Adams County, CO Environmental Rules: Defensible Space (2026)

Ordinance No. 2 of the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, effective May 15, 2026, to set the defensible-space material standard for the Immediate Zone, the ring closest to a structure's foundation, walls and attachments in unincorporated Adams County's declared wildfire hazard areas. The rule bars combustible ground cover such as bark mulch, wood chips or dry landscaping fabric from that zone and instead requires rock, gravel, sand, concrete, bare earth, or stone and concrete pavers. The only carve-out is for ignition-resistant plantings drawn from a list the code official approves that is at least as strict as the list the Colorado State Forest Service maintains; ordinary shrubs and grasses that aren't on an approved list don't qualify.

1 based on the state's CWRC Map. The Building Safety Division administers compliance and permitting for the requirement, and the same appeal path applies as for the rest of the wildfire code: Chapters 3 and 5 disputes go to the Board of Adjustment, while Chapters 1, 2 and 4 disputes go to the Building Code Board of Appeals.