What Colorado Springs Regulates: A Complete Ordinance Overview

Colorado Springs is a mid-sized city in El Paso County, Colorado, with about 479000 residents. Like most cities its size, it has a set of local rules that may differ significantly from neighboring municipalities. Here is an overview of 144 ordinances across 41 categories that affect daily life in Colorado Springs.

Animal Ordinances

Mandatory Spay/Neuter: Colorado Springs is the only place in this code that mandates spay or neuter surgery for a specific pet: City Code § 6.7.110.D.5 requires every potbellied pig kept in the city to be spayed or neutered by four months old, and bans keeping or breeding any unaltered pig within city limits..

Also covered: Pet Limits (moderate), Breed Restrictions (permissive), Pet Groomer Rules (moderate). See the full animal ordinances guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Noise Ordinances

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound: Colorado Springs City Code section 9.8.102 makes it unlawful to operate a motor vehicle sound amplification system that creates excessive or unusually loud noise audible without a meter, with escalating mandatory fines from $75 up to $500 and forfeiture of the equipment on a third offense. General amplified noise that exceeds the section 9.8.104 dB(A) limits for the zone is also unlawful..

Also covered: Vehicle Noise (moderate), Aircraft Noise (permissive), Construction Hours (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Short-Term Rentals

Short-Term Rental Permits: Every short-term rental in Colorado Springs must hold a valid short-term rental permit issued by the City before any property, or rooms within it, may be leased to guests, under City Code Section 7.5.1704. The permit costs $124.95, is valid for one year with no grace period, and a separate permit and fee are required for each listing..

Also covered: Occupancy Limits (moderate), Host Presence Rule (moderate), Repeat Violator Strikes (restrictive). See the full short-term rentals guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Swimming Pools & Spas

Fencing & Safety Requirements: Outdoor residential pools and spas in Colorado Springs must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching, outward-opening gates, under the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) Section 305 enforced by the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department..

Also covered: Pool Permits (moderate). See the full swimming pools & spas guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Home Business

Zoning & Home Occupation Permits: Colorado Springs requires a Home Occupation Permit under City Code Section 7.5.507 only when the business has customers visiting the property, generates excessive traffic, or needs a federal or state license: including for making or selling firearms or ammunition. The Manager reviews applications, and the permit is tied to the specific owner and location, not the property..

Also covered: Customer Traffic Restrictions (moderate), Home Daycare (moderate), Signage Rules (moderate). See the full home business guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Frost Depth & Snow Load

Ground Snow Load: Colorado Springs has no single ground snow load: it splits at 7,000 feet, with 43 psf below and 57 psf at or above, under the regional building code the city adopts..

Also covered: Roof Snow Load (moderate). See the full frost depth & snow load guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Environmental Rules

Flood Zones: Colorado Springs participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and regulates development in all FEMA-designated floodplains and floodways. Fountain Creek and Monument Creek corridors present the highest flood risk, along with tributaries including Sand Creek and Cheyenne Creek.

Also covered: Defensible Space (moderate), Stormwater Management (moderate), Flood Elevation Requirements (moderate). See the full environmental rules guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Public Conduct

Public Alcohol Use: City Code Sec. 2.5.704 makes it unlawful to drink alcohol on any street, alley, avenue, park, vacant lot, public stairway, hall, or other public place in Colorado Springs, except at licensed establishments and City-authorized Common Consumption Areas.

Also covered: Public Marijuana Use (restrictive), Aggressive Panhandling (moderate), Loitering Rules (moderate). See the full public conduct guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Obstruction Rules: Colorado Springs bans placing any encumbrance on a sidewalk, street, alley, other public way, or natural watercourse, earth fill, building materials, fences, platforms, stairs, railings or barricades, without a revocable permit under City Code § 3.2.217. Objects left unclaimed for 30 days after removal become City property..

Also covered: Sidewalk Repair (moderate), Encroachment Permits (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Curfew Laws

Park Curfew: Colorado Springs parks open at 5:00 a.m. and close at 9:00 p.m.

