Your patio is wildfire mitigation
Black Forest Fire Rescue began full enforcement of the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code on July 1, 2026, and does the local plan review and inspections. Whether it applies to your project depends on the property's location, its mapped fire-intensity class and the scope of work. Where it does, the zone immediately against the house calls for hard, noncombustible surfaces, and El Paso County's written version of the rules lists concrete and stone or concrete pavers. Replacing bark mulch and wood decking along the first five feet of your house with hardscape does double duty: it is the outdoor living space you wanted, and it is the ember-resistant buffer that wildfire guidance asks for.
