The state rule: 6 CCR 1010-9
Colorado regulates RV parks and campgrounds through one state rule, 6 CCR 1010-9, Campgrounds and Recreation Areas, administered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) under C.R.S. 25-1-107(1)(m), 25-1-108(1)(c) and 25-13-104 [1]. The rule was adopted February 19, 1975 [1]. It sorts campgrounds into four classes, primitive, semi-developed, developed and modern, and a park with RV sites, tent sites and camp cabins sits in the developed or modern classes (Sec. 2.10.d and e) [1]. Enforcement is shared by CDPHE, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, State Parks, county and district health departments and peace officers (C.R.S. 25-13-111 as reprinted in the rule) [1].
The rule's age shows in its cross-references: it points to the 1973 NEC and the 1972 plumbing code, so in practice the current codes a county or city has adopted control the buildings and services [1]. The sanitation standard of 6 CCR 1010-9 covers camping equipment, meaning tents or shelters for temporary occupancy, and it has no cabin definition [5]. Permanent or semi-permanent cabins are allowed only when the owner provides them and only under building codes (s. 5.8) [1].
The rule sets the geometry an RV park site plan has to hold. These are the provisions that move pads, roads and buildings on the sheet:
| Standard | Requirement | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Campsite area | At least 900 sq ft per campsite [1] | s. 5.3 |
| Density | No more than 25 campsites per acre, "excluding roads, buildings, and other common use areas" [1] | s. 5.4 |
| Highway setback | 25 ft from any public highway right-of-way [1] | s. 5.2 |
| Lot lines | 3 ft minimum from campsite lot lines [1] | s. 5.10 |
| Unit spacing | Units 10 ft from buildings and from units on adjacent sites, with awnings or other attachments counted as part of the unit [1] | s. 5.11 |
| Site access | A campsite that does not front a road needs 10 ft of clear access [1] | s. 5.5 |
| Internal roads | Two lanes 20 ft; one lane 10 ft; entrance 24 ft unless there is a separate exit [1] | s. 4.3, 4.4 |
| Entrance | At least two means of access to the entrance [1] | s. 4.4 |
| Road clearance | 13 ft overhead and 3 ft side clearance; dead ends need a 50 ft turnaround, Y or T [1] | s. 4.3, 4.4 |
| Parking | At least 1 space per campsite [1] | s. 4.5 |
| Water supply | 100 gpd per site with hookups, 75 gpd with common faucets and flush toilets, 50 gpd with privies; at least 20 psi and 1 gpm per outlet [1] | s. 6.5, 6.6 |
| Common faucets | Within 150 ft of every campsite [1] | s. 6.9 |
| Toilets and showers | 1 toilet and 1 lavatory per sex per 15 sites and 1 shower per sex per 30 sites for dependent units and tents; 1 toilet per sex per 100 sites where every unit is self-contained [1] | s. 12.3 |
| Service building | 10 to 400 ft from the dependent sites it serves [1] | s. 13.1 |
| Water and waste stations | Water fill station 1 per 100 sites, at least 50 ft from the sanitary station; sanitary waste station 1 per 100 sites without sewer hookups, 50 ft from any campsite [1] | s. 6.9, 6.12, 8.10 |
| Refuse | Containers of 8 cu ft (60 gal) per 5 campsites, within 300 ft of the campsites they serve [1] | s. 9.2 |
| Flooding | No sites in areas subject to periodic flooding, or placed so as to permit contamination of a private or public water supply [1] | s. 3.2 |
These numbers are the state floor [1]. The county layer, the wastewater line and the access permit are what usually resize a Colorado plan.
Two of the rules shape the service building plan in particular. The building has to sit within 400 ft of the dependent sites it serves, so tent and dry sites spread across a large parcel need either a second building or a compact dependent-site zone [1]. A park built only for self-contained units carries a far lighter fixture count, 1 toilet per sex per 100 sites against 1 toilet and 1 lavatory per sex per 15 sites for dependent units [1].
