Building permits, zoning and septic rules in the City and County of Broomfield, Colorado

At a glance

Building permit

Required for most new construction, alterations, additions and repairs¹

Zoning

Yes; the controlling district may be standard, PUD or legacy county zoning³⁴

Septic permits

A local OWTS permit is required; public sewer is mandatory when the main is within 100 feet⁶

Owner-builder permit

Allowed for your own primary residence with a signed Homeowner Statement⁷

Accessory dwelling unit (ADU)

One on an eligible property; size and other conditions apply⁸

RV, trailer or container as an ADU

Not allowed — Broomfield's own rule bars these as accessory dwelling units⁹

Permit fees

Based on the project's total value or cost¹⁰

New driveway

May require a Public Private Improvement Permit¹¹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 29, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Broomfield County, Colorado?

Broomfield requires building permits and inspections for most new construction, alterations, additions and repairs, including listed work such as structural repairs, decks, sheds, pools, furnaces, water heaters and mobile-home setup¹². The Building Division issues the permits, reviews plans, performs inspections and enforces the code throughout the consolidated city and county¹². Broomfield adopted its 2024 building-code update effective April 15, 2026¹³. Permit fees depend on the project's total value or cost, with use tax calculated on material value assumed to be half of total cost¹⁰. A homeowner doing work on their own primary residence does not need a contractor license, but must sign a Homeowner Statement before the permit is issued⁷.

Who issues building permits in Broomfield County?

The Broomfield Building Division is the permit and inspection office for construction across the City and County of Broomfield¹². Call the Building Division at the number listed above for permit scope, applications, fee calculations and inspection scheduling¹². Zoning and parcel-use questions go to the Broomfield Planning Division, which handles land-use planning, development review, zoning and subdivision-code review¹⁴. Before designing a house or addition, ask Planning which zoning code controls the parcel and ask Building which permit materials and inspections the project requires⁴². Height limits also vary by the applicable property and zoning district, so there is no single countywide height figure to assume¹⁵.

Does Broomfield County have zoning?

Yes. The City and County of Broomfield administers land-use and zoning rules countywide³. The details are parcel-specific: a property may use a standard Broomfield district, a planned unit development or a legacy district carried over from Adams, Boulder, Jefferson or Weld County⁴. A legacy district is identified by an (a), (w), (b) or (j) suffix¹⁶. Do not assume neighboring parcels share the same setbacks, lot coverage, minimum dwelling size or height limit; Broomfield's available facts do not establish one general standard for those questions, and height requirements vary by property and district¹⁵. Ask the Planning Division to identify the controlling code before relying on a listing or sketching a building envelope¹⁴.

How do septic permits work in Broomfield County?

Broomfield's Health Protection Division administers local onsite wastewater treatment system rules, while Colorado Regulation 43 also governs septic systems statewide⁵. An OWTS permit application is required for installation or other regulated work⁶. Before applying, contact Water Utilities to verify the distance to the public sewer main; connection to sewer is mandatory when the main is within 100 feet of the property line, and Public Works authorization may also be needed⁶. A licensed installer or contractor must inspect an OWTS, including applicable transfer-of-title work and deficiency repairs¹⁷. About 58.7% of Broomfield soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional drain field, but that countywide soil statistic does not replace a site evaluation or permit review¹⁸⁶.

How do accessory dwelling units work in Broomfield County?

Broomfield allows one accessory dwelling unit on an eligible property whose zoning includes single-unit residential use⁸. An ADU may be up to 500 square feet; a larger ADU is limited to half the principal dwelling's footprint or 800 square feet, whichever is less⁸. A building permit and recorded Declaration of Use are required, and the ADU must satisfy the applicable district setbacks⁸. On a sewered property, the ADU ties into the principal dwelling's water and sewer connections without separate taps or licenses¹⁹. On a septic property, the Health Protection Division must determine whether the system has enough capacity⁸. Travel trailers, recreational vehicles, shipping containers and similar temporary structures cannot serve as an ADU⁸.

Can you live in an RV, camper or tiny home on your land in Broomfield?

