Plans and Regulations

The Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and Evacuation Annex (EA) Drafts are ready for Public Review

Both documents can be reviewed as PDFs on their respective pages below.

• Review the CWPP
• Review the EA

Please provide comments on these drafts by Sunday, September 22, 2024.

The Jefferson County Plans and Regulation Update is a two-year process which combines efforts to update the Comprehensive Plan (CP), Transportation & Mobility Plan Plan (TMP), Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan’s Evacuation Annex (CEMP EA) and the Unified Land Use Code (ULUC). Click the links to the right to learn more about each Plan or Regulation update!

• The CP is used to determine the most desirable location of each type of development. The CP is advisory in nature, and provides guidance to residents, staff, and elected and appointed officials on future growth and development in the unincorporated areas of Jefferson County. The Area Plans section of the CP contains additional advisory policies and land use recommendations that are also to be used when reviewing a proposed rezoning, special use, or site approval. The policies in these plans were created to be specific to the Area to which they apply and reflect input from community members, property owners and area agencies.
• The TMP will provide a long‐term transportation vision for the transportation network in the area of Unincorporated Jefferson County and serve as a guiding document for improvements to local and regional roads and multimodal transportation networks that can be updated on a five‐ to seven‐year basis. The County’s goals for the TMP are to be more strategic with existing and future investments in the transportation network and improve mobility and access in a way that is safe and convenient while minimizing vehicle congestion and associated impacts. The TMP will also recognize evolving technology and future trends in transportation systems and service delivery.
• The CWPP was encouraged from the creation of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA) in 2003.The Act enabled Federal land management agencies to forego the creation of environmental assessments and impact statement for fire mitigation in and around communities near federal land. Colorado Senate Bill 09‐001 directed the establishment of guidelines and criteria for the preparation of a CWPP to address wildfires in the fire hazard areas within the unincorporated portions of the County. Updating the CWPP parallel with other critical planning documents allows for the most up to date data and analytics to be incorporated across the board, when appropriate, while planning for land use decisions and considerations for community wildfire risk.
• The CEMP EA is an all‐hazard evacuation plan. The Evacuation Annex is intended to be used as overarching guidance for the development of, in support of, or to supplement information needed in the evacuation plans prepared and maintained by local jurisdictions within Jefferson County. This annex will outline strategies, procedures, recommendations, and organizational structures that can be used to implement a coordinated evacuation effort. The scope of the annex will cover all of unincorporated and incorporated Jefferson County, including all jurisdictions and special districts.
• Jefferson County’s land use regulations consist of four different documents, the Zoning Resolution, the Land Development Regulation, the Transportation Design and Construction Manual, and the Storm Drainage and Technical Design Criteria. Combining these documents into a single document, called the ULUC, is a goal of the County to improve efficiencies for staff and residents. These regulations comprise the primary regulatory document that the County uses to guide quality development with guidance from the Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan. The ULUC includes regulations and standards that address zoning, land uses, natural resource protections, subdivision standards, building setbacks and height, parking, landscaping, and application procedures.