Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Burlington, Colorado

At a glance

Zoning

Yes: the city has its own zoning with nine districts¹

Building permit

Issued by Burlington City Hall; fee is based on project value²⁵

Permit fee

Starts at $25 for work valued at $1 to $500⁵

Septic

Allowed only where city sewer is not available³

Sewer connection

Required once city sewer becomes available to the property⁶

RV living

Not confirmed; camping on public property needs written permission⁷

Manufactured homes

Allowed if they meet Chapter 15.14 standards (at least 24 ft by 36 ft)⁸

Wells

Every new well needs a state well permit⁹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 16, 2026.

Does Burlington, Colorado have zoning?

Yes. The City of Burlington has its own zoning, and the city may be divided into nine zoning districts¹. The districts are R-1, R-2, R-3, R-M, C-1, C-2, I-1, I-2 and PUD, and the official zoning map is kept by the city clerk¹⁰. Uses in a district are either allowed by right or go to the board of adjustment and appeals for special review¹.

The district a lot sits in decides what you can build, so ask the city clerk at City Hall, 719-346-8652, which district the lot is in before you make an offer². We could not confirm lot-size minimums, setbacks or height limits for the residential districts; City Hall can give you those.

Do you need a building permit in Burlington, CO, and who issues it?

Inside Burlington city limits, the city issues building permits. The City of Burlington describes a streamlined process for obtaining building permits², and the fee depends on the total valuation of the project, starting at $25 for work valued at $1 to $500⁵. The builder also pays the actual cost of any outside consultants used for plan check and inspections². Every building must meet the State of Colorado's building code compliance standards¹¹.

We could not confirm whether the city has its own inspector, issues a certificate of occupancy, or lets owner-builders pull their own permit. Ask City Hall before you break ground.

Who do you call for building permits in Burlington, CO?

Building permit applications and questions go to Burlington City Hall at 719-346-8652, where staff hand out the application packet and answer questions about the permitting process². City Hall is at 415 15th Street in Burlington and is open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.².

The city's website tells applicants to check with City Hall staff before any construction, remodeling or change of use². Septic permits are a separate office: the Kit Carson County Environmental Health Department, at (719) 346-7158 ext 420¹².

How do septic permits and sewer work inside Burlington, CO?

Septic inside Burlington depends on whether city sewer reaches the lot. Once city sewer becomes available to a property on a private system, the owner must connect directly to it and the private system must be abandoned and filled⁶. Private sewage disposal inside the city is allowed only where city sewer is not available, and it must comply with state public health provisions³.

Colorado requires an on-site wastewater treatment system permit from the local public health agency under local board of health rules¹³. In Kit Carson County that office is the Environmental Health Department¹². We could not confirm whether the county or the city handles septic permits for a lot inside city limits, so ask City Hall whether sewer reaches the address first. Across Kit Carson County, about 71.5% of soil is rated not very limited for a conventional drain field¹⁴.

Can you live in an RV, tiny home or manufactured home in Burlington, CO?

Manufactured homes are permitted inside Burlington city limits if they meet the standards in Chapter 15.14: at least 24 feet wide and 36 feet long, a permanent foundation, brick, wood or equivalent siding, a pitched roof and HUD certification⁸. Mobile home parks are governed by Chapter 15.16⁸.

For RVs, the city code we reviewed says only that camping on public property needs the written permission of the governing body in charge of that property⁷. We could not confirm a rule for living in an RV on private land in Burlington, so ask City Hall.

Tiny homes: Colorado allows Division of Housing-regulated tiny homes for residential occupancy, with plans approved by the division and compliance with local zoning¹⁵. Burlington's own tiny home rule is unconfirmed.

Building a home in Burlington, CO: the steps, in order

1. Call City Hall at 719-346-8652 and ask which zoning district the lot is in and whether city sewer reaches it².
2. Check whether your use is allowed by right or needs special review before the board of adjustment and appeals¹.
3. If the lot has no sewer access, contact the Kit Carson County Environmental Health Department about a septic permit¹².
4. Get the building permit application packet from City Hall².
5. Pay the permit fee, which is based on total project valuation⁵.
6. Build to the State of Colorado's building code compliance standards¹¹.
7. For a new well, get a state well permit first⁹.

What stays with Kit Carson County, and what to check before you buy

Land outside Burlington city limits falls under the county, not the city; see the Kit Carson County page. Inside unincorporated Kit Carson County, the county's own land-use rules apply¹⁶, and the city's zoning and permit fees do not.

Septic permits come from the county Environmental Health Department⁴, and wells come from the state: every new well that diverts groundwater needs a state well permit⁹. A driveway directly onto a state highway needs a state access permit; the single-family level costs $50¹⁷.

County-wide, the effective property tax rate is 0.5% and the median bill is $1,141 a year¹⁸¹⁹. The nearest city of 100,000 or more people is about 117 miles away²⁰.

Watch-outs

• The rules above apply inside Burlington city limits; land outside the city is under Kit Carson County's rules¹⁶.
• If city sewer reaches the property, the owner must connect and the private septic system must be abandoned and filled⁶.
• We could not confirm Burlington's lot-size minimums, setbacks, inspection process or certificate of occupancy rules; call City Hall at 719-346-8652 before buying².
• A driveway onto a state highway needs a state access permit, separate from any city permit¹⁷.

Sources

1. Burlington Code 17.04.050 Zoning districts designated (Burlington), quoted and re-checked
2. City of Burlington City Hall (building permits) (burlingtoncolo.com)
3. Burlington Code 13.08.190 Connection with sanitary sewer required (Burlington), quoted and re-checked
4. Land Use, quoted and re-checked
5. Burlington Code 15.04.020 Fee for building permit (Burlington), quoted and re-checked
6. Burlington Code 13.08.190 Connection with sanitary sewer required (Burlington), quoted and re-checked
7. Burlington Code 12.18.030 Overnight camping (Burlington), quoted and re-checked
8. Burlington Code 15.14.020 Manufactured homes permitted (Burlington), quoted and re-checked
9. Water Administration (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Burlington Code 17.04.050 Zoning districts designated (Burlington), quoted and re-checked
11. City of Burlington City Hall (building codes) (burlingtoncolo.com)
12. Kit Carson County Environmental Health Department (kitcarsoncounty.colorado.gov)
13. Title 25 - Public Health and Environment - Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
15. Consumers of Manufactured Homes and Tiny Homes - HUD (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Kit Carson County Land Use Code, quoted and re-checked
17. Access Permits | Frequently Asked Questions (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
19. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
20. Straight-line distance from the county center to the nearest city of 100,000+ people: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 16, 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.