Arvada, CO Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Ban
- Open and public display, use, or consumption
- First offense
- $200 minimum fine
- Second offense
- $300 minimum fine
- Third+ offense
- $500 minimum fine each
- No medical defense
- § 62-216(b) excludes public-use charges
Summary
City Code § 62-213(c) makes it unlawful to openly and publicly display, consume, or use marijuana anywhere in Arvada, backed by minimum fines starting at $200 for a first offense and $500 for each additional violation under § 62-218.
Open and public, or openly and publicly, means a place that is commonly or usually open or accessible by the general public including but not limited to parks, open space areas, trails, paths, sidewalks, streets, highways, and public rights-of-way, mercantile establishments, shopping centers, places of business open to the general public, the common areas of any multi-family dwelling units, parking lots, and vehicles in or upon such places. Open and public does not include the yard, deck, or patio of a single family dwelling unit, condominium, duplex, or town home that is completely enclosed by a solid privacy fence or otherwise screened from ordinary view such that the activity within is not readily apparent to neighbors or passersby....(c)Open and public consumption. It shall be unlawful for any person to openly and publicly display, consume, or use marijuana.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Council Policy Manual: Supplement 1 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
§ 62-213, enacted by Ordinance No. 4392 in 2013 under the city's home-rule police powers, bans marijuana activities beyond what state constitutional amendments allow. ' The article also separately bans possession of more than one ounce by anyone 21 or older, any possession by someone under 21, transporting more than six plants (no more than three flowering), and any marijuana possession, use, or display on city-owned property. Unlike simple possession, the state constitutional affirmative defenses for medical patients and caregivers do not apply to a public-consumption charge; § 62-216(b) expressly excludes open-and-public-consumption charges from that defense. 00 minimum for each additional violation, with every day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Openly displaying, consuming, or using marijuana in a public place, on a sidewalk, in a park, or in the common area of an apartment complex is a petty offense under § 62-218: a minimum $200.00 fine for a first violation, $300.00 for a second, and $500.00 for each subsequent violation, and the medical or retail marijuana affirmative defense in § 62-216 does not apply to this charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke marijuana on my apartment balcony in Arvada?
What's the fine for smoking marijuana in a park?
Does a medical marijuana card protect me from a public-use ticket?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Arvada
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Public Marijuana Use in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jefferson County handle public marijuana use.