Thornton, CO

Thornton regulates electric vehicle charging infrastructure for residential and commercial properties. Building codes may require EV-ready parking in new construction.

Thornton bars parking a recreational vehicle, motor home or trailer in a residential right-of-way except while loading or unloading, but allows it by right in a driveway or on a…

Thornton bars parking a commercial, non-passenger vehicle of 8,000 pounds or more gross vehicle weight in a residential zone without a permit, caps eligible vehicles at 10 feet tall, 8…

Thornton adopts the Model Traffic Code for Colorado Municipalities and locally amends Section 1204 to bar parking in the right-of-way strip beyond the curb, on curbwalks without an…

Once Thornton's director designates a street as a snow route, parking there during active snow removal is unlawful. During a declared snowstorm or severe snowstorm alert, the manager…

Thornton defines an abandoned motor vehicle as one left unattended on public property, including the right-of-way, for 24 hours or longer, bans parking or storing it citywide under…

In residential zone districts of unincorporated Adams County, all storage of vehicles must sit on an approved hard surface of asphalt or concrete, and no parking is allowed in the back…

Colorado's Towing Bill of Rights, C.R.S. 40-10.1-405, governs only nonconsensual ("predatory") tows that PUC-permitted towing carriers pull from private property and common parking…

Thornton regulates fence materials by zone. Wood, vinyl, wrought iron, and chain-link common. HOAs frequently impose stricter material requirements.

In unincorporated Adams County, the maximum height of fencing, walls, and screening is 96 inches (8 feet). Screen fences on residentially used property are capped at 42 inches in the…

In unincorporated Adams County, a residential fence up to 7 feet tall does not need a building permit at all, but the Building Code still requires a standard permit for anything taller…

In unincorporated Adams County, any retaining wall over 4 feet high must be designed by a professional engineer as a condition of the building permit. Walls over 36 inches may be…

Adams County does not set a separate 'shared fence' cost-sharing rule; fences on the property line are a civil matter between neighbors. The county does prohibit any fence that…

Kindling or maintaining any open fire in Thornton is unlawful without a fire code official's Open Burning permit under the amended Fire Code Section 307, and permitted burns are…

Thornton lets small contained fire pits, chimineas and outdoor fireplaces skip the Open Burning permit if the fuel area is 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height, but…

Thornton may have wildfire hazard zones requiring defensible space around structures, fire-resistant building materials, and vegetation management.

Thornton's amended Residential Code requires smoke alarms to run on the building's commercial wiring with a 10-year battery backup, or a sealed 10-year battery alone where no…

Adams County bans possessing, manufacturing, storing, selling, handling or using fireworks anywhere in the unincorporated area under the adopted International Fire Code. The ban does…

Colorado adopts NFPA 58 Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code by reference under CRS 8-20-232, applying uniform propane storage, container, and installation rules to all jurisdictions statewide.

Thornton allows up to six hen-only backyard chickens on detached-home lots in most residential districts, but bans roosters, most other livestock, and fowl citywide unless kept under…

Thornton has no citywide mandatory spay/neuter law for all pets, but conviction for a habitually-at-large animal, an aggressive-animal violation, or an animal attack forces the owner…

Thornton outright bans keeping wild animals within city limits, naming big cats, primates, bears, foxes, poisonous or long snakes, alligators, and wolf or coyote hybrids, and police…

Thornton caps most households at four dogs, four cats, or a combination totaling four, dropping to three dogs or three cats if a Vietnamese potbellied pig is also kept, with an…

Thornton does not ban any dog breed by name. Instead it declares an animal 'aggressive' based on its actual conduct, such as biting or repeatedly lunging and snarling at people, and…

Thornton bans letting any domesticated animal run at large within city limits, and repeat offenses within a 12-month period trigger enhanced fines, impoundment, and a court-ordered…

Thornton requires a city beekeeping permit before keeping any hive, limits hive counts by lot size from two to eight hives, and mandates five-foot rear-yard setbacks plus flyway…

