Wildlife in the Boulder city limits and along the urban interface sometimes conflict with human activities. This situation creates the need for a comprehensive, long-term plan to guide management of wildlife in Boulder's urban areas. The Boulder community, City Council, Environmental Advisory Board, and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board worked together to develop a Urban Wildlife Management Plan (UWMP) to help address concerns about prairie dogs, bears, mountain lions and other wildlife issues.
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Co-Existing with Urban Wildlife
The purpose of the UWMP is to establish a set of policies and guidelines for managing wildlife within Boulder. The intent of the plan is to integrate urban wildlife management in the Boulder Valley with the existing and emerging plans and policies of the Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) Department.
The UWMP establishes a framework for making urban wildlife management decisions, provides direction on regulatory and program changes, and outlines a set of actions for long-term management of human-wildlife conflicts.
Deterring Bears in Urban Areas
Bears have always been a part of life in Boulder. The city’s urban wildlife conservation project aims to ensure bears and humans can safely co-exist. Through education, awareness and laws, the city is working to limit the food available to bears so they are not drawn to urban areas.
Bear Protection Ordinance
The city's 2017 Bear Protection Ordinance 8161 aims to protect bears by eliminating access to food rewards found in trash and compost bins. The ordinance requires:
Anywhere in the city: Bear-resistant containers are required if trash and compost are put out the night before pickup.
West of Broadway and south of Sumac Avenue: All compost and trash carts, containers, dumpsters or enclosures must be bear-resistant or stored in a building, house, garage, shed or other enclosure until emptied by a trash hauler.
View the below map of the area where bear-resistant containers are mandatory at all times.
Noncompliance Fines
Code enforcement officers will issue fines for noncompliance, including not latching containers, and violators will not receive warnings. Officers may issue tickets in-person or give citations to property owners via email or printed notification. The fines are:
$100 for the first offense
$250 for the second offense
$500 for the third offense.
Please note yard waste such as leaves and branches are not considered bear attractants and can be put out for collection in leaf-litter bags or bundled with string. If compost containers only contain yard waste, they must still be latched. Also, bear-resistant carts and recycling containers can be put out for collection after 8pm the night before pick-up anywhere in the city.
Reducing Urban Bear Attractants
To help protect bears, community members are encouraged to reduce potential bear attractants. This includes:
Using bear-resistant containers in working condition or storing waste in an enclosed space
Harvesting ripe fruit
Securing and protecting backyard livestock such as chickens, goats and bees. These animals are bear attractants and need to be housed in secure structures. Electric fencing* is another way to protect livestock from bears.
Requirements for Bear Resistant Containers, Dumpsters and Enclosures
This rule establishes requirements for Bear Resistant Containers, Dumpsters and Enclosures.
A "Bear Resistant Container" shall be a fully enclosed container that meets the standards of testing and a "passing" rating by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) as bear resistant.
A "Bear Resistant Dumpster" shall be an enclosed structure, made of metal, consisting of five sides and a secure door or cover, which shall have a latcing device of sufficient design and strength to prevent access by bears. A Bear Resistant Dumpster must include a door, chute or other similar access point for use that self-latches and is secure from bears in the closed position.
A "Bear Resistant Enclosure" shall be an enclosed structure, made of metal, wood, stone, brick, concrete or the equivalently sturdy material, consisting of five sides and a secure door or cover, which shall have a latching device of sufficient design and strength to prevent access by bears. A garage or other building that meets the foregoing criteria can be a "Bear Resistant Enclosure."
Get or Fix a Bear Resistant Cart
Get a Cart
Bear-resistant carts are similar to most trash and compost carts currently used in Boulder, but are reinforced with special latches. Carts that meet the bear-resistant criteria have been tested and rated by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.
Examples of Bear-resistant Carts That Meet the Ordinance Requirements
BearSaver Grizzly Poly Cart models (PC32-G, PC65-G, and PC95-G).
Bearicuda Basic, Classic, and Stealth models (PAK130, PAK132, PAK164, PAK195, STL135, STL264, and STL296)
Fix a Cart
The city requires bear-resistant containers to be in working condition, however they can break. If a cart is broken it must be fixed. For Western Disposal customers, call 303-444-2037 and request a replacement cart. Carts are generally replaced within 24 hours. If you are a One-Way Trash or Republic customer and you have purchased your cart, you are responsible for the repairs or replacement.
Locations Outside of Cart Zone
Would you like a bear-resistant container even though you do not live in the area where it is required?
Contact your trash hauler for the services they provide with bear- resistant container.
You do not have to live in the area it is required to obtain a bear-resistant cart.
If you have development plans for your property that may be in conflict with prairie dogs on the site, or if you have any questions about prairie dog lethal control permits, contact Val Matheson at mathesonv@bouldercolorado.gov or 303-441-3004.
