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Development Review Resources#
This page is intended to be a one-stop shop for resources that relate to development review within the City of Fort Collins. If you cannot find the topic you are looking for, please contact us at planning@fcgov.com.
To learn more about the steps involved in the development review process, CLICK HERE. If you are looking for the applications and checklists for the related to our development review process, please check out our APPLICATIONS page.
2023 Land Use Code Updates
On November 1, 2022, City Council adopted a new Land Development Code that would have replaced the 1997 Land Use Code. A referendum was received and certified sufficient by the City Clerk regarding the City’s new Land Development Code. As a result, the new code was repealed and did not go into effect on January 1, 2023. Click HERE for additional information on the referendum.
At a City Council work session on February 14th, City staff outlined potential paths forward for housing-related changes to the Land Use Code, as a replacement for the repealed Land Development Code. Over the coming months City staff will be re-engaging the community and drafting new code language, with the hope of returning to City Council with a new code for adoption in late summer or early fall.
Find My Zoning#
Zoning districts dictate what you may build and how you may build it in different areas of the city. Click the button below to find what zone district you are located in! Once you identify your zone district, you can use the Zoning Matrix to see what uses are allowed in your zone district.
Development Review Tools#
Click on these most commonly used tools below to navigate to them directly:
- CityDocs - Fort Collins Public Records Database
- Fort Collins Land Use Code - a set of City regulations that guide how property is used and developed
- Municipal Code - a broader and more comprehensive set of City regulations not including the Land Use Code and Traffic Code
- FCMaps - an easy, online mapping tool which provides current, local geographic and zoning information
- Land Use Zoning Matrix - a tool to see what land uses are allowed in each zone district
This page is set up as a searchable table based on topic. You can scroll down the page to find the topic you're looking for or navigate using the search box.
| Topic | Description | Department | Publication Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accessory Dwelling Units with Habitable Space | Frequently asked questions and answers about accessory dwelling units with habitable space. | Planning Services | 2018_07 |
| Basement Finish | Building Services | ||
| Capital Expansion Fee | Frequently asked questions and answers in relation to the City's Capital Expansion Fee program. | Engineering Services | 2018_07 |
| Carriage House | Development standards for the construction of carriage houses in the City of Fort Collins. | Planning Services | 2010_01 |
| Commercial Service Information Form (C-1) | Commercial service form required for all commercial projects that require new electric service. | Light & Power | |
| Deck |
Residential Deck Construction Handout - 2015 International Residential Code. Permits are required for decks that are more than 30" above grade, are attached to the house, or serve as the required exit (front) door. |
Building Services | 2017_08 |
| Demolition Permit & Requirements | Commercial and residential demolition permit requirements and application. | Building Services | 2017_12 |
| Demolition/Alteration Review | Link to website providing information about the Demolition/Alteration review process. The review is required when a permit is sought for exterior changes to any building or structure 50 years or older. | Historic Preservation | |
| Detached Garage | Building Services | ||
| Development Agreement | Engineering Services | ||
| Development Construction Permit | Engineering Services | ||
| Easement Vacation | Engineering Services | ||
| Encroachment Permit | Issued when obstructions or encroachments are erected in City right-of-way i.e. tables, fences, posts, dumpsters, etc. | Engineering Services | 2015_04 |
|
Excavation Permit |
Also called a "street cut permit," an excavation permit is issued anytime cutting is done in the City right-of-way i.e. sidewalk work, boring, cutting street. Anyone excavating in the public right-of-way, whether licensed contractors, licensed plumbers, City crews, utility contractors, etc. needs to acquire a permit. | Engineering Services | 2005_05 |
| Extra Occupancy | FAQ (Note: This resource does not reflect the Land Use Code changes made in 2020 and will be updated soon.) | Planning Services | 2018_09 |
| Fence Permit | Permit to install fences adjacent to the Public Right-of-Way. | Engineering Services | 2015_05 |
| Fences & Walls | Weblink providing frequently asked questions and answers that relate to building fences and walls within the City of Fort Collins. A building permit is not required for the installation of a fence, except for those fences which exceed 6 feet in height. | Building Services | |
| Fort Collins Native Plants | Guide to selecting, purchasing, and planting native plants in Fort Collins urban landscapes. | Environmental Planning | 2013_01 |
