What is BurnBound?

BurnBound is a free tool that monitors fire restrictions. BurnBound aggregates burn ban data from over 490 jurisdictions — including counties, fire districts, national forests, BLM field offices, national parks, state parks, and NWS fire weather zones — into a single interactive map and status dashboard.

Instead of checking dozens of individual county, federal, and fire district websites, you can see the current fire restriction status for any location in one place. Read more on the about page.

Is this an official government site?

No. BurnBound is an independent project that aggregates publicly available data. BurnBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any government agency, fire district, or land management organization.

The use of agency names and data on this site is for informational purposes only.

Where does the data come from?

BurnBound collects fire restriction data from the following public sources:

• National Weather Service (NWS) — Red Flag Warnings for 55 fire weather zones
• U.S. Forest Service (USFS) — Fire restrictions across 12 national forests and 54 ranger districts
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM) — 10 field offices
• National Park Service (NPS) — 12 national parks and monuments
• Counties — All 64 county governments
• Fire protection districts — 244 districts
• State parks — 42 state parks (typically adopt host county restrictions)

How often is data updated?

Automated scrapers run on different schedules depending on the data source:

• NWS weather alerts — checked every 5 minutes
• All other sources (counties, USFS, BLM, fire districts, etc.) — checked every 2 hours

Between scraper runs, displayed data may lag behind official sources. In the worst case, data could be up to 4 hours behind the latest official updates. The map page shows when data was last refreshed and when the next update is scheduled.

How accurate is the data?

BurnBound uses automated scraping with quality checks to keep data as accurate as possible. The map page shows recent ban changes from the last 7 days so you can see how current the data is in real time.

However, automated data collection has inherent limitations — source websites can change their format, go offline temporarily, or update in ways scrapers don't catch immediately. Some jurisdictions may show as "low confidence" on the map when their data source has been unreachable.

Always verify fire restriction status with official sources before making any fire-related decisions. This tool is a convenient starting point, not a definitive authority.

How does BurnBound verify its data?

BurnBound verifies data in three ways: continuous monitoring of each jurisdiction's official source by automated scrapers, cross-validation against state and interagency restriction layers to catch disagreements, and periodic primary-source verification of the rules content against county ordinances and restriction orders.

Even with these checks, no automated system is perfect. Always verify with official sources before lighting a fire.

What do the ban levels mean?

• Stage 1 Fire Ban — Restrictions on open burning, campfires, and certain outdoor activities. Specific rules vary by jurisdiction. Typically bans open fires outside of designated fire grates and prohibits fireworks.
• Stage 2 Fire Ban — More severe restrictions. Usually prohibits all open flames outdoors, including campfires in designated grates, smoking outdoors, and use of charcoal grills. Some jurisdictions restrict chainsaw use and welding.
• Complete Fire Ban — The strictest level, issued during extreme fire danger. All outdoor fire is prohibited, including propane and liquid-fuel fire pits, stoves, and grills.
• Red Flag Warning — A National Weather Service alert indicating weather conditions that create a high wildfire risk (hot, dry, windy). Not a fire ban itself, but often precedes or accompanies fire restrictions.

Some jurisdictions use non-standard level numbering. When this is the case, we display their local terminology alongside our standardized levels. See the complete guide to fire bans for detailed explanations of each level and what activities are restricted.

Why is my whole county highlighted when only part of it has restrictions?

BurnBound monitors fire restrictions at the jurisdiction level — meaning if any part of a jurisdiction has an active restriction, we highlight the entire jurisdiction on the map. This is a limitation of how fire restriction data is published: most agencies announce a single restriction status for their entire jurisdiction, without machine-readable sub-area breakdowns.

In reality, some restrictions may only apply to specific areas within a jurisdiction. For example:

• A county may apply different rules above or below a certain elevation (e.g., above 6,000 feet vs. below)
• A fire district may issue restrictions for high-risk zones only

When you see a highlighted jurisdiction, it means restrictions exist somewhere within it — not necessarily everywhere. Click the jurisdiction on the map and use the official source links to check the exact scope of any active restriction.

Does BurnBound cover individual cities and towns?

BurnBound tracks fire restrictions at the county, fire protection district, federal land (national forest, BLM, national park), state park, tribal, and state level — not at the individual city or town level. We do this deliberately, to keep coverage consistent and verifiable statewide.

A town typically follows the fire restrictions of the county it sits in, which BurnBound shows on the map — so if you're in a town or city, your county's status is usually the right starting point (someone in Vail or Avon would read Eagle County's restriction). Click your location on the map and the popup lists every jurisdiction we track there.

But municipalities have their own authority and can issue their own fire restrictions, which may differ from the county's. BurnBound does not separately track municipal ordinances, so if your town has posted its own rule, follow it and the town's official notice. When in doubt, verify with the official source linked in the map popup — that source, not BurnBound, is the authority.

Does my fire district follow the county's fire ban?

Most of Colorado's 244 fire protection districts voluntarily follow their host county's fire ban level, even though each district has independent legal authority to issue its own restrictions under IFC 307.1.1 and C.R.S. Title 32. Where BurnBound has identified a district as following its county, we apply the county's ban to it on the map. This identification is best-effort and ongoing — we have not yet verified every district, and our classification can lag behind reality.

A documented exception is Park County, where the fire districts inside the county set restrictions independently of the county sheriff. When BurnBound's scraper detects a Park County district's own published status, we show that status. When a district does not publish independently, we fall back to the county.