Adams County does not require cat licensing, but every cat must be vaccinated against rabies. Off the owner's property, a cat must wear its current rabies tag, and cats causing damage…

Intentionally feeding, or trying to feed, any wildlife in an Adams County park, trail or open space area is unlawful without the county's written permission under Resolution 2022-649's…

Thornton requires every vehicle to run a working muffler, with no cutoff, bypass, or similar modification, and caps drive-by vehicle noise at 80 dB(A) for vehicles under 6,000 pounds…

Thornton bans construction activity noise citywide between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., except in industrial districts or on priority-review projects at least 400 feet from an occupied…

Thornton bars any loudspeaker, PA system, or device that transmits music, instructions, or announcements if the resulting noise is plainly audible across a residential property line…

Thornton makes it a noise violation for any animal or bird to create a plainly audible sound through frequent or habitual howling, barking, yelping, meowing, squawking or squealing…

Thornton caps continuous sound at 55 dB(A) by day and 50 dB(A) by night in residential districts, 60/55 dB(A) in other nonresidential districts, and 80/75 dB(A) in industrial…

Thornton restricts bells and chimes to the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; running them between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in violation of Table A's decibel limits is a noise…

From April 1 through October 31, Thornton limits turf watering to three days a week chosen by the customer, with no irrigation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. New sod and seed get temporary…

Thornton bars property owners and lessees from letting weeds and brush grow past eight inches, with limited exceptions for large lots and specific zoning districts. Owners get 10…

Thornton adopted Model Traffic Code Section 114 as local law through Section 38-523: property owners must trim or remove, at their own expense, any tree limb, shrub, vine, or hedge…

Thornton may encourage or require native and drought-tolerant landscaping. Some areas restrict traditional grass lawns in favor of water-efficient alternatives.

Thornton does not require a homeowner permit to remove a healthy tree, but the city forester can order removal of any tree or plant, public or private, that spreads disease or insects…

Colorado law universally permits residential rooftop rainwater collection up to two rain barrels totaling 110 gallons, overriding the state's strict prior-appropriation doctrine that…

Thornton requires a building permit to construct a residential swimming pool, issued under the city's Building Code, Chapter 10. Pools must be built to the 2024 International Swimming…

Unincorporated Adams County requires a barrier restricting entry to any pool or spa area under Section 305.1 of the county's Swimming Pool and Spa Code. A pool or spa with a powered or…

Unincorporated Adams County allows a short-term rental only under a Short-Term Rental License from the Community & Economic Development Department, applied for at least thirty (30)…

A carport is an accessory structure in unincorporated Adams County and must meet the same setback and 35-foot height limits as other accessory buildings. On a manufactured-home lot…

Unincorporated Adams County permits one ADU per single-family home in any zone district. Minimum 500 sq ft; detached units cap at 1,500 sq ft, up to 25 ft tall. A building permit is…

A single manufactured or tiny dwelling may serve as a single-family home on an individual lot in any residential zone that allows single-family homes, but it must be no more than 5…

Colorado lets you bake, jar and dehydrate for sale out of your own kitchen with no license, no plan review and no routine inspection. C.R.S. § 25-4-1614, the Colorado Cottage Foods…

Colorado requires state licensing for any home caring for more than a small number of unrelated children, with uniform health, safety, and capacity rules that override local zoning…

Colorado has no microenterprise home kitchen permit and no exemption that lets you cook meals to order at home for the public. The state food code closes the question from both…

Thornton limits home marijuana cultivation to a primary residence or its detached accessory structure, caps growth at six plants per adult and 12 per lot, restricts the growing area to…

Every marijuana establishment application filed in Thornton must include a scaled area map proving the proposed site sits at least 1,000 feet from any school and 500 feet from any…

Thornton opted in to retail marijuana licensing under its home-rule authority, but the city caps the entire market at four marijuana store locations and allows no more than one per…

