FEMA disaster declarations in Colorado
Federal major disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Colorado since 1 Jan 2024, the counties and areas each one designates, and the requests FEMA turned down.
Updated FEMA data refreshed · read from OpenFEMA
Is Colorado a federal disaster area?
The most recent federal declaration for Colorado is DR-4944-CO, a major disaster declaration made on 1 Sep 2026 for Wildfires, Flooding, and Mudslides that began 27 Jun 2026, covering 4 designated areas.
FEMA has made 4 disaster declarations in Colorado so far in 2026 (1 major disaster, 3 fire management). Over the last 12 months, the median major disaster declaration came 66 days after the incident began and 9 days after the request (1 declaration). 2 requests were turned down in 2026.
Counties and areas designated in the last 12 months
5 areas named in at least one declaration since 19 Oct 2025, each with the newest declaration that names it. A designation applies to that declaration's incident period and programs only; FEMA's page for the declaration says what help is available.
| Custer County | DR-4944-CO · Major disaster · Wildfires, Flooding, and Mudslides | 1 Sep 2026 | 2 |
| Dolores County | DR-4944-CO · Major disaster · Wildfires, Flooding, and Mudslides | 1 Sep 2026 | 1 |
| Lake County | FM-5644-CO · Fire management · Willow Fire | 5 Jul 2026 | 1 |
| Ouray County | DR-4944-CO · Major disaster · Wildfires, Flooding, and Mudslides | 1 Sep 2026 | 2 |
| Pueblo County | DR-4944-CO · Major disaster · Wildfires, Flooding, and Mudslides | 1 Sep 2026 | 2 |
All declarations since 1 Jan 2024
10 declarations, newest first. Select a column heading to sort.
| 1 Sep 2026 | DR-4944-CO | Major disaster | Fire Wildfires, Flooding, and Mudslides |
27 Jun 2026 | 66 | 9 | PA | No | — | Custer County, Dolores County, Ouray County, Pueblo County |
| 5 Jul 2026 | FM-5644-CO | Fire management | Fire Willow Fire |
5 Jul 2026 | 0 | 0 | PA | No | — | Lake County |
| 30 Jun 2026 | FM-5643-CO | Fire management | Fire Gold Mountain Fire |
30 Jun 2026 | 0 | 0 | PA | No | — | Ouray County |
| 29 Jun 2026 | FM-5642-CO | Fire management | Fire Aspen Acres Fire |
29 Jun 2026 | 0 | 0 | PA | No | — | Custer County, Pueblo County |
| 11 Aug 2025 | FM-5606-CO | Fire management | Fire Oak Fire |
10 Aug 2025 | 1 | 0 | PA | No | — | Archuleta County |
| 6 Aug 2025 | FM-5604-CO | Fire management | Fire Elk Fire |
2 Aug 2025 | 4 | 0 | PA | No | — | Rio Blanco County |
| 6 Aug 2025 | FM-5603-CO | Fire management | Fire Lee Fire |
2 Aug 2025 | 4 | 0 | PA | No | — | Rio Blanco County |
| 1 Aug 2024 | FM-5526-CO | Fire management | Fire Quarry Fire |
1 Aug 2024 | 0 | 0 | PA, HM | No | — | Jefferson County |
| 31 Jul 2024 | FM-5525-CO | Fire management | Fire Stone Mountain Fire |
30 Jul 2024 | 1 | 0 | PA, HM | No | — | Boulder County, Larimer County |
| 31 Jul 2024 | FM-5524-CO | Fire management | Fire Alexander Mountain Fire |
31 Jul 2024 | 0 | 0 | PA, HM | No | — | Larimer County |
Requests FEMA turned down
Requests from Colorado for a major disaster or emergency declaration that were not approved, newest decision first. Requests still under review are not published.
| 10 Apr 2026 | Major Disaster | R8 Colorado Floods and Storms Oct. 2025 Severe Storm |
10 Oct 2025 | 12 Nov 2025 | 149 | Turned down |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Major Disaster | R8 Colorado Fires, Flood, Mudslide, August 2025 Fire |
2 Aug 2025 | 26 Sep 2025 | 196 | Turned down |
How to read these tables
- Major disaster (DR) and emergency (EM) declarations are made by the President; fire management (FM) declarations are approved by FEMA.
- Days to declaration counts from the first day of the incident period FEMA recorded to the declaration date. Days from request counts from the date of the governor's or tribal leader's request. Both are calculated here from FEMA's dates.
- Designated areas are the counties, parishes, boroughs, tribal areas and other places FEMA lists for the declaration, including any added later. A designation may cover only some of the programs.
- Programs: IH = Individuals and Households Program, IA = Individual Assistance, PA = Public Assistance, HM = Hazard Mitigation — included in at least one designated area.
- Individual assistance is Yes when the declaration opens the Individuals and Households Program (help people register for) in at least one designated area.
- Apply by (estimate) is FEMA's standard registration period for individual assistance after a major disaster: 60 days from the declaration date (44 CFR 206.112), calculated here. It is an estimate: FEMA often extends deadlines, and DisasterAssistance.gov has the official date. Emergency and fire management declarations have no date here. Open deadlines, soonest first.
- Pending requests are not published in OpenFEMA. Only declarations that were made and requests that were turned down appear, so a request still under review is on neither list.
Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), OpenFEMA Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2 and Declaration Denials - v1, retrieved 19 Oct 2026, 17:28 UTC from https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries and https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/DeclarationDenials. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Questions
Is there a FEMA disaster declaration for Colorado in 2026?
Yes. FEMA has made 4 disaster declarations for Colorado so far in 2026. The most recent federal declaration for Colorado is DR-4944-CO, a major disaster declaration made on 1 Sep 2026 for Wildfires, Flooding, and Mudslides that began 27 Jun 2026, covering 4 designated areas.
Which Colorado counties are federal disaster areas?
5 areas in Colorado were named in a FEMA declaration in the last 12 months, including Custer County, Dolores County, Lake County, Ouray County, Pueblo County. The full list is on this page, each with the declaration that names it. A designation covers that declaration's incident period and programs only.
Has FEMA turned down a disaster request from Colorado?
OpenFEMA lists 2 turned-down requests from Colorado since 1 Jan 2024. The most recent was a major disaster request for R8 Colorado Floods and Storms Oct. 2025, turned down on 10 Apr 2026. Requests still under review are not published.
How long do FEMA declarations take in Colorado?
Across 1 major disaster declaration for Colorado since 1 Jan 2024, the median time from the start of the incident to the declaration was 66 days.
What is the deadline to apply for FEMA assistance in Colorado?
No major disaster declaration for Colorado with individual assistance has an estimated deadline still open. For individual assistance after a major disaster, FEMA's standard registration period is 60 days from the date the President declares the disaster (44 CFR 206.112). FEMA often extends it, and the extension is announced for that disaster only. The "apply by" dates on this site are that standard 60 days counted from the declaration date, so they are estimates; the official deadline for each disaster is on DisasterAssistance.gov and on the disaster's page at fema.gov. You can apply at DisasterAssistance.gov, in the FEMA app, or by calling 800-621-3362.
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