Quick answer: It depends on the fire authority that covers the address. Fort Collins requires fire code official approval for a security gate across a fire apparatus access road, an approved means of emergency operation and compliance with Appendix D, section D103.5.1 Windsor Severance Fire Rescue requires a Knox Key Switch on electric gates,2 Loveland Fire Rescue Authority carries an exception for a private driveway serving one single-family residence, as approved by the fire code official,3 and Greeley has not adopted Appendix D.4
A gate that spans a fire apparatus access road is a fire-code question, so the rule to read is the one adopted where the property sits. The sections below take each jurisdiction in turn, and the table compares them side by side.
Which fire code applies to my driveway gate?
The fire code adopted where the address sits. In Poudre Fire Authority’s area, Fort Collins, Timnath and the Poudre Valley Fire Protection District are on the 2024 International Fire Code.5 Loveland Fire Rescue Authority enforces the 2024 IFC,6 and Windsor Severance Fire Rescue uses the 2024 IFC with its own amendments.7 Greeley adopted the 2021 International Fire Code,4 and Johnstown’s town code adopts the 2024 IFC through Ord. No. 2025-280.8
In Fort Collins, the 2024 IFC was adopted by Ord. No. 051, 2025, adopted June 17, 2025, and the city’s local amendments were last revised by Ord. No. 201, 2025, adopted December 16, 2025.1
What does Fort Collins require for a gate across a fire access road?
Approval before anything is installed. Fort Collins’ adopted section 503.6 says the installation of security gates across a fire apparatus access road shall be approved by the fire code official, and that installed gates need an approved means of emergency operation and must comply with Appendix D, section D103.5.1
Section D103.5 sets out the details. Electric gates need a means of opening by fire department personnel for emergency access, and emergency opening devices must be approved by the fire code official. Manual gates cannot be locked with a padlock unless the padlock is approved by the fire code official and compatible with the fire department’s key boxes, and gate design and locking specifications are submitted for approval before installation.1
Size and equipment rules sit in the same section. In Fort Collins, a single gate across a fire apparatus access road must be at least 20 ft wide, or at least 12 ft where the fire apparatus access road is a divided roadway.9 D103.5 items 9 and 10 require electric gate operators, where provided, to be listed to UL 325, and gates intended for automatic operation to be built and installed to ASTM F2200.1
Do Loveland, Windsor, Greeley and Johnstown follow the same rules?
No. Each jurisdiction adopted its own text, and the single-family-driveway exception is where they differ most visibly.
Windsor Severance Fire Rescue’s guide is the only one of these texts that names specific hardware for residential gates.2 Electric gates need a Knox Key Switch, keypad-only access is not accepted, and manual gates must use a Knox Padlock or Knox Box rather than a plain padlock.2 Windsor Severance Fire Rescue’s guide sets gates for one- or two-family dwellings at a 12 ft minimum width, set back at least 30 ft from the intersecting roadway.2
Loveland Fire Rescue Authority and the Town of Johnstown each carry an exception to the D103.5 gate rules for private driveways serving one single-family residence, as approved by the fire code official, so the fire code official still makes the call.38
Greeley has not adopted Appendix D; its code adopts Appendices B and C, so a gate there falls under the general security-gate section, 503.6.4
The rule that governs a driveway gate is the one adopted where the driveway is.
What does Larimer County require where a driveway meets a county road?
Room for the longest vehicle to pull off the road. Larimer County’s Rural Area Road Standards, section 10.4.16, say an access with a gate across it shall be designed so the longest vehicle using it, trailers included, can completely clear the traveled way when the gate is closed.12 The county’s access-permit guidance lists a 50 ft minimum gate setback for single-family accesses; that figure comes from the access-permit page, not from the road standards.13
Shared roads have a separate rule. Larimer County’s Land Use Code prohibits gated public roads and allows a gated private road only if the County Commissioners approve a modification, with every owner who has access rights agreeing, a referral to the fire protection entity and the sheriff, and room for vehicles to stack and turn around between the public road and the gate.14
What safety standards apply to an automatic gate?
UL 325 for the operator and ASTM F2200 for the gate. UL’s 2011 Code Authority article on UL 325 says vehicular gate operators need at least one independent primary and one independent secondary means of protection against entrapment.15 LiftMaster’s RSL12UL manual calls for two independent monitored entrapment protection devices at each entrapment zone.16 According to LiftMaster, UL 325 updates that took effect in January 2016 require external entrapment sensors to be monitored by the operator.17
LiftMaster’s RSL12UL manual says the operator is for vehicular passage gates only, not pedestrian gates, and that pedestrians must be supplied with a separate access opening.16
CPSC estimates there are about 300 emergency room injuries each year due to automatic gates (CPSC, 2018).18
Which authority should you check with before installing?