| Fort Collins Streetscape Standards | The term “streetscape” generally encompasses the visual and pedestrian environment of a street. These streetscape standards involve parameters for tree-lined streets and sidewalks, other landscaping along street edges, and landscaped medians in arterial streets. | Engineering Services | |
| Gas Fire Pit | Building Services | ||
| Green Building | |||
| Group Home | Frequently asked questions and answers about how Group Homes are defined and regulated within the City of Fort Collins. | Planning Services | 2018_07 |
| Home Occupation | Building Services | ||
| Horizontal Banner | Requirements for design. | Engineering Services | 2015_09 |
| House Numbers | Issued when groups want to paint house numbers on curbs in neighborhoods. Usually non-profit groups. | Engineering Services | 2011_02 |
| HP Design Assistance | Historic Preservation | ||
| Integrated Design Assistance Program (IDAP) | Light & Power | ||
| Interior Remodel | Building Services | ||
| Landmark Design Review | Historic Preservation | ||
| Large Retail Design | Planning Services | ||
| Marijuana Retail and Cultivation | |||
| Mason Corridor | |||
| Native Plants | Plants native to Fort Collins are adapted to our rainfall, temperatures, and soil types. In landscaped areas, native plants generally use less water, are hardier, and are more disease resistant than species native to other regions of Colorado, the United States, or other countries. | Natural Areas | |
| Natural Areas Permits | By applying for a permit you help the Natural Areas Department track activities in natural areas to manage impacts, increase safety and avoid conflicts. | Natural Areas | |
| Nature in the City | Nature in the City is a planning effort that capitalizes on long-standing efforts to further protect and integrate nature into the City's fabric through a variety of regulatory, policy, outreach and collaborative solutions. | Natural Areas | |
| Newspaper Encroachment & Indemnity Agreement | Permit required to place any free-standing publication rack within City rights of way. This includes locations within the downtown area occupied by modular condominiums. One (1) permit is required annually - per location. | Engineering Services | 2010_03 |
| Off-site Construction Staging | Zoning Services | ||
| Oil & Gas | |||
| Outdoor Seating Encroachment & Indemnity Agreement | Outdoor seating guidelines | Engineering Services | 2010_03 |
| Over Length/Oversized Vehicle | Issued when an over-length, over-sized, over-weight vehicle uses City streets i.e. trucks hauling large loads (yachts, machinery, etc.). | Engineering Services | 2010_12 |
| Parkway Landscape Amendment Application | Zoning Services | ||
| Patio Cover or Carport | Building Services | ||
| Planned Development Overlay District (PDOP) | Planning Services | ||
| Pole Barn | Must be design and stamped by a Colorado Licensed Structural Engineer | Building Services | |
| Portable Signs in the Right of Way | Permit to place portable signs in public rights of way. This is limited to a defined area (view map). Permit must be inspected and approved prior to placement, "grandfather" locations do not apply (view City Code). | Engineering Services | 2011_04 |
| Recommended Seed Mixes | These mixes are carefully planned to provide landscapers, contractors, and private citizens grasses and wildflowers that thrive in our climate. | Natural Areas | |
| Rental Housing Standards | Coming Soon: Rental housing standards, found in the adopted 2006 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) affects both renters and landlords by providing basic minimum standards. | Building Services | |
| Roof-mounted Solar Standards | Building Services | 2017_11 | |
| Roofing and Re-roofing Requirements | Building Services | 2017_08 | |
| Shed | Building Services | ||
| Short Term Rentals | |||
| Sidewalk & Drive Approach Permit | Issued when work on sidewalk or drive approach for driveway is done. | Engineering Services | 2010_11 |
| Sign Permit Application | Zoning Services | ||
| Single-Family Residential and Townhome Construction | Building permit application submittal requirements for new single-family residential construction, additions, and townhomes. | Building Services | 2016_06 |
| Single-Family to Extra Occupancy Rental Conversion Requirements | Change of Use process that requires Planning Services Review prior to application for a building permit. | Building Services | 2011_07 |
| Stockpiling | Issued to allow temporary storage of suitable fill material for future use in a construction project. | Engineering Services | 2011_02 |
| Sunshade/Pergola | Building Services | ||
| Tips for Native Seed Establishment | Guide for selecting native seed mixes that are custom blended for the Fort Collins Growth Management Area at elevations of 4,800-5,660 feet. | Environmental Planning | 2018_02 |
| Trash and recycling Enclosures Design Considerations | Trash enclosure regulations that apply to all new and significantly remodeled commercial or multi-family structures where refuse is generated by the use of the structure shall provide adequate space for the collection and storage of refuse and recyclable materials. | Planning Services | 2022_08 |
| Urban Agriculture | Planning Services | ||
| Vacation of Right-of-Way | Engineering Services | ||
| Vertical Banner | Requirements for design. | Engineering Services | 2014_03 |
| Water Heater/Furnace/AC | Building Services | ||
| Wood Stoves | Building Services | ||
| Zoning Variance Guidelines & Application | Zoning Services |