Aurora, CO Local Ordinances Guide

Aurora is a mid-sized city in Arapahoe County, Colorado, with about 386000 residents. Like most cities its size, it has a set of local rules that may differ significantly from neighboring municipalities. Here is an overview of 156 ordinances across 44 categories that affect daily life in Aurora.

Public Conduct

Public Urination: Aurora's disorderly conduct ordinance makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate in any public place if doing so creates a hazardous, unhealthy, or physically offensive condition, punishable as a criminal offense under this Colorado home-rule city's code..

Also covered: Public Alcohol Use (moderate), Skateboarding Rules (limited), Loitering Rules (moderate). See the full public conduct guide for Aurora for details.

Noise Ordinances

Decibel Limits: Aurora caps commercial and industrial sound by zone, from 55 dBA near homes up to 80 dBA in heavy industrial (I-2) districts..

Also covered: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (moderate), Quiet Hours (moderate), Aircraft Noise (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for Aurora for details.

Parking Rules

Abandoned Vehicles: Under CRS 42-4-1806 and Aurora City Code, a vehicle left on public property for more than 72 hours or on private property without permission for 72 hours is abandoned. Aurora tags, tows, and impounds abandoned vehicles..

Also covered: Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (moderate), Loading Zones (moderate), Preferential Parking Districts (moderate). See the full parking rules guide for Aurora for details.

Short-Term Rentals

Short-Term Rental Permits: Aurora, Colorado requires short-term rental hosts to hold both a general business license and a lodger's license, post the license number in every ad, and rent only their primary residence..

Also covered: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (restrictive), Taxes & Fees (moderate), Extended Home Share (restrictive). See the full short-term rentals guide for Aurora for details.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Lot Coverage Limits: Aurora, Colorado caps residential accessory buildings over 120 square feet at 50% of the rear yard and 450 square feet (or half the house's floor area, if larger)..

Also covered: Structure Height Limits (moderate), Setback Rules (moderate). See the full building setbacks & zoning guide for Aurora for details.

Special Events & Permits

Sidewalk Dining & Cafés: Aurora, Colorado limits restaurant patio seating to approved uses, keeps it 100 feet from R-R/R-1 zoning, and requires a barrier and a clear walkway near the right-of-way..

Also covered: Park Event Permits (moderate), Parade Permits (moderate). See the full special events & permits guide for Aurora for details.

Outdoor Lighting

Billboard Lighting: Aurora's Unified Development Ordinance requires all sign illumination, including off-premises billboards, to be shielded against glare onto neighboring land, and bars lighting billboards next to residential property between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m..

Also covered: Light Trespass & Shielding (moderate), Dark Sky Rules (moderate). See the full outdoor lighting guide for Aurora for details.

Landscaping Rules

Water Restrictions: Aurora, Colorado doesn't fix watering days in the Code itself: schedules come from rules Aurora Water's general manager publishes under City Code § 138-188, and watering outside those rules is "waste of water" under § 138-190, punishable by warnings, escalating civil penalties, and possible service shutoff..

Also covered: Artificial Turf (moderate), Native Plants (moderate), Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for Aurora for details.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Food Truck Permits: Aurora, Colorado requires mobile food trucks to hold both a city business license and a state mobile retail food license, and operate only 7 a.m. to 10 p.m..

Also covered: Vending Zones (moderate), Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (moderate). See the full food trucks & mobile vendors guide for Aurora for details.

Animal Ordinances

Pet Store Rules: Aurora pet shops cannot sell dogs or cats at all: only offer them for adoption from a licensed shelter or rescue, per City Code § 26-152..

Also covered: Breed Restrictions (permissive), Microchipping (moderate), Veterinary Clinic Zoning (moderate). See the full animal ordinances guide for Aurora for details.

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: Aurora, Colorado can declare a building or premises "substandard" for fire, structural, sanitation or vermin hazards and order it repaired, demolished or vacated as a public nuisance under the city's Health and Housing Code..

Also covered: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (moderate), Vacant Lot Maintenance (moderate). See the full property maintenance guide for Aurora for details.

Garage & Yard Sales

Frequency, Duration & Permits: Aurora, Colorado does not require a garage sale permit. City Code just caps sales at four per year and 72 consecutive hours per address, with items confined to the seller's own garage or yard..

Environmental Rules

Flood Zones: In Aurora, Colorado, all development in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area is prohibited unless the floodplain administrator first issues a floodplain development permit..

Also covered: Vehicle Idling Restrictions (moderate), Flood Elevation Requirements (moderate), Erosion Control (moderate). See the full environmental rules guide for Aurora for details.

