Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Deer Trail, Colorado

Town of Deer Trail’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction of any structure or substantial improvement inside Deer Trail town limits

  • Construction may proceed only after the permit issues.
  • Ordinance 138 (1975) predates later amendments; Ordinance 220 amends it to collect fees at permit issuance and Ordinance 238 sets an administrative fee; these were not opened.

  “without first obtaining a permit to construct same from the town building permit agent of the town of deer trail”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building construction inside Deer Trail town limits

  • Ordinance 213 (2003) adopts the 1997 Uniform Building Code, 1997 Uniform Fire Code, 1997 Uniform Mechanical Code, 2000 Uniform Plumbing Code and 2002 National Electrical Code by reference.
  • Ordinance 253 (emergency ordinance adopting the International Building Code) is indexed but was not opened; a later building-code adoption may supersede Ordinance 213.

  “there is hereby adopted as the building code of the town of deer trail, by reference thereto, the uniform building code, 1997 edition”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Deer Trail town limits. The town administers its own zoning ordinance (Town of Deer Trail Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 2, which contains a Residential District (R) at Sec. 2-50).

  • Ordinance 292 (2023) amends Sec. 2-50 of the Town of Deer Trail Zoning Ordinance, which shows a zoning ordinance is in force. The 2020 Ordinance 265 recited that the town then had no zoning; the zoning ordinance and map were later adopted, but the adoption ordinance and current zoning map were not located or opened.
  • Ordinance 274 (planning and zoning commission), Ordinance 307 (manufactured home park district) and Ordinance 310 (special review uses in commercial districts) are indexed on the town site but were not opened; their text was not verified.

  “section 1. section 2-50 of the town of deer trail zoning ordinance is amended to read as follows. sec. 2-50. residential district (r). dimensional requirements.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Land inside Deer Trail town limits: only the Residential District (R) is confirmed by a page read; other districts are indexed but not read.

  • Other districts (manufactured home park district per Ordinance 307; commercial districts referenced by special review in Ordinance 310) are indexed by title only and are not confirmed.

  “sec. 2-50. residential district (r). dimensional requirements.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residential District (R), Sec. 2-50, inside Deer Trail town limits. No agricultural or rural-residential district limits were located.

  • Minimum lot width is 50 feet in the same district.

  minimum lot area per dwelling unit: >= 7500 square feet (one dwelling unit per 7,500 sq ft of lot area)

  “minimum lot area one (1) dwelling unit per seven thousand five hundred (7,500) square feet. minimum lot width: fifty (50) feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential District (R), Sec. 2-50, inside Deer Trail town limits.

  • Small ornamental rooftop appurtenances such as weathervanes may project five feet above the roofline.

  maximum building height: <= 30 feet (small ornamental rooftop appurtenances such as weathervanes may project five (5) feet above the roofline)

  “maximum building height: thirty (30) feet, except that small, ornamental rooftop appurtenances such as weathervanes may project five (5) feet above the roofline.”

• Well permitLimited

  New wells into the Denver Basin aquifers on land inside Deer Trail town limits or its 1985 service area (non-town drillers). Shallow or other-aquifer wells were not addressed.

  • Existing wells with valid permits are not affected and may be replaced or relocated under Colorado law.
  • The town itself and its agents may drill.

  “after the effective date of this ordinance, no person other than the town of deer trail and/or its authorized agents, may drill or construct a new well in the denver basin aquifers”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  New construction and substantial improvements on sites inside Deer Trail town limits

  • Where a flood hazard exists, new construction must be designed and anchored to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement.
  • Ordinance 140 (council flood review of permit applications) is indexed but was not opened.

  “a building permit shall be issued by the town of deer trail, only after the town building permit agent has determined that the proposed building site is reasonably safe from flooding”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Deer Trail or Arapahoe County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Deer Trail town limits
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Deer Trail town limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Deer Trail town limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Land inside Deer Trail town limits
• Lot coverage — Land inside Deer Trail town 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.