Black Forest, CO
66 local rules on file · Pop. 15,097 · El Paso County
Showing ordinances that apply to Black Forest, CO
Black Forest is an unincorporated community with a population of approximately 15,097 in El Paso County, Colorado. Because Black Forest is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal government or city code. Instead, El Paso County ordinances apply directly to residential and commercial properties here. The rules below are the county-level regulations that govern your area. Nearby incorporated cities in El Paso County may have different rules.
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🏠 Renting & Housing
🔊 Noise & Neighbors
🐾 Animals & Farming
🔥 Fire & Safety
🚗 Parking & Streets
💼 Business & Licensing
📋 Permits, Signs & Events
🌎 Environment & Utilities
🔥 Fire Regulations
Wildfire Zones
Heavy RestrictionsEl Paso County enforces Wildland-Urban Interface defensible space requirements following the Waldo Canyon (2012) and Black Forest (2013) fires. 2018 IWUIC adopted. Zone 1 (0-30 ft)…
Smoke Detectors
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County requires every guest room in a licensed bed and breakfast home to have its own smoke detector, on top of the home-occupation standards that already apply to the use.
Propane Storage
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County requires propane tanks and other combustible liquids storage on land in Wildland Fire Areas to conform to NFPA 30 and NFPA 58 standards plus the property's approved…
Brush Clearance
Some RestrictionsWhen a Wildland Fire and Hazard Mitigation Plan requires a fuel modification area, El Paso County's Land Development Code compels landowners to clear ground fuels and dead vegetation…
Outdoor Burning
Significant RestrictionsEl Paso County bans burning rubbish, waste paper, wood, or other flammable material on any lot, road, or alley unless the property owner first obtains an Open Burning Permit from El…
Fireworks
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County limits fireworks sales to May 31 through July 6 each year and requires fire department approval, a driveway permit, and warning signage under LDC § 5.2.24.
🐔 Animal Ordinances
Chickens & Livestock
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated El Paso County, any residential or agricultural parcel with a stable or corral for livestock must have at least one acre of lot area, under the Land Development…
Pet Limits
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County's Land Development Code lets mobile home park occupants keep up to 4 dogs or cats per unit, the only numeric pet cap found anywhere in the county's zoning code.
Beekeeping
Few RestrictionsCounty code separately defines residential beekeeping, kept for personal honey and pollination and not for profit, from commercial beekeeping, which is listed as an allowed accessory…
💼 Home Business
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County splits home businesses into residential and rural home occupations, each with its own standards, and requires a site plan or home occupation permit to confirm compliance.
Home Daycare
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County keeps family care homes and child care centers at least 500 feet apart along the same road, unless the home has fewer than 6 children or sits in a commercial zone.
Cottage Food Operations
Few RestrictionsEl Paso County follows the Colorado Cottage Foods Act (C.R.S. §25-4-1614). Non-potentially hazardous homemade foods may be sold directly to consumers up to $10,000 per product per…
Customer Traffic Restrictions
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County caps home-occupation client visits at 3 people at a time and requires at least 2 onsite parking spaces once customers start visiting, per LDC § 5.2.29(A)(4).
Signage Rules
Significant RestrictionsHome occupations in unincorporated El Paso County cannot advertise with any sign visible from outside the dwelling, and no sign illumination is allowed beyond normal residential…
🏗️ Accessory Structures
Shed & Carport Rules
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County caps carports built in front or side yard setbacks at 500 square feet and 12 feet tall, requires them over an approved driveway, and limits enclosed sides under the Land…
ADU Rental Restrictions
Heavy RestrictionsA guest house on an unincorporated El Paso County lot can only house occasional, non-paying guests: leasing or renting it is prohibited and turns it into an illegal second dwelling.
ADU Rules
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County allows a mother-in-law apartment up to the size of the primary home, capped at 1,500 square feet, but restricts it to family members or employees and bars a separate…
Tiny Homes
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County limits unincorporated lots to one tiny house as a principal use, two in the A-35 Agricultural district, plus one more where a guest house is allowed.
