HB 25-1009
Fiscal Note
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
HB 25-1009: VEGETATIVE FUEL MITIGATION
Prime Sponsors:
Rep. Mauro; Joseph
Sen. Cutter
Published for: Senate Ag. & Natural Resources
Drafting number: LLS 25-0269
Fiscal Analyst:
Colin Gaiser, 303-866-2677
colin.gaiser@coleg.gov
Version: First Revised Note
Date: February 27, 2025
Fiscal note status: The fiscal note reflects the reengrossed bill.
Summary Information
Overview. The bill allows a fire protection district and certain metropolitan districts to establish a
program requiring the removal of vegetative fuel on private property.
Types of impacts. The bill is projected to affect the following areas on an ongoing basis:
Local Government
Appropriations. No appropriation is required.
Table 1
State Fiscal Impacts
Type of Impact
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
State Revenue $0 $0
State Expenditures $0 $0
Transferred Funds $0 $0
Change in TABOR Refunds $0 $0
Change in State FTE 0.0 FTE 0.0 FTE
Page 2
February 27, 2025 HB 25-1009
Summary of Legislation
The bill allows a fire protection district or a metropolitan district that provides fire prevention
services to establish a program requiring the removal of dead or dry plant material from private
property that can burn and contribute to a fire, including leaves, grass, shrubs, ground litter,
dead leaves, and fallen pine needles. The program must adopt policies consistent with the 2024
International Wildland-Urban Interface Code or a subsequent code, or the standards and codes
adopted by the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code Board.
A district may assess a fine for owners and occupiers of private property that fail to remove
vegetative fuel from the property at least ten days after a second written notice. The fine must
be approximately equal to the cost of removing the vegetative fuel, must not exceed $300 per
incident, and is waived if the vegetative fuel is removed within 10 days of a fine assessment.
Districts must use fine revenue only to remove vegetative fuel on private property, and must
prioritize use of the money to assist with vegetative-fuel removal for low-income, single, senior,
or disabled owners and occupiers. A district cannot assess a lien on any private property until
there are five or more unpaid fines for violations concerning the property.
The bill also requires districts to establish a process for owners and occupiers of private property
to protest a fine, and requires districts to adopt rules and policies for a vegetative fuel mitigation
program only after public notice and comment.
Local Government
For local governments and fire protection districts that choose to implement a vegetative fuel
mitigation program, the bill increases workload and expenditures to adopt required rules and
polices, fulfill public notice requirements, issue notices, enforce fines for noncompliance, and
provide assistance in removing vegetative fuel for certain owners and occupiers of private
property. While any fines for noncompliance may increase revenue to local governments, the bill
requires this revenue to go toward vegetative-fuel removal.
Effective Date
The bill takes effect 90 days following adjournment of the General Assembly sine die, assuming
no referendum petition is filed.
State and Local Government Contacts
Counties
Fire Chiefs
Local Affairs
Municipalities
Special District Association
The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each
fiscal year. For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit the General Assembly website.