Fireplace and chimney service in Boulder County

Boulder County has about 145,000 homes, and the Census Bureau's 2024 survey puts the median one at 1986. The age varies a lot by town. Boulder and the historic cores of Longmont and Louisville have prewar houses with brick chimneys, while much of Longmont, Louisville, Superior, Erie and Lafayette was built after 1990 with factory-built fireplaces and metal chimneys in framed chases. Gas heats about 69 percent of homes in the county, and only about 1 percent heat with wood.

The weather is harder on chimneys here than in Denver. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals give Boulder 92.8 inches of snow a year, almost twice the 49 inches at Denver-Stapleton, and about 125 freeze-thaw days. Snow sitting against a chimney and melting into the crown and flashing is a common source of the leaks we find. Boulder County is also inside the state's winter no-burn area for homes below 7,000 feet.

Installing a fireplace or stove in Boulder County

Boulder County's summary of the state rules puts it simply: any fireplace installed in a home must be gas, electric, a certified wood stove or insert, or an approved pellet stove or insert. Since May 15, 2020, every new wood stove sold or installed in Colorado must meet the EPA's 2015 Step 2 standard, and a used uncertified stove can't be sold anywhere in the seven-county metro. In practice, most people replacing an old open fireplace choose a gas insert, typically $2,000 to $8,000, or an EPA wood insert with liner, typically $3,000 to $7,000.

Colorado also requires a carbon monoxide alarm within 15 feet of every bedroom after permitted work such as replacing a gas appliance, and when a home with a fireplace or gas appliance is sold.

Rebuilt homes after the Marshall Fire

The Marshall Fire of December 30, 2021 destroyed 550 homes in Louisville alone, along with homes in Superior and unincorporated Boulder County. The City of Louisville reported in August 2026 that 532 of its 550 have been rebuilt or have started. Those new homes mostly have new gas fireplaces, which need a yearly service and a correct high-altitude setup like any other.