, and noncombustible siding and decks. Garage doors aren’t named.
- How
- Do the work with the How-To Prepare checklist, then apply online with photos of every side of the house and the 0 to 5 ft zone. An evaluator visits; if something falls short, you have 60 days to fix it and send photos.
- We prepare
- Certification checklist and Mitigation record
Grants, rebates, and tax breaks
Money back for work on your house. Read what each one needs before you buy.
Tax creditOpenConfirm your property’s eligibility
Wildfire mitigation income tax credit
Colorado. Colorado Department of Revenue
A state income tax credit for landowners who pay a third party for defensible space, fuel breaks, or thinning on private Colorado land. The older wildfire mitigation subtraction ended after tax year 2024, so the credit is the only option for 2025 and 2026.
Tax years 2025 to 2027: 100 percent of eligible out-of-pocket costs, up to a $1,000 credit per year. Federal taxable income limit $129,200 for 2025; 2026 limit not yet published. Nonrefundable, no carryforward.
Confirm your property’s eligibility. It needs household income under its limit. Check its limits on the official page.
- Work it may recognize
- The first 5 ft around the house
- You’ll need
- Itemized receipts and an income limit
Details and how to claim
- Details
- Counts only work paid to a contractor for defensible space, fuel breaks, woody vegetation thinning, and slash treatment that meets Colorado State Forest Service or DFPC standards. Home hardening such as vents, gutter guards, and seals is not eligible per the 2026 legislative tax expenditure report. Your own labor, materials you buy, equipment, inspection fees, and grant-reimbursed costs do not count. Joint filers share one $1,000 cap. Not limited to the WUI.
- How
- Keep contractor receipts for the work. File Individual Credit Schedule DR 0104CR with your DR 0104 return and attach the receipts, or upload them through Revenue Online.
- We prepare
- Cost record for taxes
Rules for homeowners
What you may owe when you sell, rebuild, or keep up the ground around the house.
Building codeIn effect
Jefferson County Wildfire Resiliency Code
Unincorporated Jefferson County in the wildland-urban interface. Jefferson County
Jefferson County applies the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code to unincorporated properties in the WUI, covering defensible space and structure hardening for new and substantially changed homes.
- Asks about
- Vents, gutters and gutter guards, garage door seals, sealing gaps, and the first 5 ft around the house
- You’ll need
- A home in a mapped hazard zone
Details and how to comply
- Details
- Item requirements follow the state code (see co-wildfire-resiliency-code). The county page names defensible space and structure hardening and recommends a noncombustible first five feet and 1/8 in metal mesh on vents.
- How
- Check with Jefferson County planning and zoning before permitted work on a home in the unincorporated WUI; questions go to [email protected].
- We prepare
- Mitigation record
Building codeIn effect
Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (8 CCR 1507-39)
Colorado. Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, Wildfire Resiliency Code Board; enforced by local building officials
A statewide minimum wildfire code that local governments enforce in mapped WUI areas. It applies to new homes, additions of 500 sq ft or more, and replacing 25 percent or more of a roof or exterior wall; existing homes generally do not have to retrofit.
- Asks about
- Vents, gutters and gutter guards, garage door seals, sealing gaps, and the first 5 ft around the house
- You’ll need
- A home in a mapped hazard zone
Details and how to comply
- Details
- Vents must be ASTM E2886 listed or use noncombustible mesh with openings of 1/8 in or less. Gutters and downspouts must be noncombustible. The 0 to 5 ft zone must be hard noncombustible surface with no new trees, and fences within 8 ft of the house must be noncombustible or ignition resistant. In moderate and high intensity areas, exterior doors need weather-stripping or overlaps to limit ember gaps (garage doors are not named separately) and roof valleys and gaps need ember protection. Also covers Class A roofs, siding, windows, decks, and 5 to 100 ft vegetation. Replacing 25 percent or more of siding also triggers the 5 ft zone rules.
- How
- Ask your city or county building department whether your parcel is in a mapped WUI area and which class applies; you can request a ground-truthing review of the classification. Plan permitted remodels, reroofs over 25 percent, and siding jobs to meet the code.
- We prepare
- Mitigation record
Free help
Assessments and services you don’t pay for.
Free assessmentIn effect
Jeffco free wildfire home assessment
Jefferson County. Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Community Engagement team
A mitigation specialist spends about 1.5 hours on site and then sends a private online report with recommendations. Open to property owners across Jefferson County.
Free on-site assessment and written report.
- Covers
- Vents and the first 5 ft around the house
- You’ll need
- A home inside the program’s boundary
Details and how to use it
- Details
- County guidance recommends a combustible-free first five feet and 1/8 in corrosion-resistant metal mesh on attic and roof vents. The report can serve as evidence of mitigation for an insurer review under HB25-1182.
- How
- Request an assessment on the Sheriff's Office scheduling page.
- We prepare
- Mitigation record
Neighborhood programOpen
Firewise USA
Nationwide. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
A neighborhood program. Residents form a small board, get a risk assessment, write an action plan, and log the work they do each year to stay recognized. Some state insurance rules and some insurers count a recognized neighborhood.
Details and how to use it
- Details
- Community work: clearing, chipping days, and education. Your own retrofit work counts toward the neighborhood’s yearly total.
- How
- Look up recognized sites near you, or start one with your neighbors through NFPA’s Firewise USA portal. Your state forestry agency usually helps with the assessment.
In progress in Colorado
HB25-1182 was signed May 28, 2025 and takes effect July 1, 2026; disclosure notices start October 1, 2026 for admitted insurers and the Colorado FAIR Plan. The Division of Insurance proposed Regulation 5-1-28 (notices of premium reduction options and the appeal process; draft lists a February 14, 2026 effective date) and a companion draft regulation on filing requirements for wildfire models and mitigation discounts; final adopted text was not confirmed. The wildfire mitigation income tax subtraction (C.R.S. 39-22-104(4)(n)) ended after tax year 2024 under HB24-1036; only the credit (C.R.S. 39-22-543) remains for 2025 and 2026. A 2026 legislative tax expenditure report says the credit runs through tax year 2030 and that HB26-1289 limits it to individual taxpayers starting tax year 2026, while the Department of Revenue page shows tax years 2023 to 2027. The Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (8 CCR 1507-39) took effect July 1, 2025 and is enforced by local governments in mapped WUI areas; a 2028 code cycle is underway.
General information, not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Rules and funding change, so open the official page before you apply or buy for a program.