City Planning

Comprehensive Development Ordinance

Zoning is a tool to guide development in Burlington. 

The Comprehensive Development Ordinance (CDO) is one of the primary tools used to implement the vision for future development in planBTV. It is a comprehensive set of laws related to how land in the city is used and developed, and includes both the City's zoning and subdivision regulations. Zoning is a regulatory process that divides Burlington into Zoning Districts that each define the types of land uses allowed, the intensity of those uses, and details on the size and placement of buildings on the land. Subdivision regulations govern how properties are divided or combined in order to create individual lots for sale. 

The Office of City Planning is responsible for managing the CDO and for proposing amendments to the ordinance to improve its outcomes. The Zoning Division of the Department of Permitting & Inspections administers the code by reviewing applications for development and making recommendations about such applications to the Development Review Board when necessary. City Planning & DPI work collaboratively on amending and administering the CDO in order to ensure that the ordinance achieves its goals. 

 

Explore the CDO and amendments that are in the works

The City routinely making changes to the standards contained in the CDO in order to improve its wording and required provisions, to be responsive to actual development realities, and to implement major policy objectives that result from our planning processes.