Garfield County Emergency Management
June 23, 2025, 4:26 p.m. – Garfield County has passed an ordinance prohibiting the use, sale, and possession of fireworks in unincorporated areas. Garfield County Emergency Manager Chris Bornholdt told the Board of County Commissioners that local conditions and future predictions indicate an extreme fire danger in the area.
The ordinance notes that sagebrush fuel moisture “is at or below 100 percent, a near record low.
Measurements taken in the county indicate Pinyon pine and juniper fuel moisture is 72 percent (significantly below normal moisture content percentages). Fuel moisture percentages are expected to further decrease in the next two weeks, creating high fire danger.”
Flammable shrubs will “burn aggressively” if live moisture content is between 100 and less than 80 percent, according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG).
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is projecting no significant rain the 14 days following June 23, 2025. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is anticipating above average temperatures from now through August in the region, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s drought monitor classifies the majority of Garfield County in “severe drought.”
The board assessed the evidence and found that high fire danger exists, supporting the fireworks prohibition. A state law exempts firework prohibitions between the dates of May 31 through July 5, unless counties show “competent evidence of high fire danger.”
Anyone using fireworks in violation of the ordinance is subject to a fine of up to $1,000 for each separate violation.
The ordinance covers unincorporated Garfield County; municipalities make their own rules regarding whether fireworks are prohibited. On federal lands, including Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service lands, the use of fireworks, flares, or other incendiary devices, including exploding targets, is always prohibited.
The board unanimously approved the ordinance, 3-0, which is in effect immediately and remains so for one year.