Douglas County Video
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HISTORY
In 2008, Douglas County amended and adopted the Douglas County Wildfire Mitigation Standards. These Standards were adopted as Appendix Chapter 58 to the Building Code; therefore, the wildfire mitigation program is administered by the Building Division. These regulations were adopted to establish minimum standards for residential development and construction in a wildfire hazard area. Any proposed developments or residential building projects may be subject to these regulations.
Douglas County is situated along Colorado’s Front Range with elevations ranging from 5,400 feet in the northeast to 9,836 feet at Thunder Butte in the Pike National Forest. Plant communities include prairies with grass being the dominant vegetation to heavily forested areas with Douglas fir on the northern slopes and ponderosa pine on the southern slopes. Typical dominant vegetation in most of the county 
is Gambel (scrub) oak, ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and prairie grasses, often in mixed stands including all of these species with a
number of less dominant brush-type species such as mountain mahogany snowberry.
Many homes in the county are located in this type of setting, with many on acreage lots, either in planned subdivisions or on larger individual properties. Also, many of the homes on these properties are located very close to significant amounts of flammable vegetation.
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For many people, the native vegetation is a valuable asset and one of the main reasons they selected that property. Having vegetation on your property, especially when it is close to the house, does enhance the beauty and privacy of the property. This combination also brings risk into the picture. One way to look at the natural vegetation is as a landscape feature. Another way to see it is as fuel for a wildfire. Both are accurate in their own way. These two views don’t have to conflict with one another. The aesthetic values do not have to be sacrificed to decrease the wildfire hazard. The associated web pages provide basic information about wildfire mitigation, list links to other web-based resources to learn more, and answer questions for homeowners, prospective purchasers of vacant property or existing homes and for homebuilders about how the Douglas County Building Division regulates property development in wildfire hazard areas. |
Questions about wildfire mitigation in general, or specific regulations, may be directed to the Douglas County Wildfire Mitigation Specialists. They also are available to provide advice on-site. Douglas County Building Division at 303.660.7497.