Cooler weather and recent moisture have ended fire restrictions across most of Douglas County.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office lifted Stage 1 fire restrictions for all unincorporated areas of the county on Sept. 17, 2026, by order of Sheriff Darren Weekly. The office's fire restrictions page notes that the lift includes Larkspur and Castle Pines.
The Town of Castle Rock announced the same day that its restrictions have been lifted, citing "cooler temperatures, recent moisture and a favorable long-range forecast." The Town's fire restrictions page now states that Castle Rock "is currently under no fire restrictions."
Parker still lists Stage 1 in effect
Incorporated towns set their own restrictions, and not every jurisdiction moves on the same day.
As of this writing, the Town of Parker's own fireworks and fire restrictions page still says Stage 1 restrictions "will remain in place until further notice." Parker's Office of Emergency Management moved the town from Stage 2 down to Stage 1 on Aug. 20, 2026, following Douglas County's lead at the time. Under Stage 1 in Parker, personal fireworks are not allowed.
Parker has followed the county's lead before, so its status may change. Confirm with the Town before lighting anything.
What Stage 1 covers
The Sheriff's Office defines Stage 1 as prohibiting:
- Open burning of any kind
- Use of fireworks
- Use of model rockets
Stage 1 allows fires in liquid-fueled or gas-fueled stoves, fireplaces within buildings, and charcoal grill fires within developed recreation sites.
Violating county fire restrictions is a Class 2 petty offense, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 plus a $10 surcharge.
Check before you burn
Restrictions move with conditions, and the county, the towns, and the national forest do not always match. The Sheriff's Office notes that even with restrictions lifted, "the danger of fire is always present."
- Unincorporated Douglas County (incl. Larkspur, Castle Pines): Douglas County Sheriff's Office fire restrictions
- Castle Rock: crgov.com/firebans
- Parker: Town of Parker fireworks and fire restrictions
Heading outdoors now that fires are allowed again? See our guide to camping near Douglas County and fall events across the county.
Reported September 17, 2026 from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office fire restrictions page (updated 9/17/2026), a Douglas County alert notice, the Town of Castle Rock's announcement and its fire restrictions page, and the Town of Parker's published fireworks and fire restrictions page. Note for the record: the Douglas County news article carrying the Sheriff's lift language is dated June 2, 2026 and refers to an earlier lifting — the Sept. 17 date here comes from the county's current alert notice and the Sheriff's Office page, which are independent of it. We could not find a published current fire restriction status for Lone Tree, so none is stated here.