In the aftermath of the December 30, 2021 Marshall Fire — the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history, which killed two people and destroyed 1,084 residences along with seven businesses in Boulder County — Colorado legislators advanced a funding proposal designed to help homeowners build, rebuild, and retrofit homes to withstand wildfire.

The Proposal: HB23-1273

House Bill 23-1273, "Concerning the Creation of the Wildfire Resilient Homes Grant Program," was introduced in the Colorado General Assembly on March 30, 2023. The bill was sponsored by Reps. Lisa Cutter and Tammy Story in the House and Sens. Lisa Cutter and Chris Hansen in the Senate (sponsorship varied across versions).

The proposal established a dedicated grant program administered by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) within the Department of Public Safety. The program was designed to provide financial assistance to homeowners in wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas to:

Harden existing homes against wildfire (replacing roofs, vents, siding with ignition-resistant materials)
Create and maintain defensible space around structures
Fund community-level wildfire mitigation planning
Support education and outreach on wildfire-resilient construction standards

For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the bill appropriated $100,000 from the Wildfire Resilient Homes Grant Program Cash Fund to the Division of Fire Prevention and Control to launch the program. The measure also expanded the existing Wildfire Mitigation Resources and Best Practices Grant Program so that recipients could spend grant money on education and resources explaining how homes in high-risk wildfire areas can be built, rebuilt, or improved to become more resilient.

Legislative Path

After introduction on March 30, 2023, the bill moved through committee with strong bipartisan interest:

April 13, 2023 — House Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee hearing
May 2, 2023 — House Appropriations Committee hearing
May 3, 2023 — House Third Reading passed
May 5, 2023 — Senate Appropriations Committee hearing
May 6, 2023 — Senate Third Reading passed
May 12, 2023 — Signed by Governor Jared Polis
August 7, 2023 — Effective date (90 days after sine die, no safety clause)

Why It Mattered After Marshall

The Marshall Fire ignited on December 30, 2021, driven by hurricane-force downslope winds across dry grasslands. Within hours it tore through the Boulder County communities of Louisville and Superior, destroying entire subdivisions that were not traditionally considered "forested" wildfire territory. The disaster forced Colorado to reckon with the fact that wildfire risk extends far beyond mountain foothills into suburban neighborhoods built on prairie.

Before HB23-1273, homeowners seeking to harden properties largely had to self-fund upgrades, and federal programs offered limited help to Colorado because the state lacked a uniform statewide wildfire building code. (That code gap separately cost Colorado an estimated $101 million in FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants between fiscal years 2020 and 2022.)

A companion measure, House Bill 23-1096 (introduced January 23, 2023), sought to establish binding wildfire-resilient construction standards. It was postponed indefinitely on February 27, 2023, but a broader statewide wildfire building-code bill was later signed in May 2023, creating a 21-member board tasked with developing standards for new construction and substantial remodels in high-risk areas.

What the Grant Program Funds

Once operational, the Wildfire Resilient Homes Grant Program provides cost-share dollars to homeowners and HOAs for projects such as:

Class A fire-rated roofing replacement
Ember-resistant vents and soffits
Non-combustible siding and decking
Removal of vegetation within the Home Ignition Zone (0–5 feet, 5–30 feet, 30–100 feet)
Defensible space maintenance
Community Wildfire Protection Plan development

Funding is competitive and administered through DFPC with priority given to homes in designated high-risk WUI areas.

Ongoing Debate

Funding for Colorado's wildfire resilience work remains politically contested. In April 2026, Colorado lawmakers rejected House Bill 1310 — the Wildfire Resiliency Grant Money bill — which would have shifted a portion of existing wildfire appropriations toward home-hardening and defensible space grants. Advocates argue that the 2023 grant program, while a meaningful first step, remains underfunded relative to the scale of Colorado's WUI risk: more than half of Coloradans live in or near wildfire-prone areas.

How to Apply

Homeowners interested in wildfire resilience grants should contact:

Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) — program administrator
Local county wildfire councils (e.g., Grand County Wildfire Council) — technical assistance and local pass-through grants
Colorado State Forest Service — Forest Ag and defensible space resources

Program guidelines, eligibility criteria, and application windows are posted on the DFPC website as funding cycles open.

Colorado Wildfire Resilient Homes Funding Proposal: Post-Marshall Fire Grant Program Advances