Jefferson County, CO Ordinances (2026)

Large livestock (horses, cattle, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, hogs) are allowed on larger suburban/mountain-residential and agricultural lots in unincorporated Jeffco. On qualifying…

Colorado law bars Jefferson County from banning or restricting dogs by breed. Under C.R.S. §18-9-204.5, a dog is declared 'dangerous' only for what it does, and an owner convicted…

Jefferson County does not license cats or impose a leash law on them, and cats found at large are generally not impounded. Cats count toward the 3-pet zoning limit, and owners must…

In most residential zones of unincorporated Jefferson County, the maximum number of cats, dogs, potbelly pigs, and similar domesticated pets you may keep is 3. Litters of puppies and…

In many residential zones of unincorporated Jefferson County you may keep up to 2 beehives on single-family, duplex, or two-family lots, but only with a Miscellaneous Permit under the…

In unincorporated Jefferson County a dog off its owner's property must be leashed (10-foot max) and under control. A "dog at large" is off-premises, uncontrolled, and out of the…

Jefferson County's zoning chart addresses large exotics like buffalo, ostriches, and emu, which are only allowed in agricultural zones. Truly wild/dangerous exotic species are further…

Carports and garages are accessory structures in Jeffco. Combined accessory square footage (garages, sheds, ADUs, carports) cannot exceed the primary residence's square footage, and an…

Jeffco lets you convert an existing qualifying dwelling area into an ADU. Basements may be converted to an ADU regardless of the size or percentage-of-primary-unit cap. Detached ADUs…

Jeffco permits one accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on a single-family detached lot in every agricultural and residential zone. Owner must occupy one unit, max 3 occupants, and a building…

Jeffco allows shipping containers or conex boxes as the building blocks of a home if they meet zone-district setbacks, building height, and full building-code requirements. A permanent…

Jefferson County doesn't license tow operators itself, but its Parking at Jefferson County Buildings and Facilities Policy requires any carrier it hires to remove vehicles from county…

Every owner, operator and employee of a massage facility in unincorporated Jefferson County must complete a fingerprint-based background check through the Sheriff's Office or a…

Jefferson County limits nude entertainment establishments to 4 p.m. to midnight, Monday through Saturday, bars entry to anyone under 21, and requires 1,000 feet of separation from…

Jeffco does not require STRs to be a primary residence. It licenses two types: Primary Residence STRs and Investment Property STRs. An owner may hold an interest in only one investment…

Occupancy is limited to two people per bedroom, or fewer if the on-site wastewater system is more restrictive. No STR may exceed ten occupants regardless of bedroom count. An STR in an…

Section 46 requires every STR to provide a minimum of one off-street parking space per bedroom. The application must include a parking plan (site plan) showing how the required spaces…

Yes. Section 46 requires every STR to carry fire, hazard, and liability insurance, either through separate STR liability coverage or a homeowner's policy rider covering STRs, with a…

Jeffco does not require the host to be present during stays. Instead, Section 46 requires a designated Local Representative located no more than 30 minutes from the STR, available 24…

Jefferson County Section 46 does not impose an annual limit on the number of nights an STR may be rented. Instead of a night cap, it controls STR density through a 750-foot separation…

Unincorporated Jefferson County requires a county-issued Short-Term Rental License before anyone may operate or even advertise a property rented for under 30 days, under the Vacation…

Every STR License application carries a nonrefundable processing fee set by the Board of County Commissioners, due once the license is approved. Jefferson County also levies a lodging…

Section 46 requires every short-term rental to comply with the Jefferson County Noise Abatement Policy. A 24-hour Local Representative must be reachable to respond to problems…

Neither Jefferson County nor Colorado's noise statute regulates aircraft noise. CRS 25-12-103(4) states the article does not apply to aircraft, which are governed by federal (FAA) law…

Jefferson County's Noise Abatement Policy bars any device or activity that exceeds 55 dB(A) between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. and 50 dB(A) overnight in residential zones. Violators face…

Colorado's Noise Abatement Act sets hard decibel ceilings by zone in unincorporated Jefferson County: 55 dB(A) daytime and 50 dB(A) nighttime in residential areas, rising to 80/75…

Jefferson County has no leaf-blower-specific rule. A leaf blower is treated as any non-vehicular residential noise source, so it must not exceed 55 dB(A) (7 a.m.-7 p.m.) or 50 dB(A) (7…

Every vehicle operated in unincorporated Jefferson County must run a constantly operating, properly maintained muffler, and cutting it out or bypassing it is a separate violation under…

Jefferson County doesn't set a construction curfew by clock time; instead it caps construction-site noise in residential zones at 80 dB(A) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 75 dB(A) overnight…

Speakers, PA systems, and other amplified sound equipment fall under Jefferson County's general ban on any "machine or device" that exceeds the Permissive Noise Levels table: 55 dB(A)…

Jefferson County's Noise Abatement Policy exempts 'the sound made by animals' from its decibel limits, so a barking dog isn't cited under the noise code. Habitual, offensive barking is…

Open burning in unincorporated Jeffco requires an Open Burn Permit from Jefferson County Public Health, issued only for agricultural or forest-management burning at 6,400 feet…

Jefferson County requires wildfire-defensible space around foothills homes. Zone 1 (0–5 feet) must have no combustible mulch and only mature trees; Zone 2 (5–30 feet) requires removing…

Unincorporated Jefferson County has no year-round fireworks sale ban, but the Sheriff or Board of County Commissioners can declare one whenever wildfire danger is high, and every…

Unincorporated Jefferson County runs on the 2018 International Fire Code as its minimum fire safety standard, adopted by the Board of County Commissioners under Resolution CC23-054…