Prairie Dog Lethal Control Permits
City ordinance requires landowners to obtain a permit from the city before using any form of lethal control on prairie dogs. In order to obtain a permit, the landowner must demonstrate the following:
A reasonable effort has been made to relocate the prairie dogs to another site;
The most humane method of lethal control possible will be used;
The landowner has an adequate plan designed to prevent the reentry of prairie dogs onto the land after the prairie dogs are lawfully removed.
In addition, one of the following conditions must exist
The land on which the prairie dogs are located will be developed within fifteen months of the date of the application and the continued presence of prairie dogs would make such development impractical or impossible;
A principal use of the land will be adversely impacted in a significant manner by the presence of prairie dogs on the site; or
Established landscaping or an open space feature established and installed prior to any prairie dog colonization will be adversely impacted by the establishment of new prairie dog colonies.
The waiting period after the submission of an application is a minimum of three to five months. If the city determines that relocation alternatives exist during or after the initial three-to-five month period, it may delay issuing the permit for an additional 12 months in order to allow relocation to occur.
The basic administrative fee for a lethal control permit is $1,500. An applicant for a prairie dog lethal control permit must also pay a fee of $1,200 per acre of active prairie dogs habitat lost, pro-rated for any partial acres of lost habitat.
Wildlife Contacts
Report Sightings or Get Information
For information, resources, or to report an urban wildlife sighting online, visit Inquire Boulder.
Animals in your yard
If you currently have a bear or mountain lion in your yard and would like assistance, call the Boulder Police Department at 303-441-3333.
Educational Programs
For educational programs, call the Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) Department at 303-441-3440 or visit Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Constructing Bear-resistant Waste Enclosures
Bears are incredibly strong, powerful animals. Their massive shoulders give them the ability to bend and pry metal, and break into structures and cars. Storing waste in an enclosed, sturdy structure is usually more of a deterrent to bears than storing waste outdoors in a plastic bear-resistant cart; however, building an enclosure that is impenetrable by a bear is difficult. Sturdy structures that have minimal gaps and openings are harder for bears to get into, making it less likely that a bear will expend the energy to break into and damage the structure.
Bear-resistant Waste Enclosure Requirements for the Secure Trash Regulation Zone
One option for securing waste from bears is to store your trash and compost in a bear-resistant enclosure until it is collected directly from the enclosure by your waste hauler. Not all waste haulers that serve Boulder may offer this service, so please contact your waste hauler for information about the services offered.
The definition and criteria for a bear-resistant enclosure, as described in Rule 6-3-12.A(14), is:
A “Bear Resistant Enclosure” shall be an enclosed structure, made of metal, wood, stone, brick, concrete or the equivalently sturdy material, consisting of five (5) sides and a secure door or cover, which shall have a latching device of sufficient design and strength to prevent access by bears. A garage or other building that meets the foregoing criteria can be a “Bear Resistant Enclosure.”
Waste enclosures may not require a city permit to install, but enclosures that are designed to be fixed in place need to satisfy all applicable regulations of Title 9 of the Boulder Revised Code (B.R.C.) 1981. Examples of these regulations include: minimum setbacks, building separation, maximum building coverage, site triangles, etc.
In most residential zones, depending on the specific design of the trash enclosure, it may also contribute “floor area” toward the maximum allowed floor area ratio if the floor-to-ceiling height within the trash enclosure is greater than six feet. For more information about code regulations and requirements, contact a Project Specialist in Planning and Development Services with the specifications of your proposed enclosures so they can provide information specific to your property. Email plandevelop@bouldercolorado.gov or call 303-441-1880.
Bear-Resistant Enclosure Design Guidelines The city ordinance does not specify design or hardware requirements; however, the following guidelines are based on structures that have been successful in deterring bears in other communities.
The sides of the structure should extend to the ground and the door should not have more than a two-inch gap along the bottom. The door must have a latching device of sufficient design and strength to prevent access by wildlife. Ventilation openings should be covered with a heavy gauge steel mesh or other material of sufficient strength to prevent access.
Other features include:
Metal crossbars to latch the doors;
Metal-framed wood doors for strength;
Minimal gaps (ideally 3/8” or less); and/or
Ventilation openings covered with metal mesh or material of sufficient strength to prevent wildlife access;
Not Recommended
The large gaps at the top and bottom allow bears to enter.
Recommended
Waste enclosures are not required to be bear-resistant certified, but this Canshed enclosure is produced in Boulder, has been tested with grizzly bears, and is certified bear-resistant. Visit www.canshed.us.com for more information.
Recommended
An enclosed wood structure with minimal gaps around the doors and between the door and the ground. This structure has not certified as bear-resistant but meets the ordinance criteria.
