Weld County, CO Ordinances (2026)

Weld County requires its own permission before any commercial or organized-group use of a county park: Section 17-2-30(J) bans using park lands or waters 'for any commercial purpose…

Any street fair, festival, or ticketed gathering of more than 30 people on private property in unincorporated Weld County needs a Limited Event Permit under Weld County Code §…

Weld County Code § 23-5-520(A)(3) bars five plant types from any landscaping design inside the I-25 Overlay District: cotton-bearing cottonwood, Siberian elm, Chinese elm, Tree of…

Weld County bans the installation of any graywater treatment system on land or in structures anywhere in the unincorporated area. Ordinance 2025-02, codified at Code § 2-3-30…

New landscaping inside Weld County's I-25 Overlay District must favor drought-tolerant turf over thirsty bluegrass. Weld County Code § 23-5-520(A) directs landscape designers toward…

A veterinary clinic or animal hospital cannot open on rural Weld County land just because the property is zoned Agricultural: Section 23-3-35.V puts them in the county's "uses allowed…

Weld County has no general wildlife-feeding ordinance, but Colorado state law makes it unlawful to place food in the open to lure a wild bear. Along the Front Range edge of the county…

Weld County has no cat ordinance: the animal code (Chapter 14, Article IV) regulates dogs only, so cats need no county license or leash. Cats still count as household pets toward the…

Weld County has no pit-bull or breed ban. Colorado state law, C.R.S. 18-9-204.5(5)(b), lets a county adopt dog-control resolutions but forbids any rule that regulates dangerous dogs…

Weld County's animal code and zoning set no beekeeping-specific standard, so hobby beekeeping is generally treated as a permitted agricultural use on rural and agricultural land…

In Weld County's Agricultural zone, household pets are limited to four of one species or seven of two-plus species per lot (eight or sixteen, plus 30 birds, on 10-plus acres). Keeping…

Weld County's animal code counts fowl as livestock. In the Agricultural zone a lot of at least ten acres (not in a subdivision) may keep up to 30 birds as household pets; larger flocks…

In the Agricultural zone of unincorporated Weld County, keeping, raising or boarding exotic animals is allowed only as a "use by special review" approved by the Board of County…

In unincorporated Weld County it is unlawful to fail to control a dog. "Control" means a leash or tether no more than 25 feet, a containing device, or a fully enclosed escape-proof…

Weld County enforces bicycle-path rules through the state's 2020 Model Traffic Code, which it adopts by reference for every county-maintained street. Riding past an official sign…

Weld County bans motorized vehicles from every trail it owns and operates, but Section 17-3-40 carves out one exception: Class 1 and Class 2 electrical assisted bicycles, as defined by…

Weld County's trail code bans loitering outright: Section 17-3-40(K)(4) makes it unlawful to loiter on any county trail or its designated parking area, borrowing the definition of…

Weld County bans drinking on any county-owned public trail or its designated parking areas outright. County Code § 17-3-40.M makes it a prohibited act 'to consume alcoholic beverages…

Weld County bans soliciting money, business or contributions from vehicle occupants on any publicly maintained road: Section 17-6-40 makes it unlawful to solicit from the occupant of a…

Weld County enacted a countywide camping ban in 2023: Section 17-7-30 makes it unlawful to camp on any County-owned public property, including rights-of-way, whether inside the…

Weld County has opted out entirely: no marijuana cultivation facility, product manufacturing facility, testing facility, or retail marijuana store may operate anywhere in the…

Weld County bans dumping anything but stormwater into its municipal storm sewer system, and requires construction sites to control runoff before, during, and after building. The…

Building, filling, or altering land anywhere inside Weld County's FEMA-mapped 100-year floodplain requires a Floodplain Development Permit before work starts. Weld County Code §…

New homes and additions in Weld County's mapped floodplain must sit a full foot above the base flood elevation, not just at it. Section 23-11-370 sets that one-foot freeboard for new…

Any construction site in unincorporated Weld County that disturbs one acre or more of ground needs a Grading Permit from the Department of Public Works, and within the county's MS4…

Weld County bans parking any 'oversized vehicle' longer than 30 feet or wider or taller than 7 feet on a county-maintained street in a residential area, covering most RVs, campers…

In unincorporated Weld County, parking a commercial vehicle (semi-tractor, dump truck, box truck, construction equipment) at a residence requires a zoning permit and the lot must be a…

Colorado law (C.R.S. §42-4-1802) treats a vehicle left on public property outside city limits for 48 hours or more as abandoned; in Greeley the threshold on city streets is 72 hours…

Weld County requires off-street loading spaces for commercial and industrial buildings over 10,000 square feet, sized at least 35 feet long and 10 feet wide. Sec. 23-4-50 also requires…

Weld County lists EV charging stations as a use allowed by right, with no zoning permit, site plan review or special hearing required. Section 23-3-20 places them among the by-right…

