Background
On June 2, 2026, the Board of County Commissioners authorized staff to update the Boulder County Land Use Code as it relates to detention center uses.
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Please note that any proposed changes to the Boulder County Land Use Code are for unincorporated areas in Boulder County, not in cities like Boulder or Longmont. Boulder County’s unincorporated areas are comprised of the rural, mountainous and plains communities that are not part of any incorporated municipality.
The Board of County Commissioners expressed concerns about the potential land use impacts of detention centers. Communities are facing challenges related to the detention of individuals in structures or places that were never intended to support these land uses. The primary concern is that the Code does not currently define detention centers as specific uses, identify the scale at which they may or may not be appropriate in the unincorporated county, or identify zoning districts in which the use may or may not occur. The Commissioners expressed interest in prohibiting these uses in the unincorporated county. Through a Code change, staff will define these uses and identify the places and scale at which they may or may not be permitted in the unincorporated county.
As part of this process, the Boulder County Commissioners also enacted a temporary moratorium effective June 2, 2026. While the moratorium is in effect, Community Planning and Permitting will not accept any applications for detention centers. The moratorium will be in effect for six months while changes to the Land Use Code are considered.
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