Also covered: Juvenile Curfew (moderate). See the full curfew laws guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Special Events & Permits

Parade Permits: Any parade, procession or organized assembly of 100 or more people that travels on a Colorado Springs street outside normal traffic rules is a 'special event' requiring a Mayor-issued permit under City Code §§ 3.2.403–3.2.404. Applications are due 90 days to 12 months ahead, and organizers can be billed for extra police, fire, EMS and traffic-control costs..

Also covered: Park Event Permits (restrictive), Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (moderate). See the full special events & permits guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Accessory Structures

ADU Rental Restrictions: Colorado Springs bars any property with an Accessory Dwelling Unit from also operating as a short-term rental. Under UDC Subsection 7.3.304A.4.d, once an ADU is built, the principal dwelling, the ADU, and every other structure on the lot lose STR eligibility, with a narrow grandfather clause for properties that held both a legal ADU and a legal STR permit before June 30, 2025..

Also covered: Shed & Carport Rules (moderate), ADU Owner Occupancy (moderate), ADU Impact Fees (limited). See the full accessory structures guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Fire Regulations

Wildfire Zones: Large portions of western and northern Colorado Springs fall in Very High and Extreme wildfire hazard zones under the Colorado Springs Wildfire Hazard Identification Mapping. Mountain Shadows, Skyway, Broadmoor, Cedar Heights, Rockrimmon, and Black Forest adjacent areas are mapped WUI.

Also covered: Smoke Detectors (moderate), Propane Storage (moderate), Brush Clearance (restrictive). See the full fire regulations guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Trash & Recycling

Illegal Dumping: City Code § 9.6.202 makes it unlawful to litter, dump, drop, throw or deposit trash, waste, debris or 'any foreign substance', on any public or private property or waterway in the City, unless it's an authorized disposal site or a provided receptacle..

Also covered: Collection Schedule (moderate), Yard Waste Collection (moderate), Dumpster Rules (moderate). See the full trash & recycling guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Homelessness & Encampment Rules

Encampment Sanitation: City Code § 9.6.110 bans camping, defined broadly as using a public area for human habitation, including presence of waste, urination or defecation as evidence, anywhere on public property, with an outright ban on camping and waste disposal inside any stream or 100-foot riparian zone..

Also covered: Sit-Lie Rules (restrictive). See the full homelessness & encampment rules guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Sign Regulations

Digital Billboards: Colorado Springs' sign code has no digital-billboard track: Section 7.4.1308.C bans any sign whose digital message changes "except those permitted by this part," and the only changing-message signs the code permits, EMC signs, are restricted to on-site business advertising, which off-premise billboards by definition are not..

Also covered: Holiday Displays (restrictive), Window Signs (moderate), Garage Sale Signs (moderate). See the full sign regulations guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Historic Preservation

Historic-Cultural Monuments: City Council can designate a structure or area as a Historic Preservation Overlay (HP-O) district under UDC § 7.2.608 if it has either historical or architectural importance. Once designated, alteration or demolition is regulated, and unauthorized changes can trigger a City-ordered restoration and a lien on the property..

Cannabis Regulations

Buffer Zones: Colorado Springs keeps marijuana retailers a quarter-mile from where kids gather: City Code §§ 7.3.303F.4 and F.5 require every Medical Marijuana Store and Retail Marijuana Facility to sit at least 1,000 feet from schools, licensed daycares, and drug or alcohol treatment facilities, measured along a route of direct pedestrian access..

Also covered: Dispensary Zoning (restrictive), Home Cultivation (moderate). See the full cannabis regulations guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Water Use Rules

Turf Replacement Rebates: New Colorado Springs landscapes can't put more than 25 percent of the total green space into High Water Use Turfgrass under UDC § 7.4.904.D.2. The turf must be hydrozoned on its own irrigation system, can't be used as filler, and is barred from steep slopes, medians and narrow rights-of-way..

