By Pete Gawda
According to the El Paso County Land Development Code Chapter 5, all types of shipping containers are allowed in residential, forestry and agricultural areas as permanent storage structures.
There are some guidelines to storing them. With an exception for A-35 agricultural zoning, the containers must be painted to be compatible with the surrounding area or else screened from views. Any setback requirements for a particular zoning would apply to shipping containers, except for A-25 agricultural zoning. A setback is the distance between the street and a building. It means buildings between those areas is prohibited. A site plan to verify setbacks and specific requirements is required.
Shipping containers cannot be stacked, and they must be on a suitable level base as determined by the El Paso County Planning and Community Development department. A building permit could be required, which is determined by the Pikes Peak Regional Building Authority.
Shipping containers cannot be used more than 30 days for temporary storage without special permission from the planning and community development department, and must be located on the property for which they are utilized.
