Horse Property in the Colorado Mountains Near Denver

In A-1, A-2 and A-35 zones, no limit when the lot meets the zone minimum. In residential zones and undersized ag lots: 9,000 sq ft of open land for the first animal, 6,000 for each additional, max 4 per acre.

No. Clear Creek County does not permit non-commercial animals on parcels under 3 acres.

In A-35 or R-35 at 35-70 acres, 16 horses (base 4 times factor 4). The Agricultural zone has no limit.

At least half an acre of pasture per riding horse.

Not from a household-use-only well. A domestic well on 35+ acres allows livestock. Check the permit's allowed uses with the Division of Water Resources.

A well-constructed three barbed wire fence with substantial posts about twenty feet apart (C.R.S. 35-46-101).

Yes. Colorado requires one at any change of ownership, $5.00 per head.

Only land used the previous two years and presently as a farm or ranch for monetary profit qualifies. Confirm with the county assessor.

On the Front Range it takes 25 to 40 acres of dryland pasture to support one horse with no supplemental feed, per CSU Extension. Irrigated pasture carries a horse on 0.7 to 1.2 acres. On smaller mountain acreage, plan to feed hay; the legal number of horses comes from county zoning, not grass. Confirm the count for a specific parcel with the county planning office.

Yes, in most cases. In the A-1 zone (5-acre minimum), A-2 (10 acres) and A-35 (35 acres), Jefferson County sets no limit on animals when the lot meets the zone minimum. In residential zones and undersized agricultural lots the county requires 9,000 square feet of open land for the first animal and 6,000 square feet for each additional one, with a cap of 4 per acre. Confirm the parcel's zone with Jefferson County Planning and Zoning before you buy.

Up to 4, and only when the acre is open land. Residential zones in unincorporated Jefferson County require 9,000 square feet of open land for the first animal and 6,000 square feet for each additional animal, capped at 4 per acre. Inside Golden or Morrison town limits, the city or town code applies instead.

Clear Creek County does not allow non-commercial animals on parcels under 3 acres. The limit is 1 animal unit per acre; one horse equals one unit and two miniature horses equal one unit. Corrals sit at least 10 feet from property lines, and manure stays 200 feet from wells and streams and outside the 100-year floodplain. Inside Idaho Springs or Georgetown town limits, confirm with the town.

It depends on the zone. The Agricultural zone has no animal limit. In A-35, R-35 and R-20, the base is 4 horses times an acreage factor: 16 horses on 35 to 70 acres, and 8 on R-20 lots of 10 to 20 acres. In the Residential zone, lots over 1 acre allow 1 animal per 20,000 square feet of open space, up to 4. Barns and corrals sit 50 feet from dwellings and 100 feet from wells and watercourses.

Boulder County counts animal units per acre by zone: 4 in Agricultural, 2 in Forestry, Rural Residential and Estate Residential, and 1 horse per half acre of pasture in Suburban Residential. The code states: "Riding horses may be kept as permitted accessory uses provided at least one-half acre of pasture is available for each horse." Outdoor arenas sit 300 feet from neighbors' homes. Inside Nederland or Lyons town limits, the town code applies.