Boulder, CO Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

C. 1981. The height permitted without review for a given lot is set by the schedule of form and bulk standards in Section 9-7-1, but no building in the city may exceed the citywide ceiling fixed by the City Charter: Charter Section 84, "Height limit," sets an absolute 55-foot cap that even a discretionary site review under Section 9-2-14 cannot waive, except for certain poles reviewed through that same process. Height is measured as the vertical distance from the lowest point within twenty-five horizontal feet of the tallest side of the structure, using natural grade, up to the roof's uppermost point; the city manager may reconstruct the natural grade from historical records if the site was regraded after Charter Section 84 was adopted on November 2, 1971.

4 percent grade), height may not exceed 25 feet measured perpendicular to natural grade, regardless of what the base zoning district otherwise allows, and the 55-foot Charter ceiling still applies on top of that. Residential High Density (RH) zones can get relief from the base schedule: under Section 9-7-6, principal building height there may rise to 40 feet if the building has no more than three habitable floors, the highest habitable floor's finished elevation is no more than 21 feet above grade, and the roof pitch is at least 1:2.

Structures built at a lawful height that are now nonconforming may not add floor area above their existing nonconforming height; only appurtenances meeting Section 9-7-7's standards may exceed the 55-foot line. Any proposal to build higher than the schedule or conditional limit allows requires planning board approval through site review under Section 9-2-14.