Net acreage: why Colorado's 25 is not Florida's 25
Florida allows 1,200 sq ft per RV space and 25 units per gross acre [6]. Michigan requires 1,200 sq ft and 15 ft of road frontage per site [7]. Colorado sets a smaller site, 900 sq ft, and applies its 25 per acre cap only after roads, buildings and other common use areas come out of the acreage [1]. All three states set hard yield numbers in a state rule, but only Colorado measures its cap against net land [1, 6].
The same number is therefore a different cap. In Colorado the internal roads, the bathhouse, the office and the common open space are excluded from the land the cap is measured against, so gross yield after a typical road share falls well below 25 [1]. For the site data table, that means net campsite acreage is its own line, separate from gross parcel area, and the density check runs against the net figure [1]. A table that reports sites per gross acre against the Colorado cap answers the wrong question.
The yield arithmetic, and the gap between legal caps and the yields real layouts reach, are set out in RV sites per acre. The national layout standards (pad types, electrical mix, sanitation ratios) are on the RV park site plan hub.
The county layer decides whether the use is allowed
The state rule sets geometry; the county decides whether an RV park can go on the parcel. In unincorporated Colorado the Board of County Commissioners is the final authority for rezonings, subdivisions and special or conditional uses, usually on a recommendation from the county Planning Commission, while administrative site plan approvals are commonly delegated to planning staff (C.R.S. Title 30, Article 28) [8]. A use by special review or a conditional use requires a hearing, because the use is only conditionally permitted in the zone [8]. Counties can also cap density below the state [4].
| Jurisdiction | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| Chaffee County | Campground or RV park is a Conditional Use decided by the Board of County Commissioners after a public hearing, in the AR, RR, MUR or MUC districts, capped at 20 campsites or camp cabins per acre, under the code in effect since January 1, 2025 [9]; the Conditional Use Permit fee is $7,500 [10] |
| Mineral County | RV parks capped at 12 per gross acre and campgrounds at 15 [4] |
| Park County | 18CUP-08, Black Tree Resort, 20 furnished tents, treated a furnished-tent resort as a Commercial Campground, a conditional use in the Agricultural zone [11, 12]; 20CUP-08 approved a commercial campground with noise and fire conditions, relying on fire protection district approval of cleared areas around fire rings [12] |
| Town of Lake City | A May 2026 conditional use application proposed four glamping tents [13] |
The hearing is a real decision point. As the Mountain Mail reported, Chaffee County commissioners unanimously denied a conditional use permit for a campground in the Pine Creek area at their June 9, 2026 meeting, after more than three hours of discussion and 19 public commenters, although staff had recommended approval with 10 conditions [14]. The Chaffee County Times reported that the applicant asked for 100 ft setbacks from the creek, where the county code requires 300 ft and Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommended 500 ft [15]. Commissioner P.T. Wood said he did not believe the demonstrated need had been shown or the wildlife mitigation adequately answered, as the Mountain Mail reported [14]. Opponents raised wildlife migration, wildfire, setbacks from the creek, egress, highway access and impacts on the Pine Creek trailhead, according to the Chaffee County Times [15].
The state wildlife agency sits inside that county review: Chaffee County requires a wildlife habitat report by a qualified biologist in consultation with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (Sec. 3.6.3.4) [16]. The Chaffee County model project works through that county's full approval path, setbacks, fees and comparable decisions for a campground with cabins; this page does not repeat them.