Thornton requires a floodplain development permit under City Code Section 22-312 before any construction or development begins within an area of special flood hazard. The floodplain…

Under City Code Section 22-156(5), anyone holding a Thornton grading or stormwater quality permit must stop sediment and dust from leaving the site using temporary and permanent best…

New residential construction in a Thornton special flood hazard area must set its lowest floor at least one foot above the base flood elevation, City Code Section 22-311(b)(1)a…

Thornton requires a stormwater quality permit before disturbing more than one acre of land, City Code Section 22-115. Permits run up to two years, cap disturbance at 40 acres at a time…

Adams County's wildfire code requires a noncombustible ring of hard-surface materials, such as rock, gravel, sand, concrete, bare earth or pavers, in the Immediate Zone around any new…

Thornton residents must set carts directly at the curb or alley next to their driveway, never on a sidewalk, and only within a fixed set-out window. City Code Section 58-61 requires…

Thornton bans dumping solid waste, hazardous waste, or infectious waste anywhere but a proper collection container. City Code Section 58-59(d) makes it unlawful to place such waste in…

Thornton has no separate curbside yard-waste pickup; tree trimmings, hedge clippings, and similar plant debris go out with regular solid waste under strict prep rules. City Code…

Large or unusual items that Thornton's automated trucks can't handle go through a special collection request rather than curbside pickup. City Code Section 58-57 defines special…

Thornton's curbside recycling service is optional and delivered through city-supplied green containers under City Code Chapter 58, Article III. Customers must rinse cans and eligible…

Thornton provides one weekly collection of refuse per customer as part of its solid waste service. City Code Section 58-62 sets recycling on a schedule the environmental services…

Ordinance No. 17 requires every unincorporated Adams County trash hauler to run leak-proof, tarped vehicles labeled with the company name and phone number, carry at least $150,000 per…

Thornton Code Section 42-376 makes it unlawful to conduct or permit massage at any location in the city without first obtaining a massage parlor license, issued alongside the state…

Thornton requires anyone running a pawnshop to hold an annually renewable, nontransferable pawnbroker's license from the city before making a single loan or purchase. Licensees must…

Thornton requires every adult bookstore, cabaret, theater, arcade, motel, novelty shop, escort agency, or nude model studio to hold an annually renewable city license under Article…

Colorado requires retailers selling cigarettes, vapor products, and other tobacco items to obtain a state retail tobacco license and follow strict point-of-sale rules.

Thornton confines mobile food truck vending to collector and local streets with legal on-street parking, and bars trucks from setting up within 150 feet of an open restaurant's public…

Operating a mobile food truck in Thornton requires an International Fire Code operational permit plus a sales and use tax business license, a Thornton Fire Department inspection and a…

Unincorporated Adams County limits food and merchandise vending stands to sidewalks at least 6 feet wide, bans them within 24 feet of any crosswalk or bus stop, and caps stand size at…

Thornton Code Section 42-27 makes it unlawful to possess an open container of or consume any alcoholic or fermented malt beverage in public, unless on premises licensed under…

Thornton does not ban smoking outdoors citywide; Article XI's indoor smoking rules exempt the outdoor area of any business. Instead, Section 46-42(a)(9) bars smoking within 25 feet of…

Thornton Municipal Code Section 38-297 makes it unlawful to openly and publicly display, consume, or use two ounces or less of marijuana anywhere in the city, or to use any amount in a…

Thornton makes it a crime to urinate or defecate on any public street, alley, or highway, in a public parking lot, or in any area open to public view that isn't designated for that…

Thornton lets skateboards and electric skateboards use parks and trails, but riders must obey traffic laws, yield to pedestrians, and stay off playgrounds, tennis and game courts, and…

Thornton bars anyone from soliciting money, employment, contributions, or sales from occupants of vehicles traveling on a city street or highway when doing so puts the solicitor in the…

Adams County bars anyone under 18 from loitering on streets, sidewalks, parking lots, parks or yards, public or private, without permission of the owner or occupant, unless with a…

