Loveland, CO Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- DT Zone, four downtown character areas
- Governing division
- UDC Division 18.04.06, §§ 18.04.06.01-.04
- Height districts
- Five districts, each with alternative max height
- Outdoor storage cap
- 100 square feet, six-foot masonry screen
- Temporary displays
- Allowed up to four days per event
- Last amended
- Effective 8/20/2025
Summary
Loveland's Unified Development Code devotes Division 18.04.06 to mandatory Downtown Design Standards for the DT Zone, covering four character areas, five height districts, and generally applicable rules for parking structures, outdoor dining, merchandise displays and accessory storage. It is binding zoning code checked at permit review, not an advisory guide.
A. Purpose. The standards of this Division are intended to further the objectives of the DT Zone, which are set out in Section 18.02.02.01, Zones Established. B. Application. Section 18.04.06.02, Establishment of Character Areas and Primary Pedestrian Streets, establishes the boundaries of four areas within the DT Zone that have distinct character, and identifies the primary pedestrian streets within the DT Zone. Section 18.04.06.03, Downtown Building Height, establishes the boundaries of five areas with different maximum building heights. Section 18.04.06.04, Generally Applicable Standards, provides standards for parking structures, outdoor dining, outdoor merchandise displays, and outdoor storage that apply throughout the DT Zone.
Full Breakdown
06 of the UDC, adopted effective 11/20/2018 and last updated effective 8/20/2025, sets the design standards that apply throughout Loveland's DT Zone. 08 add standards specific to each of the four character areas. B, a parking structure facing a public street or plaza must include at least three of six listed features, such as window and door openings covering at least 25 percent of the ground-floor facade, awnings, sill details, columns or recessed horizontal panels. D permits temporary merchandise displays, such as a farmers market or holiday sale, for no more than four days.
E caps accessory outdoor storage at 100 square feet, bars it from any required front or street side yard, and requires screening with a solid masonry wall at least six feet high, or an approved decorative fence, landscape screen or berm. C.
Violations & Fines
Development in the DT Zone that skips these standards, such as an under-screened storage area, an oversized temporary display, or a parking structure lacking the required three detailing features, can be held up at site plan or building permit review by Loveland Development Services, since Division 18.04.06 compliance is checked before approval; noncompliant outdoor dining or storage set up without review is also subject to the UDC's standard enforcement and correction process under Chapter 18.18.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Loveland's downtown design standards mandatory or just a guide?
Can I put outdoor seating on the sidewalk downtown?
How tall can a downtown Loveland building be?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Loveland
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