Eagle County adopts new land use regulations, effective June 1, 2027
The Board of County Commissioners adopted a full replacement of the county land use regulations on Nov. 3, closing a rewrite that began in April 2024. The new code governs unincorporated land, carries existing approvals and zoning forward, and gives applicants a seven month runway before it takes effect.
Eagle County has a new land use code. The published text of the Eagle County Land Use Regulations states it was adopted on Nov. 3, 2026, with an effective date of June 1, 2027, and the code's own definitions repeat both dates. The adoption replaces the prior land use, subdivision and planned unit development regulations, together with the official zone district map for unincorporated Eagle County.
The Nov. 3 vote closed a rewrite begun in April 2024 and carried through work sessions with the commissioners, an advisory committee and both county planning commissions. The commissioners took up the package at a public hearing on Nov. 3, under county file LUR-009660-2026, considering repeal and replacement of the existing regulations and a legislative replacement of the zoning map.
What the new code covers
The code runs to seven chapters. Chapter 2 covers zoning districts, land use, lots, buildings, structures and signs. Chapter 3 covers subdivision and site design. Chapter 4, hazard mitigation and resource stewardship, takes up dark skies, wildlife protection, wildfire risk, geologic hazards and hillsides and ridgelines. Chapter 5 covers development impact mitigation, dedication requirements and impact fees, including an article on inclusionary housing and housing linkages.
The stated purposes include implementing the Eagle County Comprehensive Plan, managing the pace, character and location of development, protecting rural character and the natural environment, addressing housing needs, and assuring that development review is fair, efficient and timely. Chapter 6 covers nonconformities, administration and enforcement, and Chapter 7 collects measurements, rules of construction and definitions.
The code's jurisdiction is unincorporated land. Section 1.1.3.1 provides that it applies to all unincorporated land within Eagle County, with exemptions that include agricultural uses and public service and utility uses under Section 1.2.1. The incorporated towns, among them Vail, Avon, Eagle, Gypsum, Minturn and Red Cliff, keep their own land use rules, so the practical reach of the new code is the county's unincorporated communities and rural land, from Edwards and Eagle-Vail to Wolcott, Bond and Dotsero.
The seven month runway
The gap between adoption and the June 1, 2027 effective date is deliberate, and the transition rules in Section 1.3.1.1 decide which code governs projects already in motion. Site specific development plans approved on or before June 1, 2027 hold statutory vested rights under state law. Pending applications that were complete on or before that date are reviewed under the prior code, with three exceptions: applications for special use permits, planned unit development permits and subdivision plats are reviewed under the new code as of the effective date. Applications filed before June 1, 2027 that were not complete by then are also reviewed under the new code.
Approvals already in hand carry forward. Under Section 1.3.1.2, subdivision exemption plans approved under the prior code remain exempt and vested on their approval conditions, development that needed no special use permit on June 1, 2027 keeps that exemption, and permits issued under the prior code stay valid on their conditions. Parcels zoned under the prior code move to the corresponding district in the new code's conversion table under Section 1.3.1.3.
Existing uses that no longer conform
For property that becomes nonconforming under the new rules, Article 6.1 sets the terms. Under Section 6.1.2.1, a nonconforming use may carry on as it stands, but it may not be intensified or extended. Under Section 6.1.2.3, a nonconforming use in a building is treated as discontinued after 24 consecutive months of nonuse, and a use outside a building after one year, with an exception for casualty loss. Separately, Division 6.2.13 implements the state vested rights statute: a vested right established by a site specific development plan runs three years from final approval, and the county may extend it.
The published code states no adopting resolution number, and the county has not yet issued a separate announcement of the adoption. The full text, including the zoning conversion table, is published on the county's code platform. Owners and applicants with projects in unincorporated Eagle County now have until June 1, 2027 to complete filings under the outgoing rules where the transition sections allow it, or to plan around the new code.
