Skip to main content
PermitBase

Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Permit in Burlington, Colorado

No distinct ADU ordinance, permit type, or standalone zoning provision exists for Burlington, Colorado — this is now a DIRECTLY VERIFIED finding, not an inference. RESOLVED 2026-07-23: Burlington's Municode Code of Ordinances library.municode.com/co/burlington, previously a confirmed dead end via WebFetch/curl (returns only a ~6KB unrendered Angular shell to those tools), WAS successfully retrieved and read in full via the Browser pane's real Chromium rendering (a genuinely new avenue vs. the prior curl/WebFetch-only attempts), which executes the site's Angular JS and serves the actual codified ordinance text. The live, current version (VERSION: Apr 15, 2021, codified through Ordinance No. 960, enacted December 14, 2020 — the most current codified supplement; cross-checked against the site's own 'Adopted Ordinances Not Yet Codified' list running through Ord. No. 1017 (adopted 4/27/26), none of which touch Title 17 Zoning's residential-use or accessory-use sections in any ADU-relevant way) was read directly: Chapter 17.08 (Definitions) defines 'Dwelling,' 'Dwelling, multifamily,' 'Dwelling, single-family,' 'Dwelling, two-family,' and 'Dwelling unit' but contains NO 'accessory dwelling unit,' 'dwelling, accessory,' or equivalent term anywhere in its full definitions list (17.08.010 through 17.08.335). Section 17.20.060 ('Accessory uses and buildings in residential districts') exhaustively enumerates the only authorized accessory uses in any residential district — (A) home occupations, (B) one accessory structure not exceeding fifty feet in height, and (C) accessory buildings/uses customarily incident to the above not involving a business, including a private garage — and does not include a second dwelling unit or living quarters among them. Section 17.20.010 (R-1 Single-Family Residential) permits 'single-family dwellings' by right (subsection A.1) but places 'multifamily dwelling units providing permanent living accommodations for two or more dwelling units' only under Uses Permitted by Special Review (subsection B.4) — meaning any additional dwelling unit on an R-1 lot (the closest available mechanism for what would function as an ADU) is NOT permitted by right and instead requires a Special Review certificate of zoning compliance from the Board of Adjustment and Appeals under Chapter 17.32 (standards at 17.32.010: fire hazard, noise, vibration, air pollution, odors, glare, traffic hazard, utility burden, neighborhood character, general welfare; application procedure at 17.32.020). This is a genuine verified-negative: Burlington's own codified zoning ordinance, read in full, has no ADU-specific ordinance, definition, or by-right pathway — a second/accessory dwelling unit is treated as an additional 'multifamily' unit requiring Special Review, not as an accessory use. Also previously confirmed 2026-07-13: Burlington is NOT a 'Subject Jurisdiction' under Colorado's statewide ADU mandate, HB24-1152 (C.R.S. 29-35-402 through 405) — DOLA's dlg.colorado.gov/accessory-dwelling-units page lists Subject Jurisdictions as home-rule/statutory/territorial-charter cities within a federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) boundary with population 1,000+, and Burlington/Kit Carson County sit outside every Colorado MPO, so no state-law by-right ADU mandate applies here either.

Verified 2026-07-23 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Complete the combined Building Permit/Zoning Compliance Application (Part A: New Building or Addition, as applicable) for the structural scope
  • If the project adds a second dwelling unit (the functional equivalent of an ADU) on an R-1 (single-family) lot, apply for a Special Review certificate of zoning compliance from the Board of Adjustment and Appeals under Burlington Municipal Code 17.20.010(B)(4) and Chapter 17.32 — a second unit is not permitted by right in R-1 and is not covered by the accessory-uses list in 17.20.060 (verified via full-text read of Title 17, Zoning, 2026-07-23)
  • Attach the Title 17.12.030(B) scaled site plat showing the proposed structure's location relative to the principal dwelling and lot lines
  • Confirm with City Hall which zoning district (R-1, R-2, R-3, or R-M) applies to the specific lot, since R-2/R-3 districts permit multifamily uses by right where R-1 requires Special Review

Required documents

Check off what you have — your progress is saved on this device.

Not ready yet — 0 of 1 required documents checked.