Front Range site plan review
Where zoning allows the use, site plan review in the large Front Range counties is administrative, and the clocks differ:
| County | Instrument and review | What sets the clock |
|---|---|---|
| Weld | Site Plan Review, delegated by the Board of County Commissioners to Planning Services; pre-application required | Referral agencies get 28 days, and failure to respond is deemed favorable; applicant correction window 120 days [17] |
| Larimer | Administrative decision for site plans; pre-application required, free, Thursday mornings | Pre-application scheduled 2 to 3 months out; minimum 60-day referral period [18] |
| Jefferson | Site Development Plan, administrative and non-discretionary | Fees cover the request plus first revision; additional resubmittals cost extra [19] |
| Douglas | Site Improvement Plan, administrative, approved by Planning Services staff | Pre-application optional but encouraged [20] |
The referral list is long: applications go to the Colorado Geological Survey, CDOT for highway access, fire districts, water and sanitation districts and county health [17, 18]. Each one reads the layout for its own issue, so the preliminary plan should show the entrance, the fire turnarounds and the service building locations clearly before the first referral goes out. Metro sites inside a city follow the city's process instead; see Denver.
Wastewater and water: the lines that resize a Colorado park
Regulation 43 (5 CCR 1002-43) governs onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS); the updated regulation was adopted 3/10/2025 and took effect 6/15/2025, and counties have up to 12 months to adopt conforming local rules [21]. Table 6-2 sets the design flow for a campground at 50 gpd per campsite [2]. An OWTS over 2,000 gpd is a domestic wastewater treatment works, subject to Regulation 22 site location and design approval and a discharge permit [2, 3]. Over that line the regulation calls for site location and design approval under C.R.S. 25-8-702 and a hydrologic analysis [22]. At 50 gpd per campsite, more than 40 campsites exceeds 2,000 gpd [2, 3].
Water proof is the most common entitlement stall in Colorado: will-serve letters, augmentation plans and tap fee timing hold projects up, augmentation plans need water court approval, and substitute water supply plans approved by the State Engineer bridge the gap while a water court application is pending [23]. A campground well is a commercial well: the Division of Water Resources permit data dictionary lists "Commercial: Ordinary non-manufacturing business such as hotels, campgrounds" [24]. In the over-appropriated Arkansas Basin, commercial wells need replacement water [25]. The Chaffee County model project shows how an augmentation plan shapes a campground in that basin.
A county or municipality can also hold a 1041 permit over a project under C.R.S. 24-65.1; major new or extended water and sewer systems are a common trigger [26]. Chaffee County's 1041 regulations, for example, cover major new domestic water and sewage treatment systems (Ch. 4) and major extensions of them (Ch. 5) [27]. A 1041 permit there carries a $5,000 deposit plus cost basis plus 10 percent, and its plans are prepared by a registered professional engineer, architect or other appropriate professional (Sec. 2-203(3)(b)) [27, 10].
Access, stormwater, wildfire, flood and landscape
- State highway access. A CDOT access permit is required to construct, relocate, close or modify access on a state highway (2 CCR 601-1 sec. 2.3(3)(a)), and the Access Code assigns each state highway segment one of eight access categories that restrict spacing and turning movements and can trigger auxiliary lanes [28]. Permit fees are $50, $100 or $300 by level [29]. The level of traffic assessment is set by the Design Hourly Volume (Access Code Sec. 2.3) [30], and the final inspection request requires a signed and sealed certification of the construction [31]. A traffic signal or operations study must carry the seal of a Colorado registered professional engineer [32].
- Construction stormwater. CDPHE's Water Quality Control Division issues General Permit COR400000 for construction disturbing 1 acre or more; the current term runs 4/1/2024 to 3/31/2029, and a stormwater management plan is required before applying [33].
- Wildfire. The 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (8 CCR 1507-39) was adopted 7/1/2025; wildland-urban interface jurisdictions must adopt it by 4/1/2026 and be compliant by 7/1/2026 [34]. Fire conditions also show up at the hearing, as the Park County approval did [12].
- Flood. The state rule keeps campsites out of areas subject to periodic flooding (s. 3.2) [1], so mapped floodplain comes off the developable acreage before the site count is set.
- Landscape. From January 1, 2026, C.R.S. 37-99 bars nonfunctional turf, artificial turf and invasive plants on commercial property [16].