A rooftop panel needs no permit beyond ordinary building sign-off, but a ground-mounted solar farm under five acres, a "5 ACRE SEF," is a full zoning-permit project in Weld County…

Weld County does not require a building permit to put up a fence in the unincorporated county. Section 29-2-20(G) lists fences as work exempt from permit, with one exception: a fence…

In unincorporated Weld County, a fence under six feet tall isn't a regulated "Structure" at all, so it can go right up to the property line with no zoning review. Once a fence reaches…

Weld County wires the unincorporated county to the 2023 National Electrical Code, adopted at Section 29-2-70, with electrical permits and inspections run through the same…

Weld County does not require automatic fire sprinklers in new houses or townhomes. When the County adopted the 2024 International Residential Code, it deleted both sprinkler sections…

Weld County requires zoning sign-off before any building permit is released: the Department of Planning Services checks the application against Chapters 23 and 24 before the Building…

Weld County regulates plumbing work in the unincorporated county under the 2024 International Plumbing Code, adopted at Section 29-2-50, with permits handled through the same…

Weld County requires any new oil and gas well, facility or location to sit at least 500 feet from the boundary of a Child Care Center under its 1041 WOGLA siting rules, Weld County…

Weld County requires a building permit for most new construction, additions and structure moves in the unincorporated county under the adopted 2024 International Building Code. Section…

Weld County caps how many customers a home business can host at once: five in Residential zones, ten in Agricultural and Estate zones. Sec. 23-4-990(E) and (F) also limit…

In unincorporated Weld County, a home business is an accessory use allowed in Agricultural, Estate, and Residential zone districts. In residential zones it must be conducted entirely…

Weld County's zoning code defines a Family Child Care Home in Sec. 23-1-90 but never lists it in any zone district's use table, so a small in-home daycare is not treated as a Special…

Only non-aerial, non-explosive "permissible fireworks" are legal in Colorado. Aerial devices, firecrackers, Roman candles and mortars are illegal statewide. Weld County and its towns…

Starting July 1, 2026, Weld County enforces Colorado's 2025 Wildfire Resiliency Code on every unincorporated parcel the state maps as High, Moderate, or Low Intensity Non-Federal…

Weld County follows the adopted International Fire Code and NFPA 58 for LP-gas tanks. Its design criteria specify that propane containers installed in hazard areas must sit within the…

Open burning in unincorporated Weld County requires a free permit from the Department of Public Health and Environment. Burning is limited to daytime hours, must stay attended, and is…

A recreational cooking fire in a contained fireplace, a manufactured portable fire pit or a chiminea needs no open-burn permit in unincorporated Weld County. Fires must stay attended…

Weld County has no wildfire defensible-space clearance mandate for the high plains. What state law does require is weed control: under the Colorado Noxious Weed Act every landowner…

Smoke alarms are required by the building code Weld County adopts (2018 International Residential Code). Colorado law separately requires a carbon-monoxide alarm within fifteen feet of…

Using a smoker to cook is a recreational cooking fire in Weld County and needs no burn permit. It must stay attended and contained, may be limited during fire restrictions, and…

A backyard barbecue counts as a recreational cooking fire and needs no burn permit in unincorporated Weld County. Multifamily and clearance limits on propane and charcoal grills come…

Weld County's noise ordinance sets no construction hours. It exempts noise produced at a construction site and allows construction and industrial noise up to 80 dB(A). Greeley…

Weld County caps ambient sound at 55 dB(A) in residential and commercial areas and 80 dB(A) in industrial areas and construction sites during the day, dropping five decibels at night…

Weld County does not restrict leaf blowers. Sec. 14-9-60(J) exempts the sound made by a lawnmower, snow blower or other power or hand tool. No county time-of-day or decibel cap applies…

Weld County's noise ordinance does not regulate aircraft. Sec. 14-9-60(C) exempts noise from operating aircraft and other federally preempted activities. Aircraft and crop-duster noise…

Weld County caps vehicle noise on public roads at 80 dB(A) for cars and light trucks in 35-mph zones (84 dB(A) faster) and 86-90 dB(A) for rigs over 10,000 pounds GVWR. County Code §…

Weld County's noise ordinance does not cover barking. Sec. 14-9-60(E) exempts sounds made by dogs and farm animals. Persistent barking is handled as an animal nuisance through animal…

In unincorporated Weld County, residential noise may not exceed 50 dB(A) from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. (55 dB(A) by day). In Greeley, sound-reproduction devices plainly audible at a property…

Unincorporated Weld County requires a building permit for pool and spa installation under the county's adopted 2018 IBC/IRC and International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. Public and…

Colorado's state pool code requires every public and semi-public swimming pool in unincorporated Weld County to sit behind a fence at least 60 inches high with a self-closing…

Weld County's Table 23.2 caps residential building height at 30 feet in the R-1, R-2, R-3, and R-5 zone districts, rising to 45 feet in R-4. The Estate (E) zone, a separate…

