Environmental Rules in Adams County, CO (2026)
4 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Adams County, Colorado.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Adams County's MS4 illicit discharge ordinance bans putting anything but rainwater into the county's storm drains, ditches and detention ponds in the unincorporated area. Public Works enforces it through inspections, notices of violation and criminal citations, with fines that climb steeply for repeat offenders under the county's storm drainage code.
Stormwater Discharge Rules in Unincorporated Adams County
Significant RestrictionsAdams County Ordinance No. 11, § 5(A)
A. Prohibition of Illicit Discharges 1) No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged into the storm drainage system or watercourses any pollutants or waters containing any pollutants that cause or contribute to a violation of applicable Water Quality Standards, or Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), other than stormwater. 2) It shall be unlawful to cause pollutants to be deposited in such a...
Erosion Control
Construction sites in unincorporated Adams County must control erosion and sediment with Best Management Practices under the county's illicit discharge ordinance, folded into an Erosion and Sediment Control Plan (ESCP), also known as a Stormwater Management Plan, that ties into the county's Development Standards and the state CDPS construction permit.
Construction Erosion Control Plans in Adams County
Some RestrictionsAdams County Ordinance No. 11, § 9
The owner, operator, lessee, or tenant, at its own expense, shall provide reasonable protection from accidental or intentional discharge of prohibited materials or other wastes into the storm drainage system or watercourses through the use of structural and non-structural, temporary and permanent BMPs. Further, any person responsible for a property or premises which is, or may be, the source of...
Flood Zones
Unincorporated Adams County regulates construction in flood hazard areas through Section 1612.3 of its Building Code, which adopts FEMA's Flood Insurance Study and accompanying maps by reference. Any parcel shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map or Flood Boundary and Floodway Map falls under the county's flood hazard area rules before the Building Safety Division will issue a permit.
Adams County Floodplain Development Rules
Some RestrictionsAdams County Building Code § 1612.3 (Ord. No. 12)
1612.3 Establishment of flood hazard areas. To establish flood hazard areas, the applicable governing authority shall adopt a flood hazard map and supporting data. The flood hazard map shall include, at a minimum, areas of special flood hazard as identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in a report entitled "The Flood Insurance Study for Adams County and Incorporated Areas (Vols. 1...
Defensible Space
Adams County's wildfire code requires a noncombustible ring of hard-surface materials, such as rock, gravel, sand, concrete, bare earth or pavers, in the Immediate Zone around any new structure built inside a declared wildland-urban interface area. Only ignition-resistant plants approved by the code official from a Colorado State Forest Service list may go in that zone instead. Violations carry fines up to $1,000 a day.
Defensible Space Materials Rule in Adams County
Some RestrictionsAdams County Ordinance No. 14 § 502.1.2 (2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code)
502.1.2 Materials. Use noncombustible, hard surface materials in this zone, such as rock, gravel, sand, concrete, bare earth or stone/concrete pavers. Exception: Ignition-resistant plantings ... are allowed in the Immediate Zone.
Environmental Rules by City in Adams County
2 cities in Adams County have their own environmental rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Adams County ordinances
See every category we cover for Adams County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Adams County Ordinance Hub →