Douglas County fireworks complaints top 800 over Fourth of July weekend
More than 800 fireworks complaints hit Douglas County over the holiday, but 200 calls lacked usable locations, limiting enforcement.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office received 352 fireworks complaints between July 3 and July 5, and about 200 of those locations could not be found because callers did not provide an address or precise spot. Douglas County law enforcement received more than 800 fireworks complaints countywide over the Fourth of July weekend.
Parker Police logged 238 complaints between the evening of July 4 and early July 5, Castle Rock Police recorded 204, and Lone Tree Police received 20. The complaints came from neighborhoods from Parker to Castle Rock to unincorporated Douglas County.
Those complaints came as fire restrictions tightened across the county. The sheriff’s office put Stage 2 fire restrictions in place on July 2 for unincorporated Douglas County, including Larkspur and Castle Pines, with no fireworks allowed under the order. Castle Rock also moved to Stage 2 on July 2, canceled its scheduled Independence Day fireworks show and said conditions were worse than they were during the 2002 Hayman Fire. Parker was under a Stage 1 fire ban effective June 29, which barred personal fireworks but still allowed professional displays. The town planned a remote-viewing show around 9:30 p.m. on July 4 from Salisbury Park, weather dependent.
Enforcement across the county produced at least 65 warnings, citations or summonses. Deputies issued 51 warnings and reported no arrests or citations in the holiday window, while Parker officers handed out eight summonses. Castle Rock officers issued two citations and four written warnings, and Lone Tree issued no citations. Illegal fireworks in unincorporated county areas can be charged as a Class 3 misdemeanor, carrying fines from $50 to $750 and up to six months in jail.
The sheriff’s office also opened a temporary fireworks hotline for July 3 through July 5, staffed from 6 p.m. to midnight, and told residents to use the non-emergency line outside those hours unless there was an active fire or life-threatening emergency. Sheriff Darren Weekly said his office got 786 calls about illegal fireworks between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on July 4 in the prior year. Castle Rock said it would explore rescheduling its professional fireworks display later this year if conditions improved.
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