We are getting close to that time of year where phone calls start coming in from college students looking to secure summer housing for the 2014-2015 school year. For those who are attending Colorado State University, there is one very important law or ordinance that all students wishing to live off-campus need to know – U plus 2.
The U plus 2 law or ordinance is a law that was created by the City of Fort Collins and only applies to housing within the city limits. It was created to avoid over-occupancy of properties.
The law states that occupancy in a residential dwelling unit is restricted to:
- One family and not more than one additional person
- Two adults and their dependents, if any, and not more than one additional person
Based on the above, it is important to define what the city recognizes as “family”. A family, according to the City of Fort Collins means any number of persons, related by blood, marriage, adoption, or other duly authorized custodial relationship that live together in a single residential unit.
Since we get a ton of questions regarding this law, we want to provide you with some scenarios that will help you understand the U plus 2 law.
Here is what is allowed:
- a family of any size
- a family of any size and one friend (not related blood, marriage, adoption, etc.)
- two single parents, their kids, and a nanny
- two brothers and a friend
- three unrelated persons
Here is what is not allowed:
- two married couples
- two sisters and their two friends
- a family and two unrelated friends
As you can see, as it relates to college students, remember that three unrelated persons are the max. The only exception to this is if the residential unit has been approved by the city to exceed the U plus 2 law. If this is the case, the landlord or property manager will be able to communicate this information to prospective tenants.
If you need any additional information about the U plus 2 law or are in need of property management services, please contact us. Real Property Management of the Rockies would be honored to become your trusted property management partner. We serve Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Timnath, Wellington, Johnstown and the rest of the Northern Colorado area. We look forward to hearing from you.