In the Residential-One (R-1) district, the primary-structure front setback is 30 feet, side setbacks are 5 feet minimum with 15 feet total, and side setbacks adjacent to a local or…

Jefferson County residential districts do not set a maximum lot-coverage percentage. Instead, minimum lot size plus setbacks and height control how much you can build. R-1 requires…

In most Jefferson County residential districts the primary-structure height limit is 35 feet; R-2 is 30 feet, and accessory structures are capped at 25 feet. Multi-family structures…

Jefferson County controls curb and roadway markings through official "Traffic Control Devices" placed by the Transportation & Engineering Division. Residents may not paint curbs to…

State law, not a county code, sets the abandoned-vehicle threshold that applies in unincorporated Jefferson County: a vehicle left unattended on public property, including a highway…

Jefferson County bans parking any "Major Motor Vehicle", a truck or trailer 8 feet or more wide, 25 feet or more long, or any tractor-trailer regardless of size, on a county highway…

There is no blanket overnight on-street parking ban in unincorporated Jefferson County, but parking on the Clear Creek Canyon (US-6) right-of-way is banned longer than 30 minutes…

Under the county parking ordinance, brief stops to load or unload passengers or property are exempt from "parking." Even oversized Major Motor Vehicles may stop on a county road for…

Jefferson County limits a "Major Recreational Vehicle" or trailer parked on a county highway to 72 hours within any seven-day period, and separately bars sleeping in one overnight on…

Jefferson County's Operation and Parking of Vehicles Ordinance bars standing, parking or stopping any vehicle on a county highway, including a bicycle lane, wherever the Board of…

A fence built on top of a retaining wall must count the total combined height of the wall plus the fence, and that total cannot exceed the maximum height allowed in the applicable zone…

Fences on corner lots must comply with the County's Vision Clearance Triangle. Fences over 42 inches must be set back to the sidewalk edge (or 10 feet from the street flowline where no…

Outside the wildfire interface, Jefferson County does not restrict fence material types in the Zoning Resolution. Inside the WUI, fencing within 8 feet of a structure must be…

Jefferson County lets fences over 42 inches run to the property line between neighboring lots where no street access occurs along that boundary. Corner and multi-frontage lots must…

No. Permits are not required for fences in unincorporated Jefferson County. A gate across access still needs a Miscellaneous Zoning Permit (approved first by the fire district), and…

Jefferson County has no general county ban on residential artificial turf; check your HOA and city. Colorado's HB22-1151 turf-replacement program funds swapping irrigated bluegrass for…

Colorado protects water-wise landscaping. Under CRS 38-33.3-106.5, an HOA may not prohibit xeriscape or drought-tolerant vegetative landscapes on property a unit owner is responsible…

Every landowner in unincorporated Jefferson County has a legal duty to manage noxious weeds. State law (CRS 35-5.5-104): 'It is the duty of all persons to use integrated methods to…

Unincorporated Jefferson County has no general 'tree removal permit' for cutting a tree on your own property. In the Wildland-Urban Interface, wildfire mitigation - including thinning…

Public and semi-public pools in Colorado must submit construction plans to the state health department at least 30 days before building, be inspected, and be certified as…

Above-ground pools are treated the same as in-ground pools in unincorporated Jefferson County: a Miscellaneous Permit is required for a swimming pool of any size, and the pool must…

Jeffco Section 12 requires exterior lights to be full cut-off fixtures above set brightness thresholds - all lamps in mountain areas, and lamps over roughly 1,750 lumens (residential)…

Jeffco Section 12 requires that luminaires and their supporting structure be wholly confined to the property, and it caps light measured at the property line. Residential/agricultural…

Jeffco Open Space parks are open one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. Entering or occupying Open Space Lands during closed hours (unless posted otherwise) is unlawful…

Anyone under 18 must be off public streets, businesses, and other public places in unincorporated Jefferson County by 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, midnight Friday and Saturday, and…

Jeffco's sign code is content-neutral: political/campaign signs are regulated as "Temporary Ground Signs." Up to six per property are allowed with no permit, each up to 8 sq ft and 42…

Jeffco has no separate garage-sale sign category; they fall under content-neutral "Temporary Ground Signs." Up to six per property need no permit, each up to 8 sq ft and 42 inches tall…

Jefferson County bans smoking and tobacco or vapor use on all county-owned buildings, lots, parking areas, and vehicles, allowing it only in specially marked Designated Tobacco Use…

Jefferson County enforces Appendix Y, "Unsafe Buildings and Structures," of its 2024 Building Code Supplements against dangerous structures countywide in unincorporated Jeffco. An…

Jefferson County requires a building permit for most construction, alteration, or repair work beyond minor upkeep. The Building Contractor Licensing policy draws the line: cosmetic…

Plumbing work in unincorporated Jefferson County must meet the 2024 International Plumbing Code as amended by the county's own Plumbing Code Supplement. The Building Safety Division…

Electrical work in unincorporated Jefferson County must meet the 2023 National Electrical Code (NFPA-70) as amended by the county's Electrical Code Supplement. Building Safety enforces…

A Jefferson County home occupation requires a Miscellaneous Permit from Planning & Zoning. It is limited to one non-resident employee, no more than 25 percent or 800 square feet of the…

Jefferson County's Zoning Resolution recognizes two home day-care uses. A Day-Care Home, Small cares for up to 6 children from birth to eighteen with no more than 2 under two years…

Signage for a Jefferson County home occupation must comply with the Sign Section of the county Zoning Resolution. The home occupation must otherwise produce no offensive noise…

Unincorporated Jefferson County has opted out of retail marijuana entirely: cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities and retail marijuana stores are all prohibited…