For non-residential off-street parking used after dark in the South Thornton Urban Renewal Authority area, City Code Section 10-260(d) requires shielded, indirect or diffused light…

Thornton requires exterior and interior lighting in every zoning district to be designed and installed so direct rays stay confined to the site where the fixture sits, protecting…

Thornton enforces the National Electrical Code as adopted by the State of Colorado for all electrical work under City Code Section 10-162. Electrical contractors must hold a valid…

Thornton requires a building permit from the Building Department before anyone erects, enlarges, remodels, alters, repairs, moves, converts, demolishes or changes the occupancy of a…

Thornton's amended Building Code requires carbon monoxide detection whenever permitted interior work occurs in an existing home or institutional occupancy with an attached garage or a…

Thornton adopts the 2024 International Plumbing Code by reference as its Plumbing Code under City Code Section 10-153, governing construction, alteration and repair of all plumbing…

Within the South Thornton Urban Renewal Authority area, City Code Section 10-251(c) requires owners of non-residential premises to keep sidewalks, walkways, stairs, driveways and…

Thornton police officers and code compliance officers may order the removal of any article, vehicle, or other encumbrance blocking a street, alley, sidewalk, parkway, or public way. If…

Private signs that project into Thornton's public rights-of-way need an encroachment approval, not just a building permit. City Code Section 70-13 caps how far a projecting sign can…

Thornton does not ban recreational drone flying, but Section 38-358 bans careless or reckless UAS operation that risks injury or property damage, bars flying to spy on someone with a…

Thornton bans launching or landing unmanned aircraft systems in any city park, parkway, open space, trail, or recreational facility unless the location is posted to allow it. The same…

The one drone launch site Adams County allows without a permit, the Riverdale Regional Park drop-in gravel lot, shuts down whenever that ground hosts a permitted special event, a…

Commercial drone operations in Colorado are governed almost entirely by FAA Part 107, with limited state additions covering wildlife, critical infrastructure, and privacy that apply…

Thornton makes it unlawful to maintain listed blighting conditions on real property, from outdoor building-material storage and dilapidated merchandise to inoperable or abandoned…

Thornton owners, agents, and tenants must clear snow, sleet, or ice from adjoining sidewalks within 24 hours of the last accumulation. Depositing snow onto a street, sidewalk, fire…

There is no separate vacant-lot ordinance in unincorporated Adams County, but the same blight, weed and rubbish rules apply. Owners must keep lots free of trash, junk and overgrown…

Thornton Code Section 38-641 defines an electrical assisted bicycle as pedal-equipped, under 750 watts, capped at 20 mph motor power, and sets where it may ride: pedaled e-bikes are…

Bicycles, including e-bikes and unicycles, may only be ridden on trails specifically designated for that use within Adams County parks, trails and open space areas, and at Riverdale…

Colorado runs two separate regimes. A low-speed electric vehicle is a motor vehicle under C.R.S. § 42-1-102 (58)(a), so it is titled, registered, plated and driven on a licence, and…

Thornton makes it a crime for a door-to-door solicitor to approach a private residence displaying a conspicuous "no solicitors" or "no soliciting" sign, and separately bars any…

Thornton makes it unlawful to block a street or sidewalk in a way that hinders or impedes pedestrians or vehicles, a content-neutral obstruction rule that reaches a person's body…

Adams County bans overnight camping, and overnight vehicle, trailer or camper parking for camping purposes, in every county park, trail and open space area. Adams County Park Rangers…

Thornton closes its parks, open spaces, and recreational trail corridors overnight, from 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m., under City Code § 46-37. Fishing facilities run on their own…

Thornton bars juveniles from loitering in public between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. on school nights and between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, unless accompanied by a parent…

Thornton requires customers and owners to keep plumbing, pipes, meter connections, and irrigation systems free of leaks. Once the city issues a notice of violation, the leak must be…

New construction in Thornton must comply with the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code, adopted in full under City Code Section 10-182 and renamed the Electric Ready and…

