Douglas County Reinstated Stage 1 Fire Restrictions Today. No Backyard Fireworks for the Fourth.

Well, that was a short break. Douglas County lifted its fire restrictions less than a month ago after a wet stretch in early June. As of today, June 29, they are back. The Sheriff's Office has reinstated Stage 1 fire restrictions across all unincorporated parts of the county, plus the City of Castle Pines and the Town of Larkspur, and they hold until further notice.

The timing is rough and pretty predictable. The county's Office of Emergency Management points to the usual midsummer problem: no real moisture, wind in the forecast, and thin state firefighting resources while crews are spread across multiple wildfires elsewhere in Colorado. Late June on the Palmer Divide dries out fast, and the calendar did the rest.

The part you actually came here for: no fireworks for the Fourth

Stage 1 bans personal fireworks of any kind through the holiday, along with open burning and model rockets. If the restrictions are still in effect on July 4, and nothing about the forecast suggests they will not be, lighting fireworks in your driveway is a Class 2 petty offense that can run up to a $1,000 fine plus surcharge.

Here is the part people forget every year: in Douglas County, any firework that leaves the ground or explodes is already illegal, restrictions or not. Most towns ban even the ground-based fountains. So the practical reality has not changed as much as the headline suggests. Stage 1 mostly turns "technically illegal" into "actively enforced," and the Sheriff has said deputies will be watching.

The good news is the professional shows are still on. Licensed displays are exempt under state law, and Castle Rock, Parker, and Lone Tree are all still planning their Fourth of July fireworks. Highlands Ranch is the outlier, skipping fireworks for a July 2 concert and a parade. We rounded up every fireworks show in the county here. Go watch one of those and skip the fine.

What is actually allowed under Stage 1

It is not a total fire blackout. You can still use:

• Gas and liquid-fueled stoves, and fireplaces inside buildings
• Charcoal grills in developed residential and commercial areas, so the backyard barbecue is fine
• Wood stoves indoors
• Small recreational fires in permanent metal fire pits at developed picnic or campground sites, with flames under four feet
• Tiki torches, chimineas, and patio fire pits, as long as a responsible adult is watching

What is out: open burning of any kind, slash piles, and anything resembling a backyard bonfire.

Bottom line

If you were planning your own fireworks this weekend, do not. It is banned, it is enforced, and most of what people set off here is illegal anyway. Fire up the grill, go see a real show, and check the Sheriff's Office fire restrictions page before you light anything, because the stage can change with the weather.