If you are not sure which authority's ban applies to your location, click the spot on the map. The popup identifies every jurisdiction covering that point and links to each one's official page. Always verify with the linked official source before making fire-related decisions — we try to surface the right page for every jurisdiction, but the official source, not BurnBound, is the authority on what is allowed.

Can I use this for trip planning?

BurnBound is a useful general reference for understanding which areas currently have fire restrictions. It can help you plan ahead and know what to expect.

However, restrictions can change rapidly — especially during fire season. Always verify with local authorities (ranger stations, county sheriff offices, fire districts) before your trip, especially if you plan to have campfires or use any open flame. Our fire ban guide has detailed tips for safe trip planning.

How do I report an error?

If you see incorrect data, a broken link, or any other issue, you can report it in several ways:

• Report Issue button — Available on every jurisdiction popup and ban card on the map. Click it to submit a targeted report.
• Contact form — Use our contact page to send a detailed message. Select "Data Correction" as the reason.
• Feedback button — Available on every page (in the yellow banner at the top). Click "Send Feedback" and describe the issue.
• Email — Contact us at contact@burnbound.io

Your feedback directly improves accuracy for everyone. BurnBound investigates every report.

How do I check fire bans for a specific county?

Open the BurnBound map and either click directly on the area you are interested in, or use the search bar at the top of the map to search by county name, town, or coordinates. Clicking a location shows all overlapping jurisdictions at that point — you may see a county, a fire district, and a national forest all covering the same area, each with their own restriction level.

Each jurisdiction popup includes links to the official source page where you can verify the current status.

Where can I see the full fire restriction rules for my county?

Every Colorado county has a dedicated page on BurnBound with its full per-stage rules — what each stage prohibits and still allows in that county specifically. Browse the Colorado county pages and pick your county.

The rules on these pages are verified against the county's own ordinances and restriction orders and cite their source, so you can read the underlying document yourself.

Can I have a propane fire pit during a fire ban?

It depends on the ban level and the specific jurisdiction. Under most Stage 1 bans, propane fire pits with on/off valves are still allowed. Under Stage 2 bans, most jurisdictions prohibit recreational propane fire pits — though propane cooking stoves are usually still permitted.

Rules vary by jurisdiction, so always check the specific restriction order for your location. BurnBound's map includes a Wood/Propane toggle in the filter panel that shows propane fire pit rules per jurisdiction. See the fire ban guide for more on the distinction between propane fire pits and cooking stoves.

What's the difference between a fire ban and an area closure?

A fire ban restricts what you can do with fire. Stage 1 and Stage 2 prohibit certain activities, and a Complete Fire Ban prohibits all outdoor fire of any kind, including propane — but you can still enter and camp unless a separate closure applies. A physical area closure restricts where you can go — the land is closed to public entry. That is a separate action posted by the managing agency; BurnBound tracks the fire ban, not the closure.

Some areas may also have localized closures (a specific trailhead or campground) without a jurisdiction-wide fire ban. These are posted on the managing agency's alerts page. See the guide for more details.

Do fire bans apply on national forest land?

It depends on the specific county's order — there is no single blanket rule. Federal agencies — the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), BLM, and the National Park Service — each issue their own fire orders that govern on their land, and where a federal order is in effect it is what federal officers enforce. So on federal land, always check the managing agency.

But whether the county's ban also reaches federal land within the county depends on how that county's order is written:

• Some county orders expressly extend to federal land — their text applies to "public, private, state and federal lands" (Park, Douglas, Chaffee, and Larimer counties are examples). The county restriction reaches federal ground too.
• Some expressly defer to the agency — the order applies only to private and county land and states it does not affect federal land (Routt, Gunnison).
• Many are silent — scoped to "unincorporated [County]" with no mention of federal land. Because federal land is unincorporated, a county restriction may apply there — verify with the sheriff or the managing agency.

BurnBound shows this per county on each county page. Separately, the Pike-San Isabel National Forests (PSICC) adopt county fire bans on their own USFS land. Read more in the guide's section on federal vs. local authority.

What is a Red Flag Warning?

A Red Flag Warning is a National Weather Service (NWS) alert indicating critical fire weather conditions — typically a combination of low humidity, high winds, and dry fuels. It is not a fire ban, but Red Flag Warnings often accompany or precede fire ban announcements from local jurisdictions.

BurnBound displays both NWS fire weather alerts and jurisdiction-issued fire bans on the map so you can see the complete picture. Learn more about watches vs. warnings in the fire ban guide.

Is a fire danger rating the same as a fire ban?

No. A fire danger rating — like "Extreme" or a color-coded 1-to-5 scale you may see on a county or agency map — is a risk assessment of how easily fires could start and spread. It is not a restriction and does not by itself prohibit any activity.

A fire ban (or fire restriction) is a legal order from a jurisdiction that actually prohibits specific activities. BurnBound shows the bans and restrictions in effect — not danger ratings — so an area can show high fire danger on another map while BurnBound correctly shows no ban, simply because no restriction has been ordered there yet.

How many jurisdictions does BurnBound track?

BurnBound currently monitors over 490 jurisdictions across Colorado, including 64 counties, 244 fire protection districts, 12 national forests (54 ranger districts), 10 BLM field offices, 12 national parks and monuments, 42 state parks, and 55 NWS fire weather zones.

Our goal is nationwide coverage, starting with the western states. Visit the about page for more on our coverage and expansion plans.