🌿 Landscaping Rules
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County's land code requires required parking lot trees be shielded from vehicle damage with curbs, planters, or barriers: the only mandatory tree-protection rule in the…
Native Plants
Few RestrictionsEl Paso County encourages xeriscaping and native plant landscaping for water conservation in Colorado's semi-arid Front Range climate. Colorado HB 19-1050 and SB 23-178 bar HOAs from…
Artificial Turf
Significant RestrictionsArtificial turf counts as landscape material in unincorporated El Paso County only on a case-by-case basis, not as a by-right substitute for living plants.
Weed Ordinances
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County requires a noxious weed management plan for any development application on land flagged on the county's Noxious Weed Map, implementing the Colorado Noxious Weeds Act…
Composting
Few RestrictionsEl Paso County's Land Development Code regulates commercial and industrial composting facilities but expressly exempts backyard composting from those standards, leaving residential…
🔊 Noise Ordinances
Aircraft Noise
Significant RestrictionsEl Paso County requires 30 dBA of indoor noise reduction for new residential construction inside the Airport Noise Sub-Zone around the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport overlay…
Decibel Limits
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated El Paso County caps outdoor sound under LDC Table 6-7: 55 dBA daytime and 50 dBA at night in residential and commercial areas, with a higher 80/75 dBA allowance for…
🚗 Parking Rules
Loading Zones
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County requires dedicated truck loading and turnaround areas for any non-residential building of 3,000 square feet or larger, designed so parked delivery trucks don't block…
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated El Paso County, only one tractor-trailer or over-the-road semi-truck may be kept with a residential use, and it must be parked inside a fully enclosed building on a…
RV & Boat Parking
Significant RestrictionsEl Paso County's Land Development Code bars outdoor storage or parking of any inoperable vehicle or recreational vehicle on residential- and agricultural-zoned lots in the…
Abandoned Vehicles
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County enforces Colorado's abandoned vehicle law (C.R.S. §42-4-1802 through 1805). Vehicles left on public right-of-way for 72+ hours or inoperable vehicles visible from the…
Driveway Rules
Few RestrictionsThe county's parking design standards, including paving requirements, exempt driveways and parking serving single-family and duplex homes; rural lots with fewer than 25 spaces may use…
🧱 Fence Regulations
Material Restrictions
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County's Land Development Code bars corrugated metal as a perimeter fencing material whenever the fence is visible from outside the lot, under the sight-distance standards in…
Retaining Walls
Some RestrictionsRetaining walls over 4 feet tall, or any wall that retains a surcharge, need a building permit in unincorporated El Paso County; walls over 7 feet are treated as accessory structures.
Height Limits
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated El Paso County, a fence over 25% opaque is capped at 30 inches within the front setback; taller solid fencing must sit behind that line, per LDC § 6.2.1(E)(1).
Fence Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsFences and walls up to 7 feet tall need no permit in unincorporated El Paso County, but anything taller requires a building permit from the County Building Department.
🌍 Environmental Rules
Stormwater Management
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County requires every land division's drainage facilities to preserve historical flow patterns, avoid flooding neighbors, and grade lots for positive drainage before the county…
Flood Elevation Requirements
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County subdivision plats must show approved base flood elevation data and 100-year floodplain boundaries, with FEMA-approved elevations required near any Zone A floodplain.
Erosion Control
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County bars clearing, grading, excavation, or filling on land disturbances over one acre until the county approves a grading plan and an erosion and sediment control plan, and…
Defensible Space
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County requires landowners in Wildland Fire Areas to clear and maintain defensible space around structures under Table 6.8, with maintenance standards set by Colorado State…
Flood Zones
Significant RestrictionsEl Paso County requires a permit before any development in designated floodplain natural hazard areas in the unincorporated county, under its Areas and Activities of State Interest…
🗑️ Trash & Recycling
Bin Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County requires refuse collection areas, including trash bins, on developed sites in the unincorporated county to be screened from view of adjacent properties and roads.
