Building permits, zoning and land rules in Westminster, Colorado

At a glance

Building permits

City residential building permits required; project exemptions vary¹

Zoning

Westminster municipal zoning applies inside city limits²

Applications and records

Use eTRAKiT for building and related applications⁴

Septic

Colorado requires an OWTS permit where applicable; confirm the local health authority for the address⁵

RV living

RV short-term rentals prohibited; private long-term occupancy remains unconfirmed⁶

ADU minimum size

190 square feet for an accessory dwelling unit⁷

Water and sewer taps

Separate taps required for each detached home and attached unit connecting to city infrastructure⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 10, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Westminster, CO?

Westminster requires building permits for interior and exterior residential building projects, although the exact requirement depends on the project and applicable code exemptions.¹ Westminster has adopted building codes and city amendments, so the permit question and the construction-standard question belong with the city Building Division.⁹ Ask the Building Division to identify the required application and plan documents for your proposed home or alteration.¹⁰ Where fire suppression or fire alarm work is involved, the city requires separate Fire Department applications at the time of the building-permit application.¹⁰

Who issues building permits in Westminster, and how do you apply?

Contact the Westminster Building Division at 303-658-2075 or [email protected] for city building-permit questions.¹⁰ Westminster uses eTRAKiT for permit and project applications; registered users can pay fees and view detailed records, and contractors can apply for building permits and schedule or cancel inspections.⁴ Review the Building Division electronic-file submittal requirements before applying.⁴ Westminster building inspections create a permanent record of code compliance, and the deadline to schedule an inspection for the next business day is 4 PM.¹⁰

Does Westminster have zoning, and what are the lot and ADU rules?

Westminster administers zoning inside city limits, including rules for accessory dwelling units in zoning classifications that allow single-family detached dwellings.² Contact the city Planning Division at 303-658-2092 or [email protected] for the parcel’s development standards.¹¹ An official development plan includes specific standards governing its site, so obtain the applicable plan when assessing a property.¹¹

Westminster ADUs must be at least 190 square feet; that minimum does not establish a minimum size for every principal home.⁷ Combined principal-dwelling and ADU square footage must stay within the principal dwelling’s maximum lot coverage, and the ADU has the same maximum height as the principal dwelling.¹²¹³ An ADU cannot be sold separately, and subdivision of its lot requires city approval.¹⁴

How do septic permits and water connections work inside Westminster?

For a Westminster building without sewage-treatment service, Colorado law requires the applicable local public health agency’s OWTS approval before building construction or remodeling approval.¹⁵ Permitted septic work must receive a final inspection before the system goes into use.¹⁶ We could not confirm the septic authority specifically inside Westminster; for a Jefferson County-side address, ask Jefferson County Public Health Environmental Health Services to confirm jurisdiction and the application route.³

New Westminster construction connecting to city water and sewer infrastructure needs separate taps for each detached home and attached unit, and domestic tap fees must be paid for building-permit issuance.⁸ These tap requirements do not establish that every parcel must connect, so ask the city about service availability for the actual address.⁸

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on land in Westminster?

Westminster prohibits short-term rentals in recreational vehicles, travel trailers and temporary structures; that provision does not settle long-term private-land RV occupancy.⁶ We could not confirm permission to live in an RV while building, so ask Westminster Planning about that proposed use before relying on it.¹¹

Colorado Division of Housing-regulated tiny homes can be approved for long-term living, but require state plan approval, applicable code compliance and local zoning compliance.¹⁷ State tiny-home approval therefore does not establish that a particular Westminster lot can host the unit.¹⁷ If proposing an ADU, Westminster requires compliance with its ADU section and a certificate of occupancy for the principal dwelling before granting the ADU certificate.¹⁸

Building a home in Westminster: what should you do first?

Start with Westminster Planning to identify the proposed land use and applicable development standards; pre-application review is the city’s mandatory first step in its development review process.¹¹ Resolve wastewater early: if the home will not have sewage-treatment service, Colorado requires local public health OWTS approval before construction approval.¹⁵ Ask Westminster Building which plans and building-permit applications your project needs, then use the city’s eTRAKiT application process.¹⁰⁴ Arrange required city building inspections as construction proceeds.¹⁹

For land outside Westminster city limits, use the Jefferson County guide: Jefferson County’s building-permit rules cover unincorporated land, while zoning inside city limits belongs with the municipality.²⁰²¹ We could not confirm a Westminster owner-builder exemption; ask the city Building Division before assuming you can act as your own contractor.¹⁰

What should you check before buying land in Westminster?

A new groundwater-diverting well in Colorado generally requires a Colorado Division of Water Resources permit, subject to statutory exemptions and basin-specific rules; a proposed well may also need an augmentation plan.²² Ask the Division of Water Resources about the proposed well’s permitted uses, and ask Westminster Planning about the parcel’s development standards.²²¹¹

Colorado requires local floodplain development regulations to meet or exceed federal minimum design and construction criteria and comply with state regulatory-floodplain rules.²³ Before committing to a building site, ask Westminster Planning how those requirements affect the proposed development.¹¹ For municipal utility connections, budget for Westminster domestic tap fees before building-permit issuance.⁸

Watch-outs

• Westminster’s mobile-home-space setbacks are 7.5 feet at the front and 3 feet at the sides and rear; those figures are not a general setback schedule for ordinary residential lots.²⁴
• Authorized camping at Standley Lake Regional Park does not establish permission to camp on a private Westminster lot.²⁵
• We could not confirm Westminster-specific minimum lot sizes or agricultural building exemptions; ask Westminster Planning and Building about the proposed parcel and use.¹¹¹⁰

Sources

1. Permits & Licenses (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
2. Title XI, Chapter 4, Section 11-4-19, Accessory Dwelling Units (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
3. Jefferson County Public Health - Environmental Health Services (jeffco.us)
4. Apply for a Permit / Project (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
5. Title 25 - Public Health and Environment - Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
6. library.municode.com (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
7. Title XI, Chapter 4, Section 11-4-19, Accessory Dwelling Units (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
8. Water Tap and Sewer Fees (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
9. Title XI, Chapter 2, Section 11-2-1, Definitions (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
10. Westminster Building Division (westminsterco.gov)
11. Westminster Planning Division (westminsterco.gov)
12. Title XI, Chapter 4, Section 11-4-19, Accessory Dwelling Units (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
13. Title XI, Chapter 4, Section 11-4-19, Accessory Dwelling Units (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
14. Title XI, Chapter 4, Section 11-4-19, Accessory Dwelling Units (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
15. Title 25 - Public Health and Environment - Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Title 25 - Public Health and Environment - Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Consumers of Manufactured Homes and Tiny Homes - HUD (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Title XI, Chapter 4, Section 11-4-19, Accessory Dwelling Units (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
19. Building (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
20. New Homes and Accessory Dwellings, quoted and re-checked
21. Zoning Resolution, quoted and re-checked
22. Water Administration (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. SB24-179 Floodplain Management Program (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
24. Title XI, Chapter 9, Section 11-9-14, Mobile Homes (Westminster), quoted and re-checked
25. Title XIII, Chapter 1, Section 13-1-16, Regulations at Standley Lake Regional Park (Westminster), quoted and re-checked

Written October 10, 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.