El Paso County
Homes and acreage in Black Forest
Black Forest is the treed acreage north east of Colorado Springs, and it is close to the purest version of the rural purchase in this county: almost everything is on a private well and its own septic system, and almost nothing about that is visible from the road.
The 2013 fire, and what it left behind
The Black Forest fire of 2013 destroyed 489 homes, which the state’s fire agency still ranks second in Colorado history for homes lost. The community wildfire protection plan written afterward records that it took two lives and burned more than 14,000 acres.
That history is why wildfire is the first question on any Black Forest purchase rather than an afterthought. Get an insurance quote on the specific address early, and ask the seller what mitigation has been done around the house and when.
Mitigation help that is specific to Black Forest
Black Forest Fire Rescue offers free Firewise assessments of a property, lends out mitigation tools, and keeps the area’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan. That plan describes shaded fuel breaks being extended along emergency evacuation routes, in partnership with the neighboring Donald Wescott district.
El Paso County runs the Black Forest Slash and Mulch site, where residents drop off slash, limbs and other natural wood debris for a fee per load, and can take mulch while it lasts. It is seasonal, from May 2 into September in 2026, and staffed by volunteers. Bulk pine needles are not accepted.
Five acres is a plan, not an accident
According to the county’s Black Forest Preservation Plan, most of the area was zoned for five-acre minimum lots in 1965. The plan itself was first completed in 1974 and updated 13 years later, with the stated aim of keeping the area’s rural-residential character: subdivisions averaging at least five acres a lot in the Timbered Area, with individual lots of at least two and a half acres in most instances.
The plan calls itself advisory rather than regulatory, and the county has since adopted a countywide master plan in 2021. It explains why the forest looks the way it does; the zoning on a particular parcel is still a question for the county.
Every parcel is its own well and septic question
On a property with its own well and septic system, the questions are the county-wide ones asked of one parcel: which aquifer the well draws on, what its permit allows, and what condition the septic system is in, now that El Paso County no longer requires an inspection when a house sells. The El Paso County acreage guide sets out where each answer lives, and the well permit guide explains the permit classes.
The El Paso County market right now
Live figures from the MLS, not an estimate. They move as listings do.
Five acres and up across El Paso County
The band Black Forest sits in. Scoped by acreage rather than by town, because Black Forest addresses are filed as Colorado Springs and there is no separate city to search.
Common questions
How many homes did the Black Forest fire destroy?
The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control lists 489 homes lost in the 2013 Black Forest fire, second in state history. The area’s community wildfire protection plan records two deaths and more than 14,000 acres burned.
What is the minimum lot size in Black Forest?
Most of the area was zoned for five-acre minimum lots in 1965, and the county’s Black Forest Preservation Plan aims to keep subdivisions averaging five acres a lot in the Timbered Area. That plan is advisory, so confirm the zoning of a specific parcel with El Paso County.
Where can I take slash from wildfire mitigation in Black Forest?
To the county’s Black Forest Slash and Mulch site, which takes slash, limbs and natural wood debris for a fee per load during its season, May into September in 2026. Bulk pine needles are not accepted. Black Forest Fire Rescue also offers free Firewise assessments.
Sources
The guidance above is checked against these, last reviewed September 22, 2026. Rules are applied parcel by parcel, so confirm a specific property with the office named.
- Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, Historical Wildfire Information
That the 2013 Black Forest fire destroyed 489 homes, second in Colorado by homes lost (as of December 31, 2025).
- Black Forest Community Wildfire Protection Plan (2016, published by the Colorado State Forest Service)
That the 2013 fire took two lives and burned more than 14,000 acres, and that shaded fuel breaks along evacuation routes were being expanded with the Donald Wescott Fire Protection District.
- Black Forest Fire Rescue, Wildfire Mitigation
The district’s free Firewise assessments, mitigation tool lending cache, and Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
- El Paso County Environmental Division, Black Forest Slash and Mulch
What the site accepts (slash, limbs and natural wood debris, no bulk pine needles), the per-load fee, free mulch while supplies last, the 2026 season from May 2 into September, and that volunteers staff it.
- El Paso County, Black Forest Preservation Plan (1987 update)
That most of the planning area was zoned for five-acre minimum lots in 1965; that the plan was first completed in 1974 and this is its update 13 years later; its goal of an overall average minimum lot area of 5 acres in the Timbered Area with lots of at least 2.5 acres in most instances; and that it is advisory rather than regulatory.
- El Paso County, Your El Paso Master Plan (2021, large PDF)
That the county’s current countywide plan is Your El Paso Master Plan, from 2021.
- El Paso County Public Health, 2026 OWTS Program Updates
That the property sale septic inspection requirement was removed effective July 11, 2026, and that the certified inspection is now voluntary except where the department requires it.
Looking in El Paso County?
Ask Belinda about a specific address in El Paso County: who supplies the water, the metro district on the tax bill, and what the wildfire risk means for insurance.