Welcome to the first edition of The Flue Report, our new roundup of chimney and fireplace news for the Colorado homes we serve. Every two weeks we gather what changed, in the law, in the codes and on the wire, and translate it into plain English so you know what actually applies to your home. No fluff, just the things that matter, with sources you can check yourself.
This first edition covers a big one: the state's new wildfire insurance law went live on July 1. Plus the summer burn rules in effect on the Front Range right now, the standards that govern every wood stove sold in Colorado, a tax credit that pays you back for mitigation work, and a reminder from the wire about what creosote does when nobody is looking.
Colorado's wildfire insurance law is now in effect
House Bill 25-1182 took effect on July 1, 2026. It is the biggest change to wildfire insurance in Colorado in decades, and it touches almost every homeowner in our service area, from Denver and Aurora out to the foothills and mountain towns.
The short version: insurers that use wildfire risk models to price your policy now have to show their work. They must tell you your wildfire risk score, explain how it was produced, and account for the mitigation work you have done on your property. If their model does not credit mitigation, they must offer discounts to homeowners who can demonstrate it.
Insurers must adhere to specific requirements to share information with the commissioner of insurance and the public, include specific activities in the models, and provide notices to policyholders.
Official bill summary, HB25-1182, Colorado General Assembly
What the law gives you, starting this month:
- An annual written notice showing your wildfire risk score and how to appeal it.
- Discounts when you can demonstrate risk-reduction work on your property.
- Public information about which mitigation actions earn premium savings.
- Model data filed with the Colorado Division of Insurance instead of a black box.
What it means in practice: documentation is now money. The same photos and reports that prove your chimney is sound are evidence for your insurance file. A documented chimney inspection that shows a proper cap and spark arrestor, clean clearances and a sound crown is exactly the kind of paper trail the new law was written to reward.
Ozone Action Days are live on the Front Range right now
As we publish this, the state has an Ozone Action Day alert in effect for the Front Range urban corridor, from Douglas County north through Larimer and Weld, including Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins and Greeley. It was issued July 5 and runs through at least 4 pm on July 6, and with the hot, still weather this month there will be more.
Action Days are not only about driving less. While an alert is active, open burning is prohibited and indoor burning is limited to approved devices. That includes the backyard fire pit, so check before you light one for the neighbors this summer.
- Check the state air quality advisory page before any burn, indoors or out.
- No open burning while an Action Day alert is active.
- Indoor burning during alerts is limited to state-approved devices.
The rules behind every wood stove sold in Colorado
If you are shopping for a stove or insert this summer, remember that Colorado's Regulation 4 sets a hard floor: only devices meeting federal emission standards may be sold or installed in the state, a rule fully in force since May 2020.
No person shall advertise to sell, offer to sell, sell, or install a new wood-burning stove in Colorado unless it meets the emission standards set forth in 40 CFR Part 60.
Colorado Air Quality Control Commission, Regulation Number 4
The winter rules never really go away either. From November through March, high pollution Action Days restrict indoor burning below 7,000 feet across Denver, Boulder, Broomfield, Douglas and Jefferson counties and the western parts of Adams and Arapahoe. EPA-certified stoves, pellet stoves and approved masonry heaters are exempt, along with homes above 7,000 feet and households holding a primary-heat exemption letter. Boulder County keeps a clear summary, and Larimer County refreshed its fireplace and wood stove requirements in January 2026.
Running a pre-certification stove? An upgrade is not just cleaner air, it is an easier insurance file and a better burn. We install and service gas inserts and certified wood units across the Front Range, and our guide to Colorado chimney laws and regulations covers the full picture.
The state will help pay for mitigation
Colorado also runs a wildfire mitigation measures tax credit that returns part of what you spend on documented mitigation work. Pair it with the new insurance law and the math gets friendly: the same receipts that earn the tax credit are the evidence that earns premium discounts under HB25-1182. Keep every invoice, and keep the photos.
From the wire: three chimney fires in two weeks
A volunteer fire company in Hunterdon County, New Jersey responded to three chimney fires in two weeks earlier this year, and their message afterward was the one every fire department repeats: sweep every year, burn dry seasoned wood, never leave a fire unattended.
Colorado physics is no different. Creosote builds in stages, and the shiny stage-three glaze is concentrated fuel sitting inches from your framing. It does not care that it is July; it just waits for October. Summer is the easy season to get a professional sweep on the calendar, and the Chimney Safety Institute of America is blunt about how preventable these fires are.
What we would do before the next edition
- Book your inspection now. Mid-summer has the fastest scheduling of the year, and a FREE inspection starts your insurance paper trail.
- Photograph your cap, crown and spark arrestor and drop the photos in your insurance folder. Under HB25-1182 that file has real value now.
- Check the advisory page before any backyard fire while ozone season runs.
- Verify the EPA certification label on any stove or insert before you hand over money.
Questions about how any of this applies to your home? Schedule a service or call (720) 207-9232 and you will get a straight answer from the crew that does the work.
The Flue Report is published every two weeks by Adam Chimney Sweep, serving Denver and the Colorado Front Range. Edition 2 lands the week of July 20.