Sign Regulations

Freeway-Facing Signs: Off-premises signs and billboards in Aurora, Colorado may not be visible from any freeway or interstate highway under the city's Unified Development Ordinance..

Also covered: Digital Billboards (moderate), Window Signs (moderate), Political Signs (limited). See the full sign regulations guide for Aurora for details.

Business Licensing & Operations

Adult Entertainment: Aurora, Colorado confines sexually-oriented businesses to industrial zones and requires a city license, with 1,500-foot buffers from churches, schools, homes, parks and other adult businesses..

Also covered: Towing Companies (moderate), Pawnbrokers (moderate), Massage Establishments (restrictive). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Aurora for details.

Trash & Recycling

Illegal Dumping: Dumping garbage, rubbish or debris on public or private property anywhere in Aurora, Colorado is unlawful, and violators face the city's general penalty of up to $2,650 in fines or 364 days in jail..

Also covered: Pickup Rules & Schedules (moderate), Collection Schedule (moderate), Recycling Requirements (moderate). See the full trash & recycling guide for Aurora for details.

Homelessness & Encampment Rules

Encampment Sanitation: Aurora's city manager can abate any unauthorized camp on public property without advance notice; verbal orders to move immediately are enforceable, and legally operable vehicles or registered RVs are exempt from this removal authority..

Data Centers & Crypto Mining

Data Center Zoning & Siting: Aurora's Unified Development Ordinance lists Data Center as a permitted use by right in the MU-OI, Airport, Accident Potential Zone, and both I-1 and I-2 industrial districts, and as a conditional use in the MU-R and MU-A mixed-use districts..

Curfew Laws

Juvenile Curfew: Aurora bars minors under 18 from loitering in public after 11 p.m. (midnight Fri/Sat) until 5 a.m.

Also covered: Park Curfew (moderate). See the full curfew laws guide for Aurora for details.

Solar Energy

Panel Permits: Aurora requires a building permit issued to a licensed residential or commercial building contractor for solar panel installations, and the Unified Development Ordinance sets siting rules: rooftop panels may exceed the height limit by 18 inches, but front-yard placement is barred..

Also covered: HOA Restrictions (permissive). See the full solar energy guide for Aurora for details.

Building Safety

Plumbing Permits: Aurora, Colorado enforces the 2021 International Plumbing Code by ordinance, and City Code Chapter 22 bars issuing a plumbing permit until the required fee is paid..

Also covered: Fire Sprinkler Requirements (permissive), Green Building Code (moderate), Building Permits (moderate). See the full building safety guide for Aurora for details.

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Encroachment Permits: Anyone doing work in an Aurora, Colorado public right-of-way, including a homeowner without a contractor, must get a permit from the Director of Public Works first..

Also covered: Sidewalk Repair (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for Aurora for details.

Water Use Rules

Turf Replacement Rebates: Aurora Water bans new aesthetic turf citywide and restricts new grass: none in front or side yards, and backyard turf is capped at 45 percent or 500 square feet, whichever is smaller, to curb water use..

Also covered: Recycled Water Rules (moderate). See the full water use rules guide for Aurora for details.

Right to Farm

Agricultural Zoning Protection: Aurora's Unified Development Ordinance allows agriculture by right only in the R-R Rural Residential district and a handful of industrial/airport zones, requires no business license on unplatted land, and defines the use as needing more than five acres..

Accessory Structures

Tiny Homes: Aurora, Colorado treats tiny houses as manufactured housing under its Unified Development Ordinance, restricting them to the R-MH Manufactured Home Park zone district with foundation, utility and minimum-area rules..

Also covered: ADU Rules (moderate), Shed & Carport Rules (moderate), ADU Owner Occupancy (moderate). See the full accessory structures guide for Aurora for details.

Tree Protection

Protected Tree Species: In Aurora's Black Forest area, Ponderosa Pine over 4 inches and Gambel Oak over 3 inches in diameter are protected: removal during development requires a City Forester-approved tree protection plan..

Also covered: Parkway Planting (moderate). See the full tree protection guide for Aurora for details.

Noise from Specific Sources

Bar & Nightclub Noise: Aurora caps loudspeaker and amplified music from bars and nightclubs by decibel and bans PA/loudspeaker use near homes from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Also covered: Generator Noise (moderate), Delivery Truck Noise (moderate). See the full noise from specific sources guide for Aurora for details.

Mobility & Curb Rules

Red-Light Cameras: Aurora runs an automated vehicle identification system issuing photo-enforced penalty notices for red-light and speed violations, with doubled fines in school zones, under City Code §§ 134-450 to 134-456..

