Colorado’s wildfire risk score law: your right to see — and appeal — your insurance score
If a Colorado insurer uses a wildfire risk model to rate your home, HB 25-1182 says you get to know your score, the range you could fall in, and exactly how mitigation changes it — and you can appeal, with a decision in 30 days. Here’s how to use those rights.
What HB 25-1182 requires
For years, homeowners were quoted, surcharged, or non-renewed based on a wildfire “risk score” they could never see or question. Colorado’s HB 25-1182 changes that. Any insurer that uses a wildfire risk model, catastrophe model, or scoring method to assign risk to a property must now be transparent about it — and must give you a way to push back.
In short: your score can no longer be a black box, and it can no longer ignore the work you’ve done to make your home safer.
Your rights as a Colorado policyholder
A written notice with your score
When you apply, renew, or are non-renewed, an insurer that uses a wildfire risk model, catastrophe model, or scoring method must give you a written notice explaining your property’s wildfire risk score or classification.
The range of possible scores
The notice must show the range of scores your property could be assigned — so you can see where you fall and how much room there is to improve.
The impact of each mitigation action
The insurer must explain the impact each mitigation action could have on your score or classification — turning “your score is high” into a concrete to-do list.
The right to appeal
You can appeal your score or classification. The insurer must respond with a reconsideration and a decision within 30 days.
Credit for parcel and community mitigation
Insurers must consider both parcel-level work (your defensible space and home hardening) and community-wide efforts (like a Firewise USA® site or a community wildfire protection plan) when calculating your risk score.
Start here
See your parcel’s wildfire risk — from the same federal data the models use
Before you read your insurer’s notice, get your own independent, parcel-level picture. FireRisk scores your address 0–100 from USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities, FEMA’s National Risk Index, USGS terrain, and recorded fire history — and shows the factors driving the number and what lowers it. It’s a free reference point for understanding (and appealing) your insurer’s score.
How to appeal your wildfire risk score
The law gives you the right and the 30-day clock. A documented appeal is what wins reconsideration.
Get your score and the reason in writing
Request the written notice the law entitles you to: your score/classification, the possible range, and the mitigation factors. Ask which specific characteristics drove your score.
Pull your independent risk picture
Run your address on FireRisk for a parcel-level read from federal data — USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities, FEMA National Risk Index, USGS terrain, and recorded fire history — plus the factors moving your number. It’s an independent reference point for the conversation.
Document your parcel mitigation
Gather dated photos, contractor invoices, and inspection records for defensible space (Zones 0–2) and home hardening (roof, vents, eaves, deck, glazing). Tie each to the standard it meets.
Add community-wide mitigation
If your neighborhood is a recognized Firewise USA® site, or your county has a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), include it — the law requires insurers to weigh community efforts too.
Submit a written appeal and start the clock
Send a clear written appeal asking for reconsideration of the specific score factors, with your evidence attached. The insurer must respond with a decision within 30 days.
Escalate if needed
If you disagree with the outcome, you can raise it with the Colorado Division of Insurance, which oversees these requirements and handles consumer complaints at no cost.
Build your appeal — free, step by step
Our Wildfire Score Appeal Kit walks you through it: capture your insurer’s score, document parcel and community mitigation, generate a formal reconsideration letter that cites HB 25-1182, and track the 30-day decision clock.
The mitigation that moves your score
HB 25-1182 requires insurers to explain how each mitigation action affects your score — and to credit both your parcel work and your community’s. The highest-impact, best-documented moves are a Class-A fire-rated roof, ember-resistant (1/16") vents, an ember-resistant 0–5 ft Zone 0, and maintained defensible space in Zones 1–2. Build a prioritized plan, do the work, document it, then bring it to your appeal.
Official sources
Colorado wildfire risk score law FAQ
What is Colorado HB 25-1182?
HB 25-1182 is a Colorado law requiring insurers that use wildfire risk models, catastrophe models, or a scoring method to tell policyholders their property’s wildfire risk score, the range of possible scores, and the impact each mitigation action could have on that score. It also lets homeowners appeal their score, requires a decision within 30 days, and requires insurers to consider both parcel-level and community-wide mitigation.
Does my insurer have to tell me my wildfire risk score in Colorado?
Yes. If your insurer uses a wildfire risk model, catastrophe model, or scoring method to rate your property, the law requires a written notice — at application, renewal, or non-renewal — explaining your score or classification, the range of possible scores, and how mitigation could change it.
Can I appeal my wildfire risk score in Colorado?
Yes. HB 25-1182 gives policyholders the right to appeal their wildfire risk score or classification. The insurer must respond with a reconsideration and a decision within 30 days. A strong appeal documents your parcel-level mitigation (defensible space and home hardening) and any community-wide efforts, such as a Firewise USA® recognition.
How do I lower my wildfire risk score for insurance?
Risk scores respond to mitigation. The highest-impact, best-documented moves are a Class-A roof, ember-resistant vents, an ember-resistant 0–5 ft zone (Zone 0), and maintained defensible space in Zones 1–2. Under HB 25-1182 your insurer must explain how each action affects your score — and must consider both your parcel work and community-wide mitigation. Keep dated photos and invoices so the work counts.
Does community wildfire mitigation count under HB 25-1182?
Yes. The law specifically requires insurers to consider community-wide fire mitigation efforts — not just what you do on your own parcel. Living in a recognized Firewise USA® site or an area covered by a Community Wildfire Protection Plan is mitigation your insurer must weigh when scoring your property.
Is this legal advice?
No. This is a plain-English overview to help you understand and exercise your rights. For the exact statutory language, effective dates, and how it applies to your policy, see the official bill text and the Colorado Division of Insurance, or consult a licensed professional.
General information only, not legal or insurance advice. This page summarizes Colorado HB 25-1182 in plain language; for exact statutory language, effective dates, and application to your policy, consult the official bill text, the Colorado Division of Insurance, or a licensed professional. FireRisk.ai is an independent risk-information service and is not affiliated with any insurer or with the State of Colorado.