Environmental Rules in Douglas County, CO (2026)
5 rules for unincorporated Douglas County, Colorado.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
New development in unincorporated Douglas County must submit a grading and drainage plan under Zoning Resolution § 1-2709, separate from the county's GESC erosion-control plan. It fixes retaining-wall barrier rules, a 3:1 maximum proposed slope, and mandatory labeling of drainage easements, detention basins, and water quality facilities before Engineering Services will approve a site plan.
Stormwater and Drainage Rules in Douglas County
Some RestrictionsDouglas County Zoning Resolution § 1-2709
§ 1-2709. Grading and Drainage Plan. The grading and drainage plan shall be prepared at the same scale as the landscape plan. Please note that this plan is separate and distinct from the GESC plan required by Engineering Services... 2. Retaining walls in excess of 30 inches in height (as measured from the lowest ground surface adjacent to the wall) used in conjunction with detention areas or po...
Erosion Control
Every clearing, grading, or land-disturbance project in unincorporated Douglas County must comply with the county's Grading, Erosion and Sediment Control (GESC) Manual under Zoning Resolution § 1-3101 through § 1-3103. The program exists to satisfy federal Clean Water Act stormwater rules and two reservoir-specific state regulations protecting Cherry Creek and Chatfield Reservoir.
Erosion and Sediment Control Rules, Douglas County
Significant RestrictionsDouglas County Zoning Resolution § 1-3101
Part 31. CLEARING, GRADING AND LAND DISTURBANCE § 1-3101. Intent. 1. To control non-point-source pollution and protect water quality by requiring soil erosion and sediment control practices that comply with the provisions of the Grading, Erosion and Sediment Control (GESC) Manual, as amended. The GESC Manual...implements the provisions of the GESC Permit Program and the Drainage, Erosion, and S...
Flood Zones
Douglas County bans new structures, storage yards and junkyards outright inside its mapped Floodplain Overlay District, and requires a Floodplain Development Permit for anything else built there. New homes must sit at least one foot above the base flood elevation, and manufactured homes and RVs face their own anchoring and time limits.
Floodplain Development Rules in Douglas County
Significant RestrictionsDouglas County Zoning Resolution §§ 1-1806, 1-1811 (Floodplain Overlay District)
§ 1-1806. Uses Prohibited. The following are strictly prohibited within the Floodplain Overlay District: 1. Structures, except fish hatcheries and water-related recreational facilities, single-family dwellings on nonconforming lots, and improvements or substantial improvements of existing structures in the Floodplain Overlay District, as allowed by a Floodplain Development Permit. 2. Storage or...
Defensible Space
Douglas County defines defensible space as the treated buffer around a structure where wildfire-carrying vegetation has been modified or removed, and it makes that buffer a real requirement rather than a suggestion. Under the Wildfire Hazard Overlay District, development in a mapped hazard area must comply with the county's Wildfire Mitigation Standards, which can force a forester-prepared fuel modification plan before a permit issues.
Defensible Space Rules in Douglas County, CO
Significant RestrictionsDouglas County Zoning Resolution §§ 1-1702, 1-1707(1) (Wildfire Hazard Overlay District)
DEFENSIBLE SPACE A natural or man-made area, where vegetation capable of carrying a fire has been sufficiently treated, modified, or removed to slow the rate of spread and reduce the intensity of a fire; provide a safe area for fire suppression operations; and slow or prevent a fire from traveling, in either direction, between a structure and the vegetation. ... § 1-1707. General Standards. ......
Flood Elevation Requirements
Douglas County requires new construction and substantial improvements in the Floodplain Overlay District to elevate the lowest floor at least one foot above the base flood elevation, rising to two feet of freeboard for critical facilities like hospitals and fire stations, enforced by the county's Floodplain Administrator under Part 18 of the Zoning Resolution.
Base Flood Elevation Freeboard Rules, Douglas County, CO
Some RestrictionsDouglas County Zoning Resolution § 1-1811, Subsection 3
New construction and substantial improvements of any residential structure, as allowed by § 1-1806, Subsection 1, shall have the lowest floor including basement, electrical, heating, ventilation, plumbing, and air conditioning equipment and other service facilities including ductwork, elevated to one foot above the base flood elevation. Upon completion of the structure, the elevation of the low...
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