Keep Your Family Warm and Safe—No Matter What

No—they're the exception rather than the rule. Security-Widefield was largely built out as planned subdivisions with natural gas already piped to the lot, so most homes came standard with gas fireplaces or gas furnaces rather than wood-burning appliances. Many neighborhoods also have HOA covenants that limit or prohibit visible wood stacks, new chimney construction, or smoke. Wood heat still shows up occasionally on larger rural-feeling parcels or in older homes predating some of these covenants, but it's a minority choice here compared to gas.

Two main reasons. First, infrastructure: Security-Widefield's housing stock is relatively recent (mostly 1960s to 2000s), and developers ran natural gas lines to essentially every property, making gas the default heat source from day one. Second, air quality: El Paso County issues advisories during wildfire smoke season, and some HOAs and homeowners are cautious about adding wood smoke to that picture. Between the two, wood-burning simply never became the local norm the way it has in older mountain towns or unincorporated forest-adjacent areas of Colorado.

In most cases, yes—but check your HOA covenant first, since that's the more likely obstacle than the county itself. El Paso County requires a building permit for new wood-burning installations, and the unit needs to meet current EPA emissions standards. If you're outside an HOA or in a neighborhood with less restrictive covenants, a licensed installer can pull the permit and handle the chimney or venting work. It's worth having that HOA conversation before you shop for a stove, since it's the single biggest factor that determines whether this project is realistic for your address.

The Pike-San Isabel National Forest, west of Colorado Springs, issues personal-use cutting permits from May through October at $5 to $20 per cord—a good option if you're willing to cut and haul your own. Common species available include ponderosa pine, aspen, pinyon, and juniper. If self-cutting isn't practical, several firewood dealers serve the greater Colorado Springs and Fountain area with delivery, typically selling by the cord or half-cord. Because wood heat is less common locally, expect fewer dedicated firewood suppliers than you'd find in a mountain town, so it pays to order ahead of the cold season.

Because wood installs are relatively rare here, fewer local dealers stock wood-burning units compared to gas, and pricing tends to track the broader Colorado Springs metro market—typically in the $4,000 to $9,000 range depending on the stove, chimney work, and whether a hearth pad upgrade is needed for code compliance. Homes without an existing chimney or masonry fireplace will run higher once Class A pipe and roof penetration are factored in. A local installer serving the area can give you a firm number after seeing your home.

El Paso County doesn't have a year-round wood-burning ban, but wildfire smoke is a recognized regional concern, and the county and Colorado Springs both issue air quality advisories during high-smoke periods, particularly in late summer when wildfire smoke drifts across the Front Range. There's no formal curtailment program here the way there is in some Western cities with winter inversion problems, but it's worth checking current advisories before heavy burning during wildfire season, and choosing an EPA-certified stove will always burn cleaner regardless.

For the vast majority of homes here, gas is the practical default: it's already piped to most lots, it's what local builders installed, and it's generally accepted under HOA rules in a way wood stacks and new chimneys often aren't. Wood makes sense in narrower cases—a rural-feeling property outside HOA restrictions, an older home without a gas hookup, or a homeowner who specifically wants the independence of a fuel source they can gather themselves. If you're not sure which category you fall into, that's exactly the kind of question a local dealer can answer honestly before you commit to either path.

A wood stove is one of the few heat sources that keeps working with zero electricity, which matters during the wind events that occasionally knock out power along the Front Range through Black Hills Colorado Electric's service territory. That said, given how uncommon wood installs are locally, most Security-Widefield homeowners looking for outage backup end up choosing a battery-equipped gas fireplace insert instead, since gas is already at the house and battery backup handles the electronics. Wood remains the more self-sufficient option if you're willing to deal with the permitting, HOA check, and firewood sourcing that come with it.

Because wood-burning installs are a smaller share of the local market, not every hearth retailer in the Colorado Springs metro carries or installs them—many focus primarily on gas given local demand. Find My Fireplace matches you with a trusted dealer who genuinely handles wood installations in this area, including permitting through El Paso County and proper Class A chimney venting, rather than sending you to a big-box store guessing at your setup. We don't sell or install anything ourselves—we just make sure you land with someone who does this work correctly and can speak honestly about whether it fits your property.

An insert is a fireplace that slides into a pre-existing wood-burning fireplace—if you don't have one, there's nothing to insert it into. A zero-clearance fireplace is built into a framed wall, which makes it the answer for remodels and new construction. Simple test: existing masonry fireplace means insert; blank or framed wall means zero-clearance.

An insert does two things: it seals the chimney completely, so you stop losing air you already paid to heat, and it radiates warmth into the room through the firebox and glass. Most add a heat-exchange fan that pulls cool room air underneath, wraps it around the hot firebox, and pushes it back out warm. Your home is more efficient before you've even lit the first fire.

Yes—by creating a comfort zone. A furnace heats every square foot of the house just to warm the one room you're in; a gas fireplace on low burns roughly a sixth of the gas a typical furnace does. Set the furnace around 55–60 degrees as a baseline, then heat the rooms your family actually uses. Families who heat this way commonly save $20–$60 a month.

If you're putting a fire in your house on purpose, it's best to work with an expert. Unless you're genuinely experienced in framing, gas line, vent pipe, and the national code on clearances to combustibles, have a professional do it—and ideally the same company that sells you the fireplace, so warranty, service, and liability all live under one roof.