Colorado Bear Safety Guide: BearWise Tips, Local Rules & Bearicuda Containers
Living in Colorado Bear Country means keeping food, trash, and other attractants secured. The best way to prevent bear conflicts is simple: remove the reward. Secure garbage, bring in bird feeders, keep pet food indoors, and use wildlife-resistant trash storage where required.
BearWise safety tips for Colorado residents
Secure trash and recycling
Garbage is one of the most common reasons bears visit homes. Keep trash inside a garage, shed, or approved wildlife-resistant enclosure until pickup day.
- Use a securely latched bear-resistant trash can or enclosure.
- Put trash out only on collection day and within your local permitted hours.
- Freeze meat, fish, and other odorous food scraps until pickup.
- Rinse food containers and clean bins to reduce odor.
- Never leave garbage bags, coolers, or recycling unsecured outdoors.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommends securing trash and all bear-accessible doors, windows, garages, and vehicles.[cpw.state.co][cpw.state.co]
Remove bear attractants
Bears can be drawn to much more than garbage. Eliminate food sources throughout your property.
- Feed pets indoors and store pet food inside.
- Remove bird feeders during bear-active months.
- Clean grills and grease traps after cooking.
- Pick fruit from trees and collect fallen fruit promptly.
- Secure livestock feed, chicken coops, compost, gardens, and beehives.
- Keep food, wrappers, coolers, toiletries, and scented products out of vehicles.
Keep bears wild
Never feed a bear or allow it to find food around your home. Bears that learn to associate people or neighborhoods with food can become food-conditioned, increasing the risk of property damage and unsafe encounters.[cpw.state.co][bearwise]
What to do when you see a bear
Stay calm, keep your distance, and give the bear an escape route.
Bear near your house
From a safe location, make loud noise by yelling, clapping, blowing a whistle, or banging pots. Bring children and pets indoors, and do not approach, feed, corner, or photograph the bear at close range.[cpw.state.co][cpw.state.co]
Emergency situations
Call 911 if a bear poses an immediate threat or enters an occupied home. Report non-emergency bear conflicts to Colorado Parks and Wildlife or your local wildlife authority.[cpw.state.co]
Colorado bear-trash ordinances
Colorado’s bear-resistant trash requirements vary by municipality, waste hauler, neighborhood, and HOA. Always verify product certification, container size, placement rules, and collection-day timing before purchasing a bin.
Local ordinance examples
| Colorado community | Local bear-trash requirement |
|---|---|
| Vail | Residential and commercial properties must use wildlife-resistant trash enclosures. Outdoor placement is limited to 6 a.m.–7 p.m. on collection day. [vail] |
| Steamboat Springs | Trash containers and dumpsters must be bear-resistant; the city requires Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee certification for applicable containers. [steamboatsprings] |
| Blue River | Residents must provide bear-resistant trash cans and cannot place them outside before collection day. [townofblueriver.colorado] |
| Mt. Crested Butte | Containers holding edible waste must be wildlife-resistant and securely latched. [mtcb.colorado] |
Before you buy
Confirm whether your community requires a specific certification, such as Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) certification, or whether your trash hauler requires a particular cart size or compatible pickup mechanism.
Recommended Bearicuda bear-resistant containers
Choose a Bearicuda solution based on household waste volume, local ordinance requirements, pickup compatibility, and whether the bin will be stored outdoors.
For cabins and small households
Basic 20- or 30-gallon container
The Bearicuda Basic animal-resistant container uses a screw-top lid and gasketed seal to help contain odors. It is suited to smaller waste volumes, secondary waste storage, and cabins; check local rules before using it as primary curbside bear storage.[bearicuda]
For curbside household trash
Stealth 64/65- or 95-gallon wheeled trash can
The Bearicuda Stealth wheeled trash can is designed for household curbside use. Bearicuda identifies the 64/95-gallon Stealth models as IGBC-certified and LWWF-approved, making them an option to evaluate where approved bear-resistant carts are required.[bearicuda]
For larger household capacity
Fortress 50- or 95-gallon container
The Bearicuda Fortress container is a larger screw-top option available in 50- and 95-gallon capacities. Consider it for higher household volume where local collection rules permit the design.[bearicuda]
For HOAs, businesses, and shared properties
Bear-resistant enclosures and dumpsters
Bearicuda bear-resistant enclosures and commercial waste solutions are appropriate to consider for multi-family communities, lodging properties, restaurants, campgrounds, and shared collection areas. Select enclosure dimensions, access type, and waste capacity according to local code and hauler needs.[bearicuda]
Colorado bear safety checklist
- Store trash in a latched bear-resistant container or secure building.
- Put trash out only during permitted pickup-day hours.
- Keep bird feeders, pet food, grills, fruit, compost, and vehicle food inaccessible.
- Make noise from a safe distance if a bear enters your yard.
- Never feed, approach, or corner a bear.
- Check city, county, HOA, and waste-hauler rules before selecting a container.