Douglas County Unincorporated
City Zoning Code

To provide for small-scale retail, restaurant, and business uses in balance with residential and civic uses integral to the heart of the community, providing services and employment opportunities that are conveniently and efficiently located to serve residents and visitors, reduce unnecessary commuting, protect air quality, and facilitate the cost-effective provision of services. Adequate facilities, such as roads, water and sanitation, fire protection, emergency services, and public utilities shall be available to serve the development. Growth should occur in a phased and contiguous manner to avoid the costly premature extension of basic infrastructure.

Development within this district is encouraged in compact configurations with active street frontages that provide windows and other features so as to engage the public along the street and avoid blank, windowless walls without architectural detailing. Structures will strongly define the street edge with clear build-to lines. Primary entrances to private and civic buildings will be oriented to the street and directly connected to the public right-of-way. Surface parking lots and structures that lack street-level interest will be hidden from direct public view or lined with active uses. Development should be located so as to minimize conflicts with agricultural uses, wildlife habitats and corridors, and environmentally and visually sensitive areas in accordance with the Douglas County Comprehensive Master Plan.

The D District is characterized by businesses, restaurants, and shops mixed with residential and civic buildings. Site improvements, including landscaping, shall be provided and designed to enhance the appearance and visual quality of the community. Mixed-use development contributes to a vibrant and engaging downtown. Retail, commercial, and residential uses shall be located in close proximity or integrated in shared buildings.

Community Uses.

Bank or financial institution (no drive-up facility).

Bar or lounge.

Bed-and-breakfast.

Building materials – retail, wholesale, or both.

Construction office – temporary (refer to Part 22) (Site Improvement Plan not required).

Day-care center.

Entertainment event (refer to Part 22B).

Garden – public – one acre maximum (Site Improvement Plan not required).

Greenhouse – one acre maximum.

Industrial or manufacturing operation which does not emit unusual or excessive amounts of dust, smoke, fumes, gas, noxious odors, or noise beyond the lot boundary.

Motor vehicle service, repair, or both.

Motor vehicle service station with gas pumps.

Office – general, medical, professional, government.

Office – temporary (refer to Part 22) (Site Improvement Plan not required).

Parking lot – public or private.

Residence.

Restaurant, fast food restaurant (no drive-up facility).

Retail business, service business, or both – indoor or outdoor.

Retirement home.

Retreat – religious.

Sales office – temporary (refer to Part 22) (Site Improvement Plan not required).

Seasonal use (refer to Part 22A).

Utility service facility (refer to definition).

Veterinary clinic or hospital.

Warehouse.

Wholesale business – sales, service, or both.

Youth oriented agricultural activities (refer to definition) (Site Improvement Plan not required).

The following uses shall be allowed only when a principal use has been established on the lot.

Residential:

Non-residential:

Club or country club.

College or university extension office.

Equipment sales, rental, or both – small.

Event center.

Group residential facility.

Greenhouse – one acre maximum.

Hotel.

Motel.

Propane distribution, storage, or both.

Recreation facility – community or neighborhood.

Recreation facility – indoor, outdoor, private.

Telecommunication facility.

Theater – indoor or outdoor.

Training of horses, riders, or both (maximum of 14 lessons per week).

In certain instances, where separation distance cannot be met as required by the International Building Code, more restrictive construction standards may be required.

Street:

Side and Rear Yard:

Maximum building height:

The maximum building height shall not apply to belfries, cupolas, penthouses, or domes not used for human occupancy, roof-mounted church spires, chimneys, skylights, ventilators, water tanks, silos, parapet walls, cornices, antennas, utility poles, and necessary mechanical appurtenances usually carried above the roof level.

The maximum height of a roof-mounted church spire shall not exceed 1.62 times the height of the church (refer to Part 36, § 1-3602, "building height" definition, spire height calculation).

All roof-mounted equipment (mechanical, ventilating, antennas) shall be properly screened, with the exception of solar collectors/heaters.

A cornice, canopy, eave, fireplace, wing wall, or similar architectural feature may extend three feet into a required setback.

Fire escapes may extend six feet into a required setback.

Structures that do not require building permits may encroach into a rear setback. Any encroachment into an easement requires permission from the easement holder.