This is a statewide protection against private restrictions, not a local mandate: Colorado voids any deed, contract, or HOA covenant blocking a renewable energy device wherever one…

Thornton levies a 7% excise tax on the price paid for hotel rooms, guesthouses, mobile homes, autocamps and other public accommodations rented to guests, collected in lieu of the…

In the South Thornton Urban Renewal Authority area, City Code Section 10-258 requires all non-residential structures to be kept free of insect and rodent infestation, with the owner…

In unincorporated Adams County, dwellings in the R-1-C and R-2 districts are capped at 25 feet, and accessory structures at 16 feet. Agricultural (A-1/A-2) dwellings may reach 35 feet…

Instead of a flat percentage cap, Adams County limits accessory building coverage: 900 square feet in the R-1-C district (single-family), 450 square feet per unit in R-2, and 80 square…

In the R-1-C residential district of unincorporated Adams County, principal structures need a 20-foot front setback, 17/5-foot side setbacks, and a 15-foot rear setback. Agricultural…

Adams County regulates political signs content-neutrally as temporary signs. On residential lots one temporary sign up to 32 sq ft may be displayed for up to 14 consecutive days, and…

Garage-sale signs fall under Adams County's content-neutral temporary sign rule: up to 32 sq ft, on private property, for no more than 14 consecutive days (twice per year per lot)…

Any group of 25 or more people gathering at an Adams County park, trail, or open-space area must obtain a special use permit under Rule 19, submitting the dates, times, and specific…

Adams County's fire code bars gas or charcoal grills and other open-flame cooking devices from balconies, under overhangs, or within 10 feet of any structure, unless the building is…

Colorado allows local governments to adopt minimum wages above the state rate under CRS 8-6-101, with statewide minimums adjusted annually for inflation.

Colorado requires paid sick leave under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act and offers paid family medical leave through the FAMLI program funded by payroll premiums.

Colorado requires a concealed handgun permit issued by the county sheriff to carry a concealed firearm in public, with training and background check requirements.

Colorado repealed firearms preemption in 2021, allowing cities and counties to enact local gun regulations stricter than state law in most circumstances.

Colorado generally permits open carry of firearms by adults without a license, though local jurisdictions may impose restrictions in specific areas after the 2021 preemption repeal.

Colorado allows adults legally able to possess a firearm to carry a handgun in a private vehicle for lawful protection without a permit under CRS 18-12-105.5.

Colorado's constitution confines all commercial casino gaming to the historic commercial districts of Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek: nowhere else in the state is a casino…

Colorado bars all lotteries and games of chance except licensed bingo and raffles run by charities. The Secretary of State issues bingo-raffle licenses only to religious, charitable…

Colorado's criminal code doesn't reach purely social gambling. C.R.S. section 18-10-102(2)(d) carves any game, wager, or transaction incidental to a bona fide social relationship out…

Colorado legalized sports betting statewide in 2020 under C.R.S. section 44-30-1505, but the state issues a "master license" only to holders of an existing retail gaming license -- the…

Under the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act, C.R.S. § 38-33.3-316, an association has a statutory lien for unpaid assessments. After HB22-1137 (2022) it may foreclose only once…

Colorado law entitles any unit owner in a common interest community to examine and copy the association's records without stating a reason. C.R.S. § 38-33.3-317 bars boards from…

C.R.S. § 38-33.3-302 lets a Colorado association enforce covenants and 'levy reasonable fines' only 'after notice and an opportunity to be heard.' Architectural and landscaping…

Colorado bars homeowners associations from effectively prohibiting six specific energy efficiency devices: a retractable clothesline, evaporative cooler, garage or attic fan…

Colorado law limits how homeowners' associations regulate yard landscaping, but the strongest protections in C.R.S. § 38-33.3-106.5(1)(i.5) apply only to single-family detached homes…

Colorado's flag protection applies only inside common interest communities, HOAs, condos, and co-ops governed by the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act, not to every property…