Dumpster Rules
Some RestrictionsNew commercial and multifamily development in unincorporated El Paso County must screen dumpsters and other refuse collection areas from view of neighbors and streets.
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County requires rural mobile home park owners to arrange and maintain scheduled trash pickup for residents, with any centralized collection points screened, secured and kept to…
💡 Outdoor Lighting
Dark Sky Rules
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County requires most outdoor light fixtures to be full cutoff, concealed, and aimed no higher than 90 degrees so light does not spill upward or onto neighbors.
Billboard Lighting
Some RestrictionsElectronic message billboards in unincorporated El Paso County must auto-dim to no more than 500 NIT at night, cutting brightness 5-25% depending on sign resolution under the Land…
Light Trespass & Shielding
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County caps site lighting at 0.1 foot candles at the property line next to residential land or a right-of-way, and requires house-side shielding near homes.
🔧 Building Safety
Building Permits
Some RestrictionsAn attached or detached deck, patio or slab 18 inches or less above grade is not a regulated structure in unincorporated El Paso County; taller decks must meet full setback…
Childcare Center Rules
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County bars most new family care homes, child care centers, and group homes from sitting within 500 feet of another such facility along the same road, unless the facility…
🪧 Sign Regulations
Window Signs
Light RestrictionsTemporary window signs covering less than 50 percent of the window surface don't need a sign permit in unincorporated El Paso County; larger or permanent window signs fall under the…
Garage Sale Signs
Light RestrictionsTemporary signs in El Paso County's residential zoning districts, including yard and garage sale signs, need no permit but can't exceed 7 feet in height and must come down once worn or…
Digital Billboards
Significant RestrictionsNew electronic message display billboards in unincorporated El Paso County need a Board of County Commissioners-approved special use permit; animated or video messages require the same…
Holiday Displays
Few RestrictionsEl Paso County exempts holiday decorative lighting entirely from its outdoor lighting standards, allowing any type, number, area, height, location, illumination or animation as long as…
🏪 Business Licensing & Operations
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Heavy RestrictionsEl Paso County flatly excludes auto repair garages, auto detailing and auto body or paint shops from qualifying as a residential home occupation under LDC § 5.2.29(A)(3).
Adult Entertainment
Significant RestrictionsEl Paso County requires sexually-oriented businesses to sit at least 1,000 feet from residential zoning, schools, parks and religious institutions, and 1,000 feet from each other.
🏷️ Garage & Yard Sales
🎋 Invasive Plant Rules
📐 Building Setbacks & Zoning
Structure Height Limits
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County caps residential buildings at 30 feet in the RS, RR, F-5, A-5, A-35 and R-T zoning districts, while RM-12 and RM-30 multifamily districts allow up to 40 feet under Land…
Lot Coverage Limits
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated El Paso County limits building footprint by zoning district under Table 5-4, from 20% in RS-20000 up to 70% in RM-12, with single-story ranch homes in RS-6000 and…
Setback Rules
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County's Table 5-4 sets minimum front, rear and side yard setbacks for every agricultural, residential and special-purpose zoning district: 25 feet front and rear with a 5-foot…
🚜 Right to Farm
Farm Nuisance Protection
Few RestrictionsEl Paso County's Land Development Code recognizes Colorado's right-to-farm law, limiting when agricultural operations in the unincorporated county can be treated as a nuisance.
Agricultural Zoning Protection
Few RestrictionsThe county's Land Development Code flags Colorado's right-to-farm law, which limits when an established agricultural operation can be sued as a nuisance under state statute.
🍔 Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors
Cities in El Paso County
Other Communities in El Paso County
These unincorporated areas are also governed by El Paso County ordinances.