Also covered: Bike Lane Rules (moderate). See the full mobility & curb rules guide for Aurora for details.

Code Violation Reporting

How to Report: Nuisance and property-code complaints in Aurora, Colorado go to the Director of Neighborhood Services, who must inspect and issue a written report..

Also covered: Common Violations (moderate), Response Times (moderate). See the full code violation reporting guide for Aurora for details.

Historic Preservation

Historic-Cultural Monuments: Aurora, Colorado designates significant older sites as "Cultural Heritage Sites" through the Historic Preservation Commission when they don't have enough integrity left for full landmark status..

Invasive Plant Rules

Tree-of-Heaven Removal: Aurora's Unified Development Ordinance bans planting Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus sp.) anywhere in the city, alongside Russian Olive, Aspen, Tamarisk, Ash and Siberian Elm, under the landscape code's list of prohibited plant species..

Also covered: Prohibited Species (moderate). See the full invasive plant rules guide for Aurora for details.

Fence Regulations

Retaining Walls: In Aurora, Colorado, retaining walls over four feet must be engineered by a professional and approved by the city before construction; residential walls also face UDO height caps of 30 to 48 inches by location..

Also covered: Height Limits (moderate), Fence Permit Requirements (moderate), Material Restrictions (moderate). See the full fence regulations guide for Aurora for details.

Cannabis Regulations

Dispensary Zoning: Aurora, Colorado has not opted out of retail marijuana: stores are licensed and capped citywide, but the UDO bars them near schools, hospitals and residential zones..

Also covered: Buffer Zones (restrictive). See the full cannabis regulations guide for Aurora for details.

Rental Property Rules

Just Cause Eviction: Colorado HB 24-1098 requires just cause for most residential evictions and lease non-renewals effective April 2024, limiting landlord terminations to enumerated reasons..

Also covered: Repairs & Habitability (moderate), Rental Registration (restrictive). See the full rental property rules guide for Aurora for details.

Home Business

Zoning & Home Occupation Permits: Aurora, Colorado allows home occupations in dwellings only if the business stays incidental, invisible from outside, and limited to residents..

Also covered: Home Daycare (moderate), Cottage Food Operations (permissive), Customer Traffic Restrictions (moderate). See the full home business guide for Aurora for details.

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Aurora, Colorado charges an 8% lodger's tax on hotel, motel, and short-term lodging purchases, collected by the vendor at time of sale..

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

Solicitor Permits: Aurora requires a door-to-door seller's license for the business plus an individual photo ID card for each canvasser before anyone may sell goods or services house to house in the city..

Swimming Pools & Spas

Pool Permits: Aurora, Colorado requires a building permit for swimming pool construction, including above-ground pools, and a homeowner-contractor's exterior work must finish within one year of permit issuance..

Also covered: Fencing & Safety Requirements (moderate). See the full swimming pools & spas guide for Aurora for details.

Fire Regulations

Outdoor Burning: Aurora bans burning combustible refuse in unapproved incinerators and treats open burning the same way -- violators must get a variance from the county air pollution variance board before burning is allowed..

Also covered: Fireworks (restrictive). See the full fire regulations guide for Aurora for details.

Frost Depth & Snow Load

Ground Snow Load: Aurora sets a ground snow load of 40 pounds per square foot, and requires the roof snow load to be calculated from it rather than published as a fixed figure..

Also covered: Frost Line Depth (moderate), Building Design Criteria (moderate). See the full frost depth & snow load guide for Aurora for details.

HOA Rules

CC&R Enforcement: Aurora, Colorado lets HOAs impose stricter limits than the city code, and the city's own chicken-keeping ordinance says so explicitly..

Rental Inspections

Inspection Programs: Aurora runs a systematic multi-family housing inspection program under its Health and Housing Code, with inspectors authorized to enter dwellings and reinspection fees charged when owners miss a scheduled visit..

Also covered: Tenant Complaint Process (moderate). See the full rental inspections guide for Aurora for details.

Public Health Rules

Rodent Control: Aurora's Health and Housing Code makes owners and occupants jointly responsible for keeping dwellings insect- and rodent-free, with liability shifting depending on the cause of infestation..

Also covered: Syringe Disposal (limited). See the full public health rules guide for Aurora for details.

Local Taxes & Fees

Business Tax Classification: Aurora sorts every business into general, seasonal, or temporary retail status, each with its own license term, renewal rule, and sales-tax deposit requirement..

What to Do With This Information

Whether you are renting, buying, or renovating in Aurora, knowing the local rules upfront saves headaches later. Dig into the individual ordinance pages linked above for the complete picture, including fines and exemptions.