Colorado's Common Interest Ownership Act sets statewide due-process and dollar limits on how condo and homeowner associations fine owners and collect delinquent accounts, with one…

A Colorado association's assessment lien attaches automatically the moment the declaration is recorded, but foreclosing it has become the hardest remedy in the association's toolkit…

Colorado never passed a law creating sobriety checkpoints. The word "roadblock" does not appear anywhere in the Colorado Revised Statutes, and "checkpoint" appears in the statutory…

Colorado is one of the few states that put the right to film officers into its own sentence of statute. C.R.S. § 16-3-311(1) says a person "has the right to lawfully record any…

Colorado writes the demand into statute and then declines to punish the refusal. C.R.S. § 16-3-103 lets a peace officer who reasonably suspects you of a crime stop you and require your…

Colorado is one of a small group of states that requires the advisement out loud. Under C.R.S. § 16-3-310, before a peace officer may conduct a consensual search of a vehicle, of a…

Before filing an eviction for nonpayment of rent, a Colorado landlord must serve a standard residential tenant with 10 days' written notice to pay or quit under Colo. Rev. Stat. §…

Colorado law implies a warranty of habitability in every residential lease. A landlord must respond within 24 hours to conditions that materially interfere with life, health, or…

Colorado HB23-1171 created a statewide for-cause eviction standard requiring landlords to cite specific statutory grounds, such as nonpayment or lease violations, before terminating…

Colorado caps residential late fees at the greater of $50 or 5% of the past-due rent. No late fee may be charged until rent is at least seven days late, and only if disclosed in…

To end a no-fault tenancy, Colorado requires written notice scaled to the tenancy length under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-40-107: 21 days for a month-to-month tenancy, 28 days for…

Colorado prohibits rent control statewide. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-301 declares rent control a matter of statewide concern and bars any county or municipality from enacting an…

For residential tenancies with no written agreement (including month-to-month), a Colorado landlord must give at least 60 days' written notice before raising rent. Statewide, a…

Colorado caps residential security deposits at two months' rent. Landlords must return the deposit, with an itemized written statement of any deductions, within 30 days of lease…

Colorado's general adverse possession period is 18 years of open, continuous, hostile possession under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-41-101. The period shrinks to 7 successive years where the…

Colorado's Right to Farm Act under CRS 35-3.5-102 shields agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits when they follow generally accepted practices and predate complaints.

Colorado banned single-use plastic carryout bags and polystyrene foam containers statewide under the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, fully effective in 2024.

Colorado prohibits retail food establishments from using expanded polystyrene foam containers for ready-to-eat food and beverages under the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act.

Colorado prohibits the sale and furnishing of cigarettes, tobacco, and nicotine vapor products to anyone under age 21 statewide under CRS 18-13-121.

Colorado permits four categories of extra forward lighting and caps each at two lamps: spot lamps, fog lamps, auxiliary passing lamps and auxiliary driving lamps, under C.R.S. §…

Colorado has no statute naming dash cameras and no list of permitted windshield attachments, so two general rules decide where one may go. Section 42-4-201 (4) requires the driver’s…

Riding between lanes of traffic is illegal in Colorado. C.R.S. § 42-4-1503 (3)(a) forbids driving a motorcycle or autocycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows…

Colorado writes its plate-cover ban around machine readability. C.R.S. § 42-3-202 (2)(b) makes it unlawful to operate a motor vehicle with an affixed device or substance that causes…

A passenger-car driver in Colorado may use a radar detector. Nothing in title 42 regulates one: the word "detector" does not appear anywhere in the Vehicles and Traffic title. What…

Colorado puts no calendar on studded tires. C.R.S. § 42-4-228 (3) lets single-tired passenger vehicles, and other single-tired vehicles rated up to and including three-fourths of a…

Colorado sets a single light transmittance figure for every window except the windshield. Under C.R.S. § 42-4-227 (1)(a)(I) no window other than the windshield may allow less than…