The one that covers the address, and the building department for the wiring:
- Fort Collins: Poudre Fire Authority, applying the City of Fort Collins fire code.1
- Loveland: Loveland Fire Rescue Authority.6
- Windsor: Windsor Severance Fire Rescue.7
- Greeley: the City of Greeley fire code.4
- Johnstown: the Town of Johnstown fire code.8
- A driveway onto a Larimer County road: the county’s access permit process, then the local fire authority.13
In unincorporated Larimer County, the base electrical permit fee is $147 for a job valued at $2,000 or less.19 Weld County’s building fee schedule prices electrical work that isn’t new living area on job value.20
| Jurisdiction | Fire authority | Code edition | Single-family driveway exemption | Gate requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Collins | Poudre Fire Authority5 | 2024 IFC, City Code §9-1 (Ord. No. 051, 2025, adopted June 17, 2025)1 | None in the adopted §D103.5 text1 | Fire code official approval; an approved means of emergency operation; emergency opening devices approved by the fire code official; design and locking specifications submitted before installation; D103.5 compliance1 |
| Loveland | Loveland Fire Rescue Authority6 | 2024 IFC6 | Exception for a private driveway serving one single-family residence, as approved by the fire code official3 | Check with the fire authority. |
| Windsor | Windsor Severance Fire Rescue7 | 2024 IFC with WSFR amendments7 | Exception for a private driveway serving one single-family residence, as approved by the fire code official7 | Knox Key Switch on electric gates; keypad-only access not accepted; one- and two-family gates at least 12 ft wide, set back at least 30 ft from the intersecting roadway2 |
| Greeley | City of Greeley4 | 2021 IFC4 | Check with the fire authority. | Appendix D not adopted; the general 503.6 security-gate section applies4 |
| Johnstown | Split by area: Front Range Fire Rescue, or Loveland Fire Rescue Authority for the Loveland Rural Fire Protection District (2534, Johnstown Plaza, Iron Horse, Thompson River Ranch)10 | 2024 IFC, Ord. No. 2025-2808 | Exception for a private driveway serving one single-family residence, as approved by the fire code official8 | Check with the fire authority. |
| Unincorporated Larimer County (county-road accesses) | Varies by fire protection district11 | Varies by fire protection district (2024 IFC in the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority and Poudre Valley Fire Protection District areas)56 | Check with the fire authority. | Rural Area Road Standards §10.4.16: the longest vehicle, trailer included, clears the traveled way with the gate closed12; the county's access-permit guidance lists a 50 ft minimum gate setback13 |
Sources
- 1City of Fort Collins, Municipal Code Chapter 9, §9-1 and §9-2 (2024 International Fire Code and local amendments), 503.6 and Appendix D §D103.5. View source
- 2Windsor Severance Fire Rescue, 2025 Construction and Development Guide, gates. View source
- 3Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, 2024 IFC Final Amendments (effective January 1, 2026), §D103.5 exception. View source
- 4City of Greeley, Municipal Code Title 22, Chapter 12 (Fire Code), Secs. 22-454, 22-455, 22-476, 22-477. View source
- 5Poudre Fire Authority, Fire Code Adoption. View source
- 6Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, 2024 IFC and NFPA Standards. View source
- 7Windsor Severance Fire Rescue, 2024 IFC WSFR Amendments. View source
- 8Town of Johnstown, Municipal Code Chapter 18, Article VII, §18-63, Ord. No. 2025-280. View source
- 9City of Fort Collins, Ordinance No. 051, 2025, IFC amendments, §D103.5 gate widths. View source
- 10Town of Johnstown, Fire Districts. View source
- 11Larimer County, Burn Permits, fire authorities in Larimer County. View source
- 12Larimer County, Rural Area Road Standards, §10.4.16 Gated Accesses. View source
- 13Larimer County Engineering, Access Permit. View source
- 14Larimer County, Land Use Code, Article 5 (Land Division Standards), §5.3.2. View source
- 15UL, Gate Operators, The Code Authority (UL newsletter), Issue 3, 2011; describes the March 2000 edition of UL 325. View source
- 16LiftMaster, RSL12UL Installation Manual 01-39379 (Rev. C). View source
- 17LiftMaster, UL Guidelines. View source
- 18U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Operation Safe Gate: Put an End to Automatic Security Gate Tragedies, August 6, 2018. View source
- 19Larimer County, Building Permit Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2026. View source
- 20Weld County, 2026 Building Fee Schedule. View source
