As an unincorporated part of El Paso County, nine county ordinances and one resolution govern part of the behavior of Falcon residents. The ordinances are summarized below. For details and penalties for failure to comply, visit the county Web site at www.elpasoco.com and click on “county ordinances.”Ordinance 84-1 Temporary General Assistance Program: This ordinance provides for “temporary general assistance to the poor.”Ordinance 92-1 Prohibiting the Accumulation of Rubbish: This ordinance makes it unlawful for any landowner to allow rubbish to accumulate on their property. It also prohibits anyone from dumping trash in the County except in designated spots.Ordinance 92-2 Requiring the Removal of Weeds and Brush: According to this ordinance, it is unlawful to allow weeds or brush to grow unchecked on any residential lot that is one acre or less, or to allow such growth on alleys or sidewalks that are adjacent to the lot.Ordinance 93-1 To Prevent and Restrain Loitering and Disorderly Assemblies Involving Juveniles during Specified Nighttime Hours: The title of this ordinance pretty much explains the ordinance. The “specified nighttime hours” depend on the day of the week and there are exceptions made for employment and organization-sponsored events.Ordinance 94-1 Undesirable Plant Management Ordinance: The ordinance identifies six plants as undesirable and two as “potentially being designated as undesirable.” It declares that it is the duty of citizens owning land to control these noxious plants on their property.Noxious weeds, simply defined, are non-native and invasive in nature. Mark Johnston, El Paso County Forestry and Noxious Weed Manager, said most of the undesirable plants on the list were accidentally imported from Europe. “When introduced to our environment, they become a problem,” he said. “If not controlled, they can threaten our native species, producing poor grazing land, and eventually cause long-term changes in our ecosystem.”For pictures and descriptions of the weeds, visit www.elpasoco.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and on the department pull-down, click on “forestry and noxious weeds.” El Paso County also offers a free site visit for concerned county citizens. A knowledgeable employee will help identify the controlled weeds and offer management advice. To arrange for a visit, call 520-7656.Ordinance 04-1 Movement and Parking of Motor Vehicles on Public Property: This ordinance states that the Model Traffic Code of Colorado will be applied to El Paso County with a few deletions.Ordinance 96-3 The Control and Prevention of Graffiti in the Unincorporated Territory of El Paso County: This prohibits anyone in any way defacing private or public property without the written consent of the owner. The ordinance also makes it unlawful for an owner to leave graffiti on his property after he’s been notified to remove it.Ordinance 02-1 Concerning Noise Levels in Unincorporated El Paso County: This ordinance gets quite technical with decibel levels, but it says don’t be noisy unless you meet one of the exceptions. Included in the exceptions are construction projects, airplanes and sporting events.Ordinance 02-2 El Paso County Open Fire and Open Burning Restriction Ordinance: This ordinance declares that the fire marshal has the authority to impose stage one or stage two restrictions on fires. Stage 2, the more stringent of the two, prohibits all open burning, the sale or use of fireworks and outdoor smoking. There are a few exceptions.Resolution 02-394 Pet Control/Dog Licensing: Of this long resolution, only a small part applies to unincorporated El Paso County. Jamie Norris from the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region said, “There are virtually no animal control services in unincorporated parts of the county. No licensing is required.” The part of the ordinance that does apply states that vicious dogs running at large may be impounded, and they may be destroyed if it’s not possible to impound the dog safely. It also states that if a dog causes bodily injury to a person or another animal, the owner may be charged with a misdemeanor.Norris said citizens who feel a stray must be impounded could bring it to the shelter in Colorado Springs, but if a stray is aggressive or dangerous, the El Paso County Sheriff’s office should be called.Many activities not covered under the El Paso County ordinances might be addressed by Colorado law or a subdivision’s covenants.
