The Land Use Code is one of the city’s main tools for regulating land uses and implementing the policies of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. The code is always evolving and is updated for a variety of reasons, including:
The Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan is used by the City of Boulder and Boulder County to guide long-range planning, the review of development proposals and other activities that shape the built and natural environments in the Boulder Valley.
The Land Use Code is one of the city’s main tools for regulating land uses and implementing the policies of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan.
The city researches and drafts ordinances to amend the Land Use Code, and community engagement is vital to the process and helps to guide and shape all amendments. All changes to the Land Use Code are reviewed by the Planning Board at a public hearing before being considered by the City Council for adoption. Learn how to participate in City Council meetings. Here is a list of current and past code changes:
The city is continuing work on the last few recommended updates from the Access Management Parking Strategies (AMPS). Adopted by City Council in 2017, AMPS is Boulder's guide to improving access across the city by increasing transportation options — walking, biking, busing and driving — for people who live, work and recreate in Boulder.
Staff is currently developing options for the implementation of changes to off-street parking standards, transportation demand management requirements and on-street parking management strategies.Learn more on the project webpage.
Contact Project Manager: Lisa Houde
This 2024-2025 council priority aims to review policies and regulations and identify operational enhancements or code updates focused on wildfire hardening (building and properties) and waterwise landscaping (native plants and nonfunctional turf).
The city is planning to adopt the 2024 International Wildland Urban Interface Code this spring. This will be a first step in the City Council’s 2024-2025 priority project to update city policies and regulations to support wildfire hardening.
Visit Be Heard Boulder to learn more, or attend one of the upcoming public hearings:
The city is working on updates to Wireless Communication Facilities and Small Cell Wireless in the city right-of-way based upon the latest Federal Communications Commission rulings and interpretations.
Contact Project Manager: Geoff Solomonson
Take a look at 2024 State Land Use bills and how they impact the City of Boulder.
Ordinance 8684 – On March 20, 2025, City Council adopted the 2024 International Building Codes (I-codes) which were published by the International Code Council. The I-codes were adopted with local amendments specific to the City of Boulder. These codes will go into effect Aug. 1, 2025.
Ordinance 8651 – City Council adopted this ordinance on March 6, 2025 to meet state requirements. In 2024, the State of Colorado passed bills that relate to more broadly allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and prohibiting residential occupancy limits based on number of unrelated people within a dwelling unit.
Ordinance 8666 – City Council adopted the Family Friendly Vibrant Neighborhoods ordinance on Feb. 6, 2025, which changes RR, RL-1 and RMX-1 zones, and makes other updates to the Land Use Code. This 2024-2025 council priority aimed to evaluate the land use code for modifications that could remove zoning barriers to housing units that are smaller, modest-sized units, typically referred to as ‘missing middle’ housing, with a focus on transit corridors and walkable areas near downtown and neighborhood centers.
Changes include:
The ordinance also exempts out some 100% permanently affordable housing projects from the Site Review process that before, may have triggered Site Review due to the size of the project or site. Exempted projects would undergo an Affordable Housing Design Review per 9-13-4. Projects involving any setback or height modifications would still require Site Review. Updates were also made to the Site Review thresholds table (Table 2-2) to remove triggers based on number of dwelling units and reducing site size related thresholds in some zones.
These changed go into effect on March 8, 2025.
Contact Project Manager: Karl Guiler
Ordinance 8650 – Adopted February 6, 2025. Aligns accessory dwelling unit regulations with recently adopted state legislation. Effective March 8, 2025.
Ordinance 8665 – City Council passed Ordinance 8665 on Jan. 9, 2025, which regulated natural medicine businesses consistent with state law in the City of Boulder. The rules went into effect on the date of adoption. Ordinance 8665 regulates natural medicine healing centers the same as medical offices in the city’s land use code and regulates any natural medicine cultivation, product manufacturing, or testing facilities the same as light manufacturing in the city’s land use code. Consult Table 6-1, Use Table for the allowable locations and applicable process (e.g., Use Review is required for some medical offices in some residential zoning districts).
Any natural medicine business, defined within the link to the adopted ordinance below, requires a business license and must be at least 500 feet from any middle, junior, or high school. Note that the distance measurement is as specified by the state law (see the natural medicine businesses definition in the ordinance for the Colorado Code citation). A natural medicine business license is also required from the State of Colorado Department of Revenue.
For information on if a natural medicine business is permitted on a site, and more information on the ordinance, visit the project website.
Ordinance 8658 – Adopted Dec. 19, 2024. Simplifies certain historic preservation review processes.
The latest update was approved June, 2024. The City of Boulder Energy Conservation Code sets minimum energy performance standards for newly constructed and renovated buildings. Learn more about the changes and the code at boulderenergycode.com.
Ordinance 8622 – Adopted June 20, 2024. Simplifies certain development review processes.
Ordinance 8620 – Adopted March 7, 2024. Fixes errors, clarifies code sections, updates graphics and improves clarity of the code.
Ordinance 8590 – Adopted Nov. 16, 2023. Update use table and standards in business and mixed use zoning districts to support walkable neighborhood center policies in the BVCP.
Ordinance 8601 – Adopted Nov. 2, 2023. Modifies affordable housing requirements and incentives.
Ordinance 8599 – Adopted Oct. 5, 2023. Updates intensity, form and bulk, use, parking and subdivision standards to support affordable and modest sized housing.
Ordinance 8585 – Adopted Aug. 17, 2023. Increases the number of people that may occupy a dwelling unit.
Ordinance 8581 – Adopted July 20, 2023. Extends land use approval expiration from one year to three years and provides flexibility for approvals that expired during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ordinance 8571 – Adopted May 4, 2023. Updates Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) process and standards to remove barriers to ADU construction.
Ordinance 8515 – Adopted Feb. 16, 2023. Updates Site Review criteria to be clearer and more descriptive.
Ordinance 8556 – Adopted Feb. 16, 2023. Updates use table and standards in industrial areas to align with BVCP policies.
Ordinance 8523 – Adopted June 21, 2022. Reorganizes Chapter 6 to simplify use table and standards.
Ordinance 8514 – Adopted Dec. 14, 2021. Adds use standards and processes for oil and gas operations.
Ordinance 8510 – Adopted Nov. 9, 2021. Updates regulations for restaurants in public zoning districts.
Ordinance 8409 – Adopted Oct. 6, 2020. Cleans up and clarifies code language.
Ordinance 8380 – Adopted Feb. 13, 2020. Removes the University Hill area from the Medium Density Overlay Zone.
Ordinance 8359 – Adopted Oct. 29, 2019. Establishes new Community Benefit program related to building height regulations.
Ordinances 8358 and 8337 – Adopted Oct. 29, 2019. Creates new Opportunity Zone overlay prohibiting demolition of attached dwelling units. Updates use standards in overlay zone.
Ordinance 8296 – Adopted Feb. 5, 2019. Restricts other ground floor uses in the Business Community district to preserve commercial retail uses.
Ordinance 8252 – Adopted June 19, 2018. Extended height standards until 2020.
Ordinance 8244 – Adopted June 5, 2018. Addition of development standards for ground floor commercial uses in the MU-3 district along Pearl Street.
Ordinance 8256 – Adopted Dec. 4, 2018. Incremental updates to ADU regulations.
