What does C-MX-5 zoning mean in Denver?

C-MX-5 is a Urban Center context, Mixed Use form district capped at 5 stories — the number in a Denver Zoning Code designation is a story-count height limit, not a density figure. It's a common designation along commercial corridors targeted for mixed residential/retail redevelopment.

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

Community Planning and Development's online zoning map viewer returns the Denver Zoning Code district for a parcel by address, and flags whether the parcel is still governed by the legacy Former Chapter 59 code instead.

What is the difference between Denver's zoning contexts and forms?

The context prefix (S-, E-, U-, G-, C-, D-) describes the surrounding neighborhood character the district is calibrated for, while the form code (SU, TU, RH, MX, etc.) describes the building type allowed — so the same form can appear under multiple contexts with different scale limits. Reading both parts together is necessary to know what can actually be built.

Denver, Colorado · city zoning districts · 12 districts

Denver, CO zoning map & districts

Denver replaced its old Euclidean, use-based zoning with a form-based Denver Zoning Code (DZC) in 2010, administered by Community Planning and Development (CPD). Districts are built from a neighborhood 'context' prefix — Suburban (S-), Urban Edge (E-), Urban (U-), General Urban (G-), Urban Center (C-), and Downtown (D-) — crossed with a building form and, for mixed-use/commercial forms, a maximum height number (e.g., C-MX-5 allows up to five stories). Parcels not yet rezoned into the DZC remain under the legacy 'Former Chapter 59' code, so confirming which code applies is a required first step.

The code Denver Zoning Code

Denver zoning map

The interactive map needs JavaScript. See the official Denver Maps - Zoning instead.

Mixed-use 76
Residential 68
Special purpose 18
Downtown / core 11
Commercial 6
Industrial 5

Source: Denver Maps - Zoning, retrieved 2026-08-29. Basemap: © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Find a district by address

District lookup only. No bulk standards and no ordinance citations are held for this city yet. Not a zoning verification.

Source: the official Denver Maps - Zoning , retrieved 2026-08-29 — the authoritative source for current boundaries.

Denver Community Planning and Development's online zoning map viewer looks up the Denver Zoning Code district by address, with companion Zone District Description pages explaining each context and form; older parcels may still show 'Former Chapter 59' zoning.

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 Denver

Denver has been an active upzoner on housing policy: the 2021 Group Living text amendment loosened household-size and use limits, and expanded ADU eligibility now applies in most residential contexts. Downtown districts (D-C, D-AS, D-TD) carry design review requirements and, in several sub-areas, no hard height cap.

Denver zoning districts by family

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

Key districts in the Denver Zoning Code — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 5 districts
S-SU-A	Suburban Single Unit	Lowest-density detached single-family suburban form.
U-SU-A	Urban Single Unit	Urban single-unit form, smaller lots than suburban contexts.
U-TU-B	Urban Two Unit	Duplex-form urban residential.
U-RH-2.5	Urban Row House	Attached row-house form, common in older urban neighborhoods.
G-MU-3	General Urban Multi Unit	Multi-unit residential/mixed-use, up to 3 stories.
Mixed-use 2 districts
C-MX-5	Urban Center Mixed Use	Mixed-use corridor form, up to 5 stories.
C-MX-8	Urban Center Mixed Use	Mixed-use corridor form, up to 8 stories.
Downtown / core 2 districts
D-C	Downtown Core	Core downtown district, subject to design review.
D-AS	Downtown Arapahoe Square	High-density downtown-adjacent district north of the core.
Industrial 2 districts
I-A	Light Industrial	Lighter-intensity industrial and flex uses.
I-B	General Industrial	Standard general industrial district.
Special purpose 1 district
OS-A	Open Space	Parks and public open space.

Denver zoning — common questions

What does C-MX-5 zoning mean in Denver?: C-MX-5 is a Urban Center context, Mixed Use form district capped at 5 stories — the number in a Denver Zoning Code designation is a story-count height limit, not a density figure. It's a common designation along commercial corridors targeted for mixed residential/retail redevelopment.
How do I find the zoning for an address in Denver?: Community Planning and Development's online zoning map viewer returns the Denver Zoning Code district for a parcel by address, and flags whether the parcel is still governed by the legacy Former Chapter 59 code instead.
What is the difference between Denver's zoning contexts and forms?: The context prefix (S-, E-, U-, G-, C-, D-) describes the surrounding neighborhood character the district is calibrated for, while the form code (SU, TU, RH, MX, etc.) describes the building type allowed — so the same form can appear under multiple contexts with different scale limits. Reading both parts together is necessary to know what can actually be built.

Working in Colorado? Get on the list.

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.

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