Mesa County Fire Restrictions: Stages, Zones, and Penalties

Mesa County fire restrictions are issued by the Mesa County Sheriff and come in two escalating stages that progressively cut off ignition sources as wildfire danger rises.¹ Stage 1 limits open flames and smoking; Stage 2 nearly eliminates them. Knowing which stage is active, and what it actually prohibits, is the difference between a legal campfire and a criminal charge that can reach felony level.

What Stage 1 Prohibits

Stage 1 is the first response when drought and low humidity push fire danger above normal. Open fires and campfires are banned unless they sit inside a permanently constructed fire grate in a developed park, picnic area, or campground.¹ A ring of rocks you built yourself does not count. Charcoal grills and coal fires are also prohibited in undeveloped areas.

At private residences, chimineas and tiki torches are still allowed under Stage 1, provided a responsible adult is supervising. Open campfires at a residence that aren’t inside a permanent fire grate are not allowed.¹

Smoking is restricted to enclosed vehicles, buildings, or developed recreation sites. Outdoors anywhere else, you have to stop in an area at least six feet across cleared of anything that can burn.¹ Tossing a cigarette out a car window is a separate criminal offense under Colorado law.

Explosive targets and personal fireworks are banned as soon as Stage 1 takes effect.²

What Changes Under Stage 2

Stage 2 strips out nearly every exception Stage 1 left in place. All campfires, wood-burning stoves, charcoal grills, fire pits, chimineas, and tiki torches are prohibited everywhere, including developed campgrounds, picnic areas, and private residences.¹ The only outdoor cooking or heating option left is a gas or liquid-fuel device with a working shut-off valve, kept at least three feet from flammable material.³ Gas-fueled fire pits are permitted so long as the flame shuts off at a valve rather than having to be put out by hand.

Tracer ammunition, explosive targets, explosives, fuses, blasting caps, and rockets are all banned.³ Chainsaws and other internal combustion engines require a properly installed and maintained spark arrestor.¹

Welding and open-flame torches are not outright banned at the county level under Stage 2, but you can only use them in an area cleared of vegetation for at least 10 feet in every direction, and only with a pressurized chemical fire extinguisher on hand.³

Agricultural open burning is prohibited under both stages unless you hold a burn permit from the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.⁴ Residential yard-waste burning is also suspended during any active restriction stage.

Where the County Rules Apply

The Sheriff’s orders cover unincorporated Mesa County. Grand Junction, Fruita, and Palisade maintain their own fire codes; they often adopt matching restrictions but the timing and specifics can differ. Federal land follows a separate set of orders entirely. BLM’s Grand Junction and Colorado River Valley field offices issue their own restrictions, which may be in effect when the county’s are not, and vice versa. On BLM land, Stage 2 bans welding and open-flame torches outright, with no cleared-area exception. You can cross from county land onto BLM land with no visible marker, so checking the specific land manager before lighting anything is the safest approach. BLM violations carry a fine of up to $1,000, up to 12 months of imprisonment, or both.⁵

Penalties for Violating a Fire Restriction

Colorado law builds a penalty ladder that escalates sharply once a fire ban is in place. People consistently underestimate how high it reaches.

Petty Offense When No Ban Is Active

Setting fire to someone else’s land through negligence or recklessness, with no fire ban in effect, is a petty offense. The fine runs from $250 to $1,000 and the court cannot waive it.⁶ A petty offense can also carry up to 10 days in county jail.⁷

Class 2 Misdemeanor on State Lands

Starting or maintaining a fire on state-managed lands in violation of an active restriction is a class 2 misdemeanor. The $250 to $1,000 fine is mandatory and cannot be suspended, and sentencing can add up to 120 days in jail.⁸⁹

Class 6 Felony for Knowingly Violating a Ban

This is the one that catches people off guard. If you knowingly set a fire and know, or reasonably should know, that a government-issued fire ban is in effect, the charge becomes a class 6 felony.⁶ A class 6 felony carries one to 18 months in state prison and a fine between $1,000 and $100,000.¹⁰ “I didn’t know about the ban” is a weak defense when restrictions are publicly posted and widely announced.

Intentionally setting fire to someone else’s land in a way that endangers people or buildings is a separate class 3 felony, carrying four to 12 years in prison.¹¹

On top of the criminal penalty, a court may order you to reimburse the state for the cost of suppressing any wildfire your actions caused.⁸ Federal suppression costs routinely run into thousands of dollars per acre, so a campfire that gets away can produce a restitution bill that dwarfs any fine.

How to Check What’s in Effect Right Now

Restriction stages can change on short notice. The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office posts the current level and maintains an interactive fire restriction map on its website.¹ The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management tracks fire bans across every county at coemergency.com. For BLM land near Grand Junction, the Upper Colorado River Interagency Dispatch Center can be reached at 970-257-4800, and the BLM maintains a Colorado fire restrictions dashboard online.⁵ A dry spell can take the county from no restrictions to Stage 2 in a single week. Two minutes before a trip is worth it.

1
Mesa County. Fire Restrictions from Emergency Services
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Mesa County. Fire Restriction Questions for the MCSOFire Restrictions from Emergency Services
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City of Grand Junction Colorado. Mesa County to Enter Stage 2 Fire Restrictions Effective Friday, August 15, 2025 at 12:01 a.m.
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Mesa County. Wildland Fire Team
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Bureau of Land Management. Upper Colorado River District Fire Restrictions
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Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 18-13-109 – Firing Woods or Prairie
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Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 18-1.3-503 – Petty Offenses
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Justia. Colorado Code 33-15-106 – Fires
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Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 18-1.3-501 – Misdemeanor Penalties
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Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 18-1.3-401 – Felony Penalties
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Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 18-13-109.5 – Intentionally Setting a Wildfire