Table 23.2 in Weld County Code Sec. 23-3-160 caps how much of a residential lot can be covered by buildings: 50 percent in R-1, R-2, and R-5, 60 percent in R-3, and 70 percent in R-4…

In unincorporated Weld County, the minimum setback from the road right-of-way is twenty feet, with a side/rear offset of at least three feet (residential zones require five feet)…

Weld County and Greeley set no annual cap on the number of nights a property can be rented short-term. Colorado defines a short-term rental as any stay under 30 days, so 30-plus-night…

There is no county STR registry in unincorporated Weld County, but every host must register with the Colorado Department of Revenue to collect state (and any city) sales and lodging…

Weld County's littering ordinance makes it unlawful to deposit, throw or leave any litter on public or private property in the unincorporated county, on roadsides, waters, or farm and…

In unincorporated Weld County, converting a garage into living space creates an accessory dwelling unit. An ADU may be contained within a single-family dwelling, but only one ADU is…

In unincorporated Weld County, one accessory dwelling unit is allowed per legal lot where Article III permits it. The ADU may be attached, detached, or inside a single-family dwelling…

Weld County's Impact Fee Ordinance charges road, drainage and county-facilities impact fees on new development in the unincorporated area. Under Weld County Code § 20-1-70(A), an…

In the unincorporated Agricultural zone, Weld County allows one single-family dwelling per legal lot. A site-built tiny home on a foundation is that dwelling (or an ADU); a tiny house…

In the unincorporated Agricultural zone that covers most of Weld County, accessory structures such as sheds must meet a minimum 20-foot setback and a minimum offset of three feet, or…

Weld County parks have an 11:00 p.m. curfew: using park facilities in any manner after 11 p.m. is prohibited except for permitted overnight camping. Day-use-only areas are open 6:00…

Data centers get their own, stricter noise ceiling in Weld County: on top of the countywide dB(A) limits, Section 23-2-160.U.1 caps data center noise at 65 decibels on the C-scale…

Weld County lets data centers into all three of its Industrial Zone Districts, but the approval path changes by district. I-1 (Light Industrial) requires a discretionary Special Review…

Weld County oil and gas operators cannot vent or flare natural gas except during emergency or upset conditions, but Section 21-5-432 lets them route stranded gas into a beneficial use…

Weld County has no formal dark-sky ordinance, but the Agricultural-zone bulk requirements mandate that outdoor light sources be shielded so beams or rays do not shine directly onto…

Weld County addresses light trespass through its zoning code: outdoor light sources must be shielded so beams do not shine directly onto adjacent properties, and sign lighting may not…

Running a vehicle service or repair business out of a house in unincorporated Weld County is flatly prohibited. Weld County Code § 23-4-990(I)(20) lists VEHICLE SERVICE/REPAIR…

Tattooing, piercing, branding and scarification businesses in unincorporated Weld County need a body art establishment license from the Department of Public Health and Environment…

Weld County's Article IX code bans nude entertainment for anyone under 21 and restricts it to 7 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Saturday. Adult businesses must sit at least 500 feet…

New commercial and industrial development inside Weld County's I-25 Overlay District must landscape its road frontage with a mix of shrubs and trees under Weld County Code §…

Any Minor Subdivision in unincorporated Weld County, a plat splitting a parcel into up to nine lots, must form a homeowners association. Section 24-5-20 makes the HOA mandatory and…

Weld County only allows electronic message displays, its term for digital billboards, in Commercial and Industrial zones. Sec. 23-4-80 keeps them at least 500 feet from residential…

Garage-sale signs in unincorporated Weld County fall under the general small-sign allowance: up to five signs of up to six square feet each per lot. Signs may not be placed in the…

Weld County's sign code is content-neutral, so political yard signs follow the same limits as other signs. Each lot may have up to five signs of up to six square feet each, plus, in…

Unincorporated Weld County has no general grass-height limit, but its Noxious Weed Management Enforcement Policy declares listed noxious weeds a public nuisance and requires all…

Colorado law lets residents collect rooftop rainwater in up to two rain barrels holding a combined 110 gallons or less, for outdoor use on the same single-family or small multi-family…

New development inside Weld County's I-25 Overlay District must maximize native plants in its landscaping: Section 23-5-520(A)(2) directs landscape designers to strive to maximize the…

Weld County's Board of County Commissioners, acting as the local liquor licensing authority, can refuse to renew a bar or nightclub's liquor license over noise. County Code §…

Anyone occupying, constructing, maintaining, excavating within, or encroaching on Weld County road right-of-way needs a Right-of-Way Use Permit from the Department of Public Works…

Weld County codifies a Right-to-Farm Statement at Code Sec. 22-2-30, telling anyone moving into the unincorporated county that noise, dust, odor, smoke and slow-moving equipment from…