What does RH-1 zoning mean in Boulder?

RH-1 is Boulder's entry-tier Residential High Density district, allowing denser multifamily development than the RM (Medium Density) tiers below it. It's one of several stepped high-density residential districts the city uses to concentrate multifamily housing in specific areas.

How do I find the zoning for an address in Boulder?

Planning and Development Services publishes an online zoning map viewer that returns the district for a parcel by address, along with any applicable growth-management or transit-overlay designation under HB24-1313.

What is HB24-1313 and how does it affect Boulder zoning?

HB24-1313 is a Colorado state law requiring cities like Boulder to permit higher residential density within a set distance of qualifying transit corridors, overriding local density caps where they conflict. It functions as a state-mandated overlay on top of Boulder's existing tiered residential zoning.

Boulder, Colorado · city zoning districts · 12 districts

Boulder, CO zoning map & districts

Boulder's zoning is administered by Planning and Development Services under a detailed, tiered structure: residential districts step from Rural Residential and Rural Estate through several Low- and Medium-density tiers up to a series of High-density districts, while business districts range from small Business Community centers up to a Business Main Street district calibrated to Boulder's pedestrian-oriented commercial streets. The city also imposes long-running local growth caps (the Danish Plan-era residential growth management system) on top of base zoning.

The code Boulder Zoning Ordinance

Boulder zoning map

Confirm current district boundaries through City of Boulder Zoning (Community Vitality / Planning) .

Planning and Development Services maintains Boulder's zoning map viewer and the zoning ordinance text within the Boulder Revised Code's land use title.

A published summary is never the authority. The adopted ordinance and the city's official zoning map govern, and both change — verify the district and every standard on your parcel before you rely on it.

How zoning works in Boulder

Boulder is directly subject to Colorado's HB24-1313 transit-density mandate, which requires the city to permit higher residential density within defined distances of qualifying transit corridors — an overlay obligation that interacts with, and in places overrides, the city's traditional density caps and long-running growth limits.

Boulder zoning districts by family

The 12 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Boulder, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Boulder Zoning Ordinance — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 6 districts
RR-1	Rural Residential	Corrected from bare 'RR' — Boulder's rural residential codes always carry a subdistrict suffix (RR-1, RR-2).
RE	Rural Estate	Large-lot estate residential.
RL-1	Residential Low Density	Low-density single-family district.
RM-1	Residential Medium Density	Lower-tier medium-density residential.
RM-2	Residential Medium Density	Mid-tier medium-density residential.
RH-1	Residential High Density	Entry-tier high-density residential district.
Commercial 2 districts
BC-1	Business Community	Community-serving commercial district.
BC-2	Business Community	Larger-scale community commercial district.
Downtown / core 1 district
BMS	Business Main Street	Pedestrian-oriented main-street commercial district.
Industrial 2 districts
IS-1	Industrial-Service	Corrected from bare 'IS' — Boulder's current code carries a suffix (IS-1, IS-2).
IG	Industrial General	General industrial district.
Special purpose 1 district
A	Agricultural	Agricultural and open land, mainly outside the core urbanized area.

Boulder zoning — common questions

What does RH-1 zoning mean in Boulder?: RH-1 is Boulder's entry-tier Residential High Density district, allowing denser multifamily development than the RM (Medium Density) tiers below it. It's one of several stepped high-density residential districts the city uses to concentrate multifamily housing in specific areas.
How do I find the zoning for an address in Boulder?: Planning and Development Services publishes an online zoning map viewer that returns the district for a parcel by address, along with any applicable growth-management or transit-overlay designation under HB24-1313.
What is HB24-1313 and how does it affect Boulder zoning?: HB24-1313 is a Colorado state law requiring cities like Boulder to permit higher residential density within a set distance of qualifying transit corridors, overriding local density caps where they conflict. It functions as a state-mandated overlay on top of Boulder's existing tiered residential zoning.

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The parcel layer lands in the order demand does. Illinois went first because that's where the deals were; the next state is decided by who tells us what they're trying to underwrite. Tell us where you're building and what you wanted to run — you'll hear from us when Colorado opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

← Colorado zoning — who holds the zoning power in Colorado, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.

Other Colorado cities

The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.

Boulder zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.