Colorado Springs, CO Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit needed
- Customers on-site, excessive traffic, or licensed trade
- Named example
- Firearms/ammunition production or sale
- Reviewing official
- The Manager
- Standards cross-reference
- Subsection 7.3.304I
- Appeal
- Only a denial, to Planning Commission
- Permit voids
- On sale or transfer of the property
Summary
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.
A Home Occupation Permit shall be obtained prior to the establishment of a home occupation that: a. Has customers who enter upon the property; b. Generates excessive traffic; or c. Requires a Federal or State license or permit to operate, including the production or sale of firearms or ammunition... A Home Occupation Permit does not run with the property but is issued to the specific owner of the property in a specific location. The permit shall expire upon sale or transfer of the property.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 26-23, passed June 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
507 (Home Occupation Permit), part of the Unified Development Code adopted by Ordinance 23-03, sets the permitting rule for home-based businesses in Colorado Springs. 304I (Home Occupation, Accessory), but a separate Home Occupation Permit is only required before establishing a home occupation that has customers who enter upon the property, generates excessive traffic, or requires a federal or state license or permit to operate, the Code specifically calls out 'the production or sale of firearms or ammunition' as an example of the last category. 409, and only a denial may be appealed to the Planning Commission, an approval or conditioned approval is final at the Manager level.
b states it 'does not run with the property but is issued to the specific owner of the property in a specific location,' and it expires automatically upon sale or transfer of the property, requiring a fresh application if the owner relocates within the City and wants to continue operating. a.
Violations & Fines
Operating a home occupation that needs a permit without one is enforced as a zoning violation under the UDC's general penalty at City Code Section 1.1.201: a fine of up to $2,500, up to 189 days in jail, probation, or a combination, since Section 7.5.507 itself sets out no separate dollar penalty. The permit also lapses immediately on any unreported sale or transfer of the property, and unauthorized expansion of the approved use requires a new Manager decision before it can continue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to run a home-based business in Colorado Springs?
Who decides Home Occupation Permit applications and can I appeal?
Does my Home Occupation Permit transfer if I sell my house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Colorado Springs
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