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Arapahoe County, CO Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Approved screen types
masonry wall, dense landscaping, or berm
Trigger
loading area facing a public right-of-way
Approval authority
Planning staff, case-by-case
Governing section
LDC § 4-1.2, Design Standards for Parking Areas
Applies only in
unincorporated Arapahoe County

Summary

Unincorporated Arapahoe County requires off-street loading areas that face a public right-of-way to be screened from street view. The Land Development Code's parking and loading standards, § 4-1.2, list masonry walls, dense vegetated landscaping and landscaped berms as approved screening methods, subject to Planning staff sign-off on the specific method chosen.

City-specific rules exist: Aurora, and Centennial have their own loading zones rules that differ from Arapahoe County's county-level regulations. If you live in one of those cities, check the city-specific page instead.

8. DESIGN STANDARDS FOR PARKING AREAS

b. Off-Street Loading Areas All off-street loading areas that face a public right-of-way shall be appropriately screened from view using a masonry wall, dense vegetated landscape, landscaped berm or other method as approved by Planning staff.

Full Breakdown

The Land Development Code folds loading-area rules into its parking and drive-through chapter rather than treating them as a separate ordinance. 2, any off-street loading area that faces a public right-of-way, a delivery dock, service bay or truck court visible from the street, must be screened using a masonry wall, dense vegetated landscape, a landscaped berm, or another method Planning staff approves case by case. The code does not set a fixed screen height or restrict loading hours the way some municipal codes do; instead it hands the County's Planning Division discretion to accept or reject a proposed screening method during site plan review, which happens at the Final Development Plan or Site Development Plan stage before a building permit issues.

1 layers on use-specific loading requirements, a sit-down restaurant must provide one loading space in addition to its seat-based parking count, and a warehousing use must add one space per loading dock on top of its floor-area parking ratio. Because this is a Land Development Code standard, it reaches only unincorporated parcels; a commercial site inside Aurora or Centennial applies that city's own loading standard instead.

Violations & Fines

A site plan showing an unscreened, street-facing loading dock is rejected at Planning Division review before a Final Development Plan or building permit can be approved; the applicant must revise the plan to add an approved wall, landscape buffer or berm. For a project already built without the required screening, Arapahoe County can pursue the standard Chapter 6 enforcement track: notice of violation, a compliance deadline, and referral to code enforcement or the County Attorney's office if the owner does not correct it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every loading dock in unincorporated Arapahoe County need to be screened?
Only loading areas that face a public right-of-way trigger the screening requirement under LDC § 4-1.2. A loading dock oriented toward the rear or side of a site, away from the street, is not subject to the masonry wall, landscaping or berm requirement, though it still must be shown on the approved site plan.
What screening methods does the County accept?
The Land Development Code lists a masonry wall, dense vegetated landscape, or a landscaped berm as acceptable screening for a street-facing loading area, and it also allows Planning staff to approve another method during site plan review if it achieves the same visual buffer.
Does this rule apply to a business inside Centennial or Aurora?
No. The Land Development Code's loading-area screening rule only reaches unincorporated Arapahoe County. Centennial, Aurora, Littleton, Englewood and the county's other cities regulate loading docks and screening through their own municipal zoning codes, not this County provision.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Arapahoe County

All Arapahoe County rules

Compare Arapahoe County to another location·View the Colorado parking rules overview

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