Jefferson County Wildfire Safe Program

How it works

Jefferson County’s Wildfire Commission page says the county established the commission to carry forward recommendations from the Jefferson County Wildfire Risk Reduction Task Force. The work is organized around three main areas: mitigation, community education, and revenue streams. In the revenue streams section, the county says the commissioners earmarked funds for wildfire home protection and will combine them with a state grant to advance the Jefferson County Wildfire Safe program.

What the money covers

The page says the county approved funding to:

• protect people and structures
• reduce fuel for wildfire
• increase SLASH collection and biomass recycling

The broader commission work also includes public education, a county-wide mitigation clearinghouse, and updated wildfire risk reduction policies and standards.

Amounts and matching

The page gives county program funding, not individual homeowner awards. It says:

• $2.7 million in American Rescue Plan dollars was earmarked in 2022 to protect homes from wildfires in Jefferson County
• those funds will be leveraged with a new $2 million state grant from the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program
• combined with other dollars, these funds total $7.5 million for the Jefferson County Wildfire Safe program

No match requirement for homeowners is stated.

How to apply

The page does not describe a homeowner application process, reimbursement process, or list of eligible contractors or projects for individuals.

Timing and deadlines

The page does not state a homeowner application window or deadline. It does note the commission was created in 2021 following 2020 task force recommendations, and that the funding update was discussed in 2022.

Additional context

The page also notes that more than two-thirds of Jefferson County is within a designated Wildfire Hazard Overlay District, and that the county ranks number one in Colorado for the number of homes in high and extreme wildfire risk areas.