This checker covers one permit. A full project usually triggers several — our paid checklist will assemble all of them, from $29 →

Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee (same valuation-based schedule)No ADU-specific fee is published
$25 minimum, scaling per the tiered valuation schedule

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Permit permit actually take in Burlington?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final/Field Inspection

    No itemized inspection sequence specific to ADUs is published

See the full Burlington inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • RESOLVED 2026-07-23: Burlington's own codified zoning ordinance (Title 17), read in full via a live Municode fetch, has no ADU-specific ordinance or definition, and does not permit a second dwelling unit by right in the R-1 (single-family) district — the accessory-uses section (17.20.060) covers only home occupations, one accessory structure, and non-business accessory buildings/garages, not a second living unit. A second unit is instead classed as a 'multifamily dwelling unit' under 17.20.010(B)(4) and requires Special Review approval from the Board of Adjustment and Appeals (Chapter 17.32) in R-1; confirm with City Hall which zoning district applies to your specific lot, since R-2/R-3 districts allow multifamily uses by right.
  • Do not assume Colorado's 2024 statewide ADU law (HB24-1152) forces Burlington to allow ADUs — it does not. Burlington is confirmed absent from DOLA's official list of HB24-1152 'Subject Jurisdictions' (dlg.colorado.gov/accessory-dwelling-units), because Subject Jurisdiction status requires the municipality to sit within a federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization boundary, and Kit Carson County/the Eastern Plains are outside every Colorado MPO. Whatever ADU-equivalent treatment applies in Burlington is purely a matter of the City's own codified zoning (see above), not state mandate.

Frequently asked questions

Burlington requires an accessory dwelling unit (adu) permit for: Complete the combined Building Permit/Zoning Compliance Application (Part A: New Building or Addition, as applicable) for the structural scope; If the project adds a second dwelling unit (the functional equivalent of an ADU) on an R-1 (single-family) lot, apply for a Special Review certificate of zoning compliance from the Board of Adjustment and Appeals under Burlington Municipal Code 17.20.010(B)(4) and Chapter 17.32 — a second unit is not permitted by right in R-1 and is not covered by the accessory-uses list in 17.20.060 (verified via full-text read of Title 17, Zoning, 2026-07-23); Attach the Title 17.12.030(B) scaled site plat showing the proposed structure's location relative to the principal dwelling and lot lines; Confirm with City Hall which zoning district (R-1, R-2, R-3, or R-M) applies to the specific lot, since R-2/R-3 districts permit multifamily uses by right where R-1 requires Special Review. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Burlington, City Hall (Building Permits) at 719-346-8652 before starting work.

In Burlington, the published Building Permit Fee (same valuation-based schedule) is: $25 minimum, scaling per the tiered valuation schedule. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Burlington does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Burlington, City Hall (Building Permits) at 719-346-8652 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application / Zoning Compliance Application (PDF). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Burlington requires 1 inspection(s) for an accessory dwelling unit (adu) permit, in order: Final/Field Inspection. Schedule each through City of Burlington, City Hall (Building Permits) (719-346-8652).

Apply through City of Burlington, City Hall (Building Permits) at 415 15th Street, Burlington, CO 80807. Phone: 719-346-8652, email: jim.keehne@burlingtoncolo.com. Office hours: Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Fax: 719-346-8397. Building permits are administered directly by City Hall administrative staff (no separate, dedicated Building Division or named Building Official is published) — the Building Permit Application lists Jim Keehne, City Administrator, as the responsible city officer, with a Public Works signoff line also present on the form.. Official information: https://www.burlingtoncolo.com/151/Building-Permits.

No dedicated Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance exists — verified 2026-07-23 by reading Burlington Municipal Code Title 17 (Zoning) in full. A second dwelling unit on a single-family (R-1) lot is not covered by the accessory-uses section (17.20.060) and is instead treated as a 'multifamily dwelling unit,' which requires Special Review approval from the Board of Adjustment and Appeals under 17.20.010(B)(4) and Chapter 17.32, rather than being permitted by right or through a simple accessory-structure permit.

No. DOLA's own published list of HB24-1152 'Subject Jurisdictions' (municipalities required to allow one ADU per single-unit-detached lot) does not include Burlington, because Subject Jurisdiction status requires the municipality to be within a federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization boundary and have a population of 1,000+ — Burlington/Kit Carson County sits outside every Colorado MPO. Burlington's own zoning code (Title 17, verified in full 2026-07-23) has no ADU-specific by-right allowance either; a second unit requires Special Review in the R-1 district.

Other permits in Burlington

Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition)Residential Addition / Remodel PermitElectrical PermitPlumbing PermitMechanical / HVAC PermitRe-Roof PermitRooftop Solar PV PermitDemolition PermitCommercial Tenant Improvement / Change of Use PermitDeck / Covered Patio PermitEV Charger / EVSE Permit

Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Permit in other cities

Ault, ColoradoBennett, ColoradoBerthoud, ColoradoBrighton, ColoradoCenter, ColoradoCripple Creek, ColoradoDacono, ColoradoFort Lupton, Colorado

Compare accessory dwelling unit (adu) permit fees across Colorado →

Look up this fee in a different city →

Embed this data card →

Now live

Build your Burlington project checklist

Describe your project once and get every permit, document, and fee it triggers in Burlington — in one checklist. Sign up and pay once to generate it, or go unlimited with Pro.

Get started →