Fort Collins, CO Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

5 of the Transitional Land Use Code governs the Low Density Mixed-Use Neighborhood (L-M-N) District, one of Fort Collins' primary residential zones. 5(D)(1)(a) sets a minimum overall average density of four dwelling units per net acre for most residential developments, dropping to three dwelling units per net acre for developments of twenty acres or less. 5(D)(1)(b) then sets the maximum density for any L-M-N development plan at nine dwelling units per gross acre, except that affordable housing projects, whether processed as overall development plans or project development plans, on parcels of ten acres or less may reach a maximum of twelve dwelling units per gross acre.

The bonus extends further for larger affordable sites: affordable housing projects between ten and twenty acres can also reach twelve units per gross acre on the acreage beyond ten acres, but only if every unit built on that extra acreage is leased or sold on terms affordable to households earning sixty percent or less of the area median income for the Fort Collins-Loveland metropolitan statistical area, as published by HUD; those income-restricted units on the extra acreage do not themselves count toward the percentage of affordable units required to qualify the project as an affordable housing project in the first place.

One caveat on currency: this density standard sits in the Transitional Land Use Regulations, which Municode publishes as the edition governing projects submitted before May 17, 2024. Fort Collins adopted a replacement land use code for applications filed after that date, so an applicant starting a new affordable housing project today should confirm the current density cap with the Planning Department before relying on the twelve-unit figure.