Until such time, the use of on-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) may be permitted, provided the proposed use does not create more than a design flow of 2,000 gallons of effluent per day, as determined by Douglas County Health Department's OWTS Regulation.

The proposed use and associated OWTS is evaluated by the Douglas County Health Department, and other applicable agencies, to determine if the use is compatible with an OWTS:

If a Responsible Management Entity (RME) exists at the time of land use application, the subject land will be served by the RME.

All uses shall be served by a central water system. The use of individual wells may be permitted, provided:

For a principal use on lands less than one acre in size, there is no minimum off-street parking requirement for non-residential uses in the D District. For a principal use on lands greater than one acre in size, or for any use permitted by special review, parking shall be provided in accordance with Part 28 of this chapter. For any use permitted by special review, the Board of County Commissioners may modify off-street parking requirements.

The minimum off-street parking requirement for residential uses is two spaces per dwelling unit unless there are severe site constraints or other extraordinary circumstances, as determined by the Director or designee.

For retail, commercial, and mixed-use development, parking shall be located to the rear or side of buildings. Buildings shall include facade breaks in passageways, or alleys to connect parking to street entrances.

For residential uses, unlicensed, operable vehicles parked outside shall be concealed by a solid fenced berm, vegetative barrier, or a combination thereof. Inoperable vehicles shall not be stored outside.

Parking for non-residential uses (if provided) shall be shown on the approved USR plan exhibit or Site Improvement Plan, prepared in accordance with Part 28 of this chapter.

Barbed, concertina, razor wire, or other hazardous materials used for fencing shall be prohibited.

Electrically charged fencing material shall be permitted when it is installed for the purpose of containing animals within the boundaries of the lot.

Fences, walls, or hedges shall not be erected in the public right-of-way, but shall be allowed within a setback.

A building permit shall be required for any retaining wall as required by the Building Code, as amended and adopted by Douglas County.

Fences, walls, or hedges shall not exceed four feet in height when located in the required setback from a street.

A building permit is required for any fence greater than six feet in height, or as required by the Building Code, as amended and adopted by Douglas County.

Fences or walls shall be designed and maintained so that they are architecturally harmonious with the principal structures on the lot.

Fences, walls, or hedges shall be erected and maintained in a manner that does not obstruct the vision of automobile traffic on streets, rights-of-way, or driveways in accordance with the Douglas County Roadway Design and Construction Standards manual.

Fences, walls, or hedges shall be maintained in good structural or living condition. The landowner is responsible for the repair or removal of a fence, wall, or hedge which constitutes a public safety hazard by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence, or abandonment.

Swimming pools shall be enclosed by a fence or wall that meets or exceeds the requirements of the Building Code, as amended and adopted by Douglas County.

Sound barrier walls, when constructed by the landowner other than the Colorado Department of Transportation adjacent to a street, shall be designed in accordance with the State Department of Transportation criteria and approved by the Director or designee.

The minimum area to be landscaped with live plant material shall be 10% of the gross site area, unless off-site landscaping is supported or there are severe site constraints or other extraordinary circumstances as determined by the Director or designee. In such cases 10% live plant material may be reduced.

Based upon the scale and impact of a project, a landscape buffer may be required adjacent to residential uses.

Outdoor storage, including, but not limited to, raw materials supplies, finished or semi-finished products, or equipment, shall be screened from view from abutting properties and public streets or trails bordering the site by a solid fence, wall, or hedge that is a minimum of six feet in height.

Employee or customer parking or merchandise display areas shall not be considered outdoor storage.

Outdoor storage shall not be allowed within any required landscaped area.

Operable trailers or other equipment designed to be towed or lifted as a single component may be visible above the height of a six-foot-tall fence, wall, or hedge without being additionally screened.

For outdoor storage of vehicles, see the parking standards in this section.

Outdoor storage shall be allowed within the required setback from a street, provided that the storage area does not occupy more than 50% of the linear frontage at the right-of-way.

When outdoor storage areas abut each other and are not visible from public streets or trails bordering the site, the Director or designee may waive the requirement for a solid fence.

Where the topography of the land is such that a solid fence, wall, or hedge would not prevent viewing outdoor storage from abutting properties and public streets or trails bordering the site, additional landscaping above the height of the fence, wall, or hedge to mitigate site-specific visual impacts may be required.