Who prepares and seals what
Colorado does not require every site plan to be stamped [35]. The architectural practice exemption in C.R.S. 12-120-403(1) lets any person prepare plans for one- to four-family dwellings and for one-story non-residential buildings not designed for occupancy by more than ten persons [35]. A Colorado Professional Engineer's seal is required on final engineered documents: grading and drainage plans, stormwater and detention design, structural design, traffic studies, utility design, retaining walls and floodplain analysis (C.R.S. Title 12, Article 120, Part 2) [36]. Engineered septic designs under Regulation 43 are prepared by a Colorado-licensed PE [37]. A local government may require wet seals or licensed preparation above the state minimum [35].
Chaffee County's review manual shows where the seals fall in one county. The pre-application site plan is conceptual and unsealed; the septic suitability report is by a Colorado PE; the OWTS design and the drainage and geotechnical reports are by licensed PEs; civil plans come at site plan; 1041 plans are by a PE or architect; and the recorded mylars carry a surveyor's seal [16, 27].
The preliminary site plan is the layout those engineers build on: the plan a developer takes to the county at the concept or pre-application stage, to a lender and to a contractor for pricing. Once the county has approved the layout, the engineer of record designs the sealed civil set on it.
What the preliminary plan carries, and what the engineer of record adds
| The preliminary site plan carries | The engineer of record adds |
|---|---|
| Campsite layout and count, checked against 25 per acre net and any county cap [1, 4] | OWTS design under Regulation 43, or the Regulation 22 application above the line [2, 3] |
| 900 sq ft minimum sites, 3 ft from lot lines, 10 ft unit spacing, 25 ft highway setback [1] | Water supply report, well permit and augmentation filings [23, 24] |
| Internal roads, two entrance access points, dead-end turnarounds and parking [1] | Grading, drainage and the stormwater plan under COR400000 [33] |
| Service building within 400 ft of dependent sites, common faucets within 150 ft, water fill and waste station locations [1] | CDOT traffic or operations study and the sealed construction certification where a state highway is involved [31, 32] |
| Site data table: gross and net acreage, sites, density against the net cap, setbacks [1] | The sealed civil set on the approved layout |
Related plans, states and reading
Colorado's state page, site plans in Colorado, covers seals, water and approval layers across every asset class. Campgrounds and glamping sit under the same state rule: see campground site plans in Colorado, campground site plans and glamping site plans, and for amenity-led programs, RV resort site plans. Sites near the state line fall under the rules on the Wyoming, New Mexico and Nebraska pages. Other state regimes for the same asset are compared in RV park site plans in Michigan, Arizona RV parks and Texas RV parks.
The studio's preliminary site plan service draws the layout described here, and RV park rendering turns it into the views a hearing asks for. For background reading, see the definitive guide to RV resort entitlement and RV park design standards for US developers.
Frequently asked questions
How many RV sites per acre does Colorado allow?
What is the minimum campsite size in Colorado?
When does a Colorado RV park septic system need state approval?
Do I need a CDOT permit for an RV park entrance?
Is an RV park allowed by right in a Colorado county?
Can a Colorado RV park include cabins?
Why was the Pine Creek campground in Chaffee County denied?
As the Mountain Mail reported, commissioners denied it unanimously on June 9, 2026, after staff had recommended approval with 10 conditions; the commissioner who explained the vote cited the demonstrated need finding and wildlife mitigation [14].
Does a Colorado RV park site plan need an engineer's seal?
