Douglas County lifts all fire restrictions in unincorporated areas

Douglas County residents in unincorporated areas could again use open fires, burn outdoors, launch fireworks and model rockets after Sheriff Darren Weekly lifted all fire restrictions on June 2.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said the decision ended Stage 1 restrictions that had been in place since Dec. 15, 2025. County officials said recent moisture and a more favorable long-range forecast gave them enough confidence to rescind the order, but they warned that fire danger in Colorado can swing quickly even after a wetter stretch.

The change applies only to unincorporated Douglas County, where the sheriff acts as county fire warden under the county’s restriction methodology. Incorporated communities, including places such as Castle Pines and Larkspur, can follow their own fire rules, so neighbors just a few miles apart may not be under the same restrictions at the same time.

For people who live outside town limits, the practical effect is immediate. Yard cleanup, landscaping work, outdoor equipment use and summer gatherings are easier now that the county’s Stage 1 limits are gone. The sheriff’s office said its fire restrictions page showed no current fire restrictions in Douglas County as of June 2, and residents were still urged to check conditions before using fire outdoors and to follow local safety guidance.

Douglas County has treated fire restrictions as a recurring issue in recent years. Stage 1 restrictions were lifted on Nov. 6, 2024 and again on Sept. 16, 2025 after moisture improved conditions. In 2024, the county moved from Stage 1 to Stage 2 on Oct. 8, and officials said violations of Stage 2 rules could be prosecuted as a Class-2 petty offense punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 plus surcharge.

County public-safety planning has long treated wildfire as a major hazard. The Douglas County Office of Emergency Management says wildfire is among the natural threats the county prepares for through its mitigation process, and the National Weather Service in Denver/Boulder provides county-level fire and weather information that helps officials track changing conditions. For now, the restrictions are gone in unincorporated Douglas County, but the county made clear they could return quickly if weather and fuels turn dry again.