Effective immediately, the Arapahoe County Sheriff has issued a ban on all open fires and open burning within Unincorporated Arapahoe County and the City of Centennial. The Open Burning Ban will remain in effect until such time as this order is formally rescinded or temporarily suspended by the Sheriff. Arapahoe County Sheriff, Grayson Robinson, has determined that the existing conditions in Arapahoe County present an extreme danger for the possibility of wildfire and large wild-land fires. The authority to implement the OPEN BURNING BAN within Unincorporated Arapahoe County is provided through Arapahoe County Ordinance 2000-02 and Colorado Revised Statute 30-10-512. The authority to implement the OPEN BURNING BAN within the City of Centennial is provided through Colorado Revised Statutes 30-15-401(1)(n.5) and (8) as well as by the direction of Centennial City Manager Jacque Wedding-Scott; on behalf of the Mayor and Centennial City Council.

Open fires or open burning shall be defined as any outdoor fire, including, but not limited to: campfires; warming fires; fires in outdoor wood-burning stoves (chimney sparks); and the prescribed burning of fence lines, fence rows, fields, farmlands, rangelands, wild lands, trash or debris.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s OPEN BURNING BAN is enforced as a County Ordinance violation that, upon conviction, could result in fines of $500.00 for the first offense, $750.00 for a second offense, and $1,000 for a third and subsequent offenses.

OPEN BURNING BAN EXCEPTIONS
The following shall be exempt from the OPEN BURNING BAN:

• Fires contained within liquid-fueled or gas stoves, fireplaces and wood-burning stoves within buildings.

• Small charcoal or gas grill barbecues used for cooking or warming food, which do not produce open flames when used.

• Fires set by any federal, state, or local officer, or member of a fire protection district in the performance of an official duty.

• Public fireworks displays with adequate firefighting personnel and equipment assigned to be on the scene of such permitted public displays.

The Arapahoe County Fire Ban is implemented as a result of discussions between Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson, area Fire Chiefs, the Board of County Commissioners and the City of Centennial.
For additional information contact Sheriff Grayson Robinson at 720.874.4165.