Building Safety

Fire Sprinkler Requirements: The Unified Development Code requires a monitored smoke alarm system or a sprinkler system for new homes on lots more than 600 feet from a cul-de-sac entrance, or reachable only by a road graded steeper than 10 percent, under Subsection 7.4.302.J. Older subdivision plats and pre-1993 development plans are grandfathered out of the requirement..

Also covered: Plumbing Permits (moderate), Green Building Code (limited), Building Permits (moderate). See the full building safety guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Rental Property Rules

Repairs & Habitability: Colorado Springs requires every rental dwelling to stay structurally habitable under City Code § 6.12.305: foundations, walls, roofs, windows and doors must be weathertight, watertight, rodent-resistant and in good repair, stairs and decks must safely bear normal loads with handrails above 30 inches, and plumbing and deteriorating paint must be addressed..

Also covered: Just Cause Eviction (permissive). See the full rental property rules guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Parking Rules

RV & Boat Parking: City Code prohibits parking a recreational vehicle on any public right-of-way (street, alley, or roadway) longer than the time needed to load or unload, citywide; violators face tickets and impoundment. On private residential property, RVs and boats must be stored in a side or rear yard or on a driveway set back at least ten feet from the sidewalk, on an improved surface..

Also covered: Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (restrictive), Loading Zones (moderate), Abandoned Vehicles (moderate). See the full parking rules guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Mobility & Curb Rules

Bike Lane Rules: Colorado Springs City Code bars drivers from stopping, standing or parking within a bicycle lane under § 10.12.101(S), one of nineteen listed no-parking locations citywide. Vehicles obstructing a bike lane can be towed under § 10.25.101(F), and § 10.2.104 separately requires drivers to yield the right-of-way to cyclists and scooter riders using bike lanes..

Also covered: E-Bike Classes (moderate). See the full mobility & curb rules guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Business Licensing & Operations

Pawnbrokers: Anyone doing business as a pawnbroker in Colorado Springs, including buying secondhand goods outright for resale, must hold a City license under § 2.3.803, post a $2,000 bond, and keep detailed transaction records for the Police Department under Part 8 of the Business Licensing Code..

Also covered: Towing Companies (moderate), Massage Establishments (restrictive), Adult Entertainment (restrictive). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Colorado Springs for details.

HOA Rules

CC&R Enforcement: Colorado Springs' Unified Development Code applies to every property in the city regardless of private covenants, but Sec. 7.1.108 lets homeowners' association rules impose stricter limits than the UDC unless the UDC specifically states otherwise.

Outdoor Lighting

Light Trespass & Shielding: Colorado Springs requires floodlights, spotlights and other exterior fixtures on covered development to be fully shielded so the lamp isn't visible from any property line, with floodlight beams capped at 45 degrees above vertical and no glare or light trespass past one footcandle onto neighbors..

Also covered: Dark Sky Rules (moderate). See the full outdoor lighting guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Fence Regulations

Material Restrictions: Colorado Springs permits masonry, solid wood, and chain-link with permahedge inserts or opaque slats, but prohibits tarps, plastic sheeting, and polypropylene when visible off-site, and tightly restricts barbed wire, razor wire, and electric shock fencing..

Also covered: Retaining Walls (moderate), Fence Permit Requirements (moderate), Height Limits (limited). See the full fence regulations guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Tree Protection

Parkway Planting: Planting a tree in a Colorado Springs right-of-way or parkway requires a City Forester's permit, and the species must be on the City's approved street tree list and compatible with the right-of-way's width. The Forester must grant or deny the permit within five business days..

Landscaping Rules

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees: It is unlawful to plant, prune, remove, destroy or otherwise injure a City tree without a City Forester's permit. Ordinance 26-30, effective August 10, 2026, moved this rule into a new Urban Forest Code, Article 9 of Chapter 3, replacing the former Chapter 4 tree article..

Also covered: Native Plants (permissive), Artificial Turf (permissive), Weed Ordinances (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Solar Energy

Panel Permits: Installing or modifying a solar photovoltaic system in Colorado Springs requires a construction permit under the city's amended fire code, issued through the Fire Prevention Bureau before work begins. Group R-3 structures and homes built to the International Residential Code, which covers nearly every single-family house, are specifically carved out of this permit requirement..