Sources
- 1)6 CCR 1010-9, Campgrounds and Recreation Areas, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (Colorado Secretary of State). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 2)5 CCR 1002-43.6, Wastewater Flow and Strength (Regulation 43, Table 6-2), Colorado Water Quality Control Commission (via Cornell LII). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 3)5 CCR 1002-22.2, Definitions (Regulation 22), Colorado Water Quality Control Commission (via Cornell LII). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 4)Mineral County Mobile Home Park/RV Park and Campground Regulations, Mineral County, Colorado. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 5)6 CCR 1010-9-2.0, Definitions, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (via Cornell LII). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 6)Fla. Admin. Code R. 64E-15.002, Sites: Mobile Home, Lodging, and Recreational Vehicle Parks, Florida Department of Health (via Cornell LII). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 7)Mich. Admin. Code R 325.1556, Campsites, Michigan EGLE (via Cornell LII). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 8)C.R.S. Title 30, Article 28, county planning and land use authority, Colorado Revised Statutes (as summarized from weld.gov and jeffco.us). Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 9)Chaffee County Land Use Code (adopted 11-19-2024, effective 1-1-2025), Chaffee County, Colorado. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 10)Planning and Zoning Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2025), Chaffee County, Colorado. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 11)BOCC Staff Report, 18CUP-08 (Black Tree Resort), Park County, Colorado. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 12)Park County Planning Commission Staff Report, 20CUP-08, Park County, Colorado. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 13)Conditional Use Permit Application, Proposed Glamping Tent Sites, 111 Lake Street, Town of Lake City, Colorado. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 14)Commissioners deny permit for Pine Creek campground, The Mountain Mail. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 15)Commissioners deny permit for Pine Creek campground, Chaffee County Times. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 16)Development Review Manual and Application Materials (Land Use Code Appendix A), Chaffee County, Colorado. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 17)Weld County Site Plan Review and referral process (weld.gov), Weld County Department of Planning Services. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 18)Larimer County development review and referral process (larimer.gov, larimer.org), Larimer County, Colorado. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 19)Jefferson County Site Development Plan process and fee policy (jeffco.us), Jefferson County, Colorado. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 20)Douglas County Site Improvement Plan process (douglas.co.us), Douglas County, Colorado. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 21)Regulation 43 (5 CCR 1002-43) update, adoption and effective dates (cdphe.colorado.gov; cpow.net), Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 22)5 CCR 1002-43, Regulation 43, On-site Wastewater Treatment Systems (Ouray County reference copy), Colorado Water Quality Control Commission. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 23)Augmentation plans and substitute water supply plans (watereducationcolorado.org), Water Education Colorado. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 24)Well permit resource model (permit data dictionary), Colorado Division of Water Resources. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 25)What does well permit allow me to do with my water?, The Mountain Mail (columnist). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 26)C.R.S. 24-65.1, areas and activities of state interest (colorado.public.law; ccionline.org), Colorado Revised Statutes. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 27)Chaffee County 1041 Regulations, Chapters 1 to 5, Chaffee County, Colorado. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 28)2 CCR 601-1, State Highway Access Code (codot.gov; law.cornell.edu), Colorado Department of Transportation. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 29)Access Permits FAQ, Colorado Department of Transportation. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 30)Access Permits: Driveways and Curb Cuts, Colorado Department of Transportation. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 31)State Highway Access Permit, Region 3 Access Unit (US 6 Hillcrest Roundabout exhibit), Colorado Department of Transportation (Eagle County copy). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 32)2 CCR 601-1-3, Access Category Standards, Colorado Department of Transportation (via Cornell LII). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 33)CDPS General Permit COR400000, construction stormwater (summaries at summitservicesgroup.com and backeddyengineering.com), CDPHE Water Quality Control Division. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 34)2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, 8 CCR 1507-39 (dfpc.colorado.gov; cml.org), Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 35)C.R.S. 12-120-403, exemptions from architect licensure (law.justia.com), Colorado Revised Statutes. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 36)C.R.S. Title 12, Article 120, Part 2, practice of engineering, Colorado Revised Statutes. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- 37)5 CCR 1002-43, Regulation 43, On-site Wastewater Treatment Systems (current CCR version), Colorado Water Quality Control Commission (Colorado Secretary of State). Accessed 2026-10-09.