DC-24-0004: Residential Uses, Boarding House, and Group Care or Foster Home
Board of County Commissioners Approval of DC-24-0004
On May 14, 2026, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approved Docket DC-24-0004: Residential Uses, Boarding House and Group Care or Foster Home at a Public Meeting. View the agenda and recording of the May 14, 2026, BOCC Public Meeting. Docket DC-24-0004 will be formally adopted by the BOCC at a future Business Meeting.
Amendment to the Household definition which clarifies that group homes meeting the residential occupancy limits of a Dwelling Unit are considered Households and can operate by-right
Residential Care Facility use added to the Code
Boarding House and Group Care or Foster Home uses removed from the Code
Background
On Oct. 29, 2024, Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting staff received authorization from the BOCC to pursue text amendments to the Code through Docket DC-24-0004 related to Residential Uses, specifically Article 4 Boarding House and Group Care or Foster Home use classifications, and any other related Articles and provisions necessary to integrate these changes.
Staff proposed amendments to existing regulations in the Code to update the Boarding House and Group Care or Foster Home use classifications. The previous definitions for Boarding House and Group Care or Foster Home relied on the familial relationship of the individuals in the residence and the recent Code change related to residential occupancy (DC-24-0002) makes these definitions obsolete. Staff reevaluated the scope and purpose of the Boarding House and Group Care or Foster Home uses through this update.
Past Public Meetings
Board of County Commissioners Public Meeting, Thursday, May 14, 2026
Staff presented DC-24-0004: Residential Uses, Boarding House, and Group Care or Foster Home, to the BOCC at a Public Meeting on May 14, 2026.
Board of County Commissioners Public Hearing, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026
On Feb. 5, 2026, staff presented DC-24-0004: Residential Uses, Boarding House, and Group Care or Foster Home, to the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) at a Public Hearing. The BOCC tabled DC-24-0004 indefinitely, with direction for staff to provide more information to BOCC so that they may further evaluate the Text Amendment Option B: Residential Care Facility, which is identified in the DC-24-0004 staff packet for the BOCC Public Hearing on Feb. 5, 2026.
Information requested by the Commissioners included additional information regarding the Land Use Code’s zoning districts and to provide more detail on the structures and square footage for two of the existing Group Care Homes, Mountain States Children’s Home and Sandstone Care at The Alps.
On Oct. 15, 2025, staff presented Docket DC-24-0004: Residential Uses, Boarding House, and Group Care or Foster Home, to the Boulder County Planning Commission at a Public Hearing. The Planning Commission recommended to the BOCC approval of Docket DC-24-0004 and certified the docket for action by the BOCC, with the following direction for staff:
Explore options for maintaining the Group Care Home use through Special Review, both for existing Group Care Homes and future Group Care Homes
Recommendation to make a clarifying amendment to the existing Household definition, by changing “single Dwelling Unit” to “one Dwelling Unit”