We could not confirm a general Broomfield rule allowing RV occupancy, temporary camping or a tiny home as the primary dwelling on private land; ask the Planning Division about the specific parcel¹⁴. Broomfield does expressly prohibit travel trailers, recreational vehicles, shipping containers and similar temporary structures from serving as accessory dwelling units⁸. Colorado permits qualifying Division of Housing-regulated tiny homes for long-term living only after plan approval and compliance with state standards and local zoning²⁰. That state approval does not override Broomfield's parcel-specific zoning⁴. Minimum dwelling size and manufactured-home occupancy also remain unconfirmed for Broomfield generally, so obtain a parcel-specific answer from Planning before buying land for any of these uses¹⁴.

Building a home or ADU in Broomfield: the steps, in order

1. Ask the Planning Division which standard, planned-unit-development or legacy zoning rules control the parcel⁴.
2. Confirm the building envelope, including the applicable setbacks and height requirements, before final design¹⁵.
3. For an ADU, confirm eligibility, size, setbacks, utility arrangement and septic capacity where applicable⁸¹⁹.
4. If public sewer is not already available, ask Water Utilities to measure the main's distance; a main within 100 feet of the property line requires connection rather than a new septic system⁶.
5. Ask Engineering whether a new driveway or flatwork needs a Public Private Improvement Permit¹¹.
6. Apply through the Building Division and budget permit fees based on total project value or cost¹⁰¹².
7. Apply for water and sewer licenses with the building permit when needed; the licenses cannot be issued before the building permit¹⁹.
8. Complete the required building and septic inspections before using the finished work²¹⁷.

What to check before you buy land in Broomfield

Start with the exact zoning district and any planned-unit-development or legacy rules; dimensional standards are not uniform across Broomfield parcels⁴. Check floodplain status with Broomfield's Floodplain Program, but ask the office directly about development requirements because we could not confirm a general floodplain-development rule²¹. Verify water and sewer availability early: new licenses may be applied for with a building permit but cannot be issued first, and the listed fees are $39,350 per three-quarter-inch-equivalent water tap and $15,500 per equivalent sewer tap¹⁹. If septic may be needed, confirm sewer distance, OWTS eligibility and inspection requirements with Health Protection⁶¹⁷. Ask Engineering about driveway access because new driveways and flatwork may need a Public Private Improvement Permit¹¹. Private-well permitting could not be confirmed, so ask Planning or Health Protection to direct you to the responsible water authority before treating a parcel as buildable¹⁴²².

Watch-outs

• A new water license is listed at $39,350 per three-quarter-inch-equivalent tap and a sewer license at $15,500 per equivalent tap; neither can be issued before the building permit¹⁹.
• A public sewer main within 100 feet of the property line makes direct connection mandatory instead of a new septic system⁶.
• Broomfield's RV-occupancy, temporary-camping, private-well and general minimum-dwelling-size rules remain unconfirmed; get parcel-specific answers from the Planning Division before buying¹⁴.

Sources

1. Building Division, quoted and re-checked
2. Building Division, quoted and re-checked
3. Zoning, quoted and re-checked
4. Zoning, quoted and re-checked
5. Septic Systems, quoted and re-checked
6. Septic Systems, quoted and re-checked
7. Broomfield Homeowner Permits and Building Guides (2026 county census)
8. Accessory Dwelling Units FAQ Handout, quoted and re-checked
9. Broomfield Accessory Dwelling Unit Rules (Planning Division) (broomfield.org)
10. Building Division, quoted and re-checked
11. Homeowner Information, quoted and re-checked
12. Broomfield Building Division (Community Development Department) (broomfield.org)
13. Building Division, quoted and re-checked
14. Broomfield Planning Division (Community Development Department) (broomfield.org)
15. Homeowner Information, quoted and re-checked
16. Broomfield Legacy Zoning (Planning Division) (broomfield.org)
17. Septic Systems, quoted and re-checked
18. Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
19. Building Division, quoted and re-checked
20. Consumers of Manufactured Homes and Tiny Homes - HUD (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
21. Broomfield Floodplain Program (Engineering Division) (broomfield.org)
22. Broomfield Health Protection Division (OWTS/Septic Systems) (broomfield.org)

Written September 29, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.