Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Northglenn, Colorado

Northglenn’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Detached one- and two-family dwellings and single-family townhouses inside Northglenn city, under the city's residential building code.

  • Adopts the 2021 edition of the International Residential Code with local amendments listed in section 10-8-5, and appendices AF, AH, AK, AO, AQ, AR and AS, per section 10-8-6.
  • Section 10-8-7 applies the code to residential buildings within or without the corporate limits where the city has jurisdiction.
  • A 2026 council bill (CB-2039) would move to the 2024 code suite; I did not confirm whether it passed, so the 2021 text may be out of date.

  code edition: 2021

  “the international residential code, 2021 edition, as published by the international code council, inc., 500 new jersey avenue, nw, 6th floor, washington, dc 20001, is adopted by reference as a primary code and amended as described in section 10-8-5 below.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Northglenn city limits. Northglenn adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, the Unified Development Ordinance in Chapter 11 of the municipal code.

  • Development must comply with the district standards in Chapter 11 Article 2; the dimensional limits for RS-1 and RS-2 were not captured and are recorded as unknown in separate claims.

  “(b) the zoning regulations and other municipal laws provided by chapter 11 of the municipal code;”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Northglenn city limits under the Unified Development Ordinance.

  • Districts seen in the captured text: RS-1 (11-2-2), RS-2 (11-2-3), RS-3 (11-2-4), RM-1 (11-2-5), RM-2 (11-2-6), MH manufactured home (11-2-7). Other districts (mixed-use, commercial, MR) appear in later sections.
  • Section 11-2-18 summary tables did not render in the captured text.

  “section 11-2-7. mh manufactured home. (a) purpose. the mh district is intended to accommodate medium-density single-family housing and manufactured housing.”

• Off-grid sanitationProhibited

  Sewage disposal inside Northglenn city limits; blocks on-site septic or other non-city sewage discharge for buildings with sanitary facilities.

  • Exception only for gray water (as defined in Article 11) used for watering lawns, trees, shrubs and gardens.
  • Read with section 16-11-10, which requires buildings with sanitary facilities to connect to the city sanitary sewer.

  “it is unlawful for any person to discharge sewage other than into the city sanitary sewer system, except that the use of gray water, as defined in this article, for watering of lawns, trees, shrubs and gardens shall be permitted.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Buildings inside Northglenn city limits: a new home with water supply facilities or sanitary facilities must connect to the city systems.

  • Mandatory connection applies to all buildings within city limits containing water supply or sanitary facilities (sections 16-11-3 and 16-11-10).
  • Connections to the city sanitary sewer require City Manager approval under a separate section of Article 11 that was not opened.
  • Section 16-11-11 prohibits discharge of sewage other than to the city sanitary sewer, except gray water for irrigation.

  “all buildings within the city limits that contain sanitary facilities shall be connected to the city sanitary sewer system.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Northglenn city limits, under the city's subdivision regulations in Chapter 12.

  • The Chapter 12 subdivision text itself was not opened; only the building department's enforcement authority over Chapter 12 was captured.

  “(c) the subdivision regulations and municipal laws provided by chapter 12 of the municipal code;”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Northglenn or Adams County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Northglenn city limits
• Inspections — Building inspections for work inside Northglenn city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for buildings inside Northglenn city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Northglenn city limits
• Minimum lot size — RS-1 Single-Family Large-Lot district inside Northglenn city limits

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.