Also covered: HOA Restrictions (moderate). See the full solar energy guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Outdoor Cooking

BBQ & Propane Rules: Fire Code Section 308.1.4 bars charcoal and solid-fuel burners and other open-flame cooking devices from combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction, but exempts one- and two-family homes, sprinkler-protected balconies and decks, and small propane grills whose LPG container holds 47 pounds or less water capacity: a standard 20-pound tank..

Invasive Plant Rules

Prohibited Species: Colorado Springs' Undesirable Plant Management Ordinance, City Code § 9.6.314, names five species, leafy spurge, diffuse knapweed, Russian knapweed, spotted knapweed and Canada thistle, as undesirable plants that every landowner in the city must control. The Code Enforcement Administrator can inspect, order abatement, and assess unpaid control costs as a lien on the property..

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: Colorado Springs aggressively enforces property blight and nuisance conditions through the Neighborhood Services Division. Common violations include accumulation of junk, debris, and trash on property; abandoned or inoperable vehicles; overgrown weeds and grass exceeding 10 inches; deteriorated structures; and illegal dumping.

Also covered: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (moderate), Vacant Lot Maintenance (moderate). See the full property maintenance guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Sidewalk & Mobile Vending: Mobile food vendors operating on Colorado Springs sidewalks and rights-of-way cannot block pedestrian or vehicle travel, stop within 20 feet of an intersection, or sell to anyone standing in the street. City Code § 2.3.703 sets these placement rules on top of the license required under § 2.3.702..

Also covered: Vending Zones (moderate), Food Truck Permits (moderate). See the full food trucks & mobile vendors guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Colorado Springs collects a City Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax of 2% on the purchase price of lodging and campground space rentals lasting under 30 consecutive days, plus 1% on short-term automobile rentals, under City Code § 2.9.105. The tax funds visitor promotion and applies in addition to the City's general sales tax..

Local Taxes & Fees

Business Tax Classification: Colorado Springs classifies every business selling liquor at retail into nine separately taxed occupation categories under City Code Sec. 2.5.302, with annual Occupation Tax amounts ranging from $200 to $400 depending on license type.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Setback Rules: Colorado Springs sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks district-by-district in the Unified Development Code's Part 7.2 dimensional-standards tables. In the R-1 6 Single-Family Medium district, City Code Sec.

Also covered: Structure Height Limits (moderate), Lot Coverage Limits (moderate). See the full building setbacks & zoning guide for Colorado Springs for details.

Public Health Rules

Rodent Control: City Code Section 6.12.404 requires every dwelling owner in Colorado Springs to keep the premises free of insects, rodents, vermin and other pests, bars conditions that shelter rats, and makes multi-unit owners responsible for licensed extermination while single-family occupants handle their own..

Right to Farm

Agricultural Zoning Protection: Colorado Springs protects agricultural land through its A: Agricultural zone district under UDC Section 7.2.201, reserved for large-lot residential and farming uses at the city's edge. Lots require a five-acre minimum per single-family dwelling and 200 feet of width, and the district's stated purpose is to encourage and protect agricultural uses from adjacent urban pressure until the land is annexed for growth..

Garage & Yard Sales

Frequency, Duration & Permits: Colorado Springs' Unified Development Code allows a temporary garage sale in any residential zone district up to two times per calendar year, with each sale capped at two consecutive days, under UDC Sec. 7.3.305B.

Data Centers & Crypto Mining

Data Center Zoning & Siting: Colorado Springs treats a data center as a Light Industrial accessory office use rather than giving it its own zoning category. City Code § 7.3.303D.6.a requires Buffer 2 landscaping standards under Table 7.4.9-C whenever the site sits adjacent to single-family or two-family zoning or use, and § 7.3.303D.6.b caps parking at one space per 1,000 square feet..

What to Do With This Information

Whether you are renting, buying, or renovating in Colorado Springs, knowing the local rules upfront saves headaches later. Dig into the individual ordinance pages linked above for the complete picture, including fines and exemptions.