2024 Mayor’s Design Award Winner: RiNo ArtPark, Arkins Park and Promenade, and Elevated Walkway

Development news from Community Planning and Development (CPD)

In this issue, you will find:

Affordable housing linkage fee to increase July 1
CPD provides in-person consultations for plans, inspections, contractor licensing
Find your inspection times in new CPD dashboard
Updated residential Denver Energy Code checklists now available
Closure notification for inactive issued building permits
Outdoor Places Program: Right-of-way permit fee and economic analysis
ICYMI: Recaps from our last newsletter

Denver’s affordable housing linkage fee to increase July 1

As part of the Expanding Housing Affordability ordinance, adopted by the City Council in June 2022, affordable housing linkage fees increase each year on July 1 in a phased approach through July 1, 2025, after which time the fees will be increased for inflation annually. The linkage fees go into Denver’s affordable housing fund, which supports permanent housing and supportive services for at-risk residents, low- and moderate-income workforce rental housing, and moderate-income for-sale housing.

Development projects submitted to Community Planning and Development on or after July 1, 2022, are subject to the Expanding Housing Affordability ordinance and will use this fee schedule. Projects submitted to Community Planning and Development that are not subject to the Expanding Housing Affordability ordinance that had a concept site development plan submitted prior to July 1, 2022, and meet the site development plan approval timeframes specified in the ordinance will still see an increase in linkage fees due to inflation, and those projects will use this fee schedule.

Linkage fees are assessed alongside standard permit fees, all of which are due prior to building permit issuance. See Denver Revised Municipal Code Section 27-153 – Imposition of linkage fee.

CPD provides in-person consultations for plans, inspections, contractor licensing

Customers who would like in-person assistance with plans and inspections can visit CPD’s office at the Webb Municipal Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave.

Plans: Counter services include answering questions about plans or city codes, or those who need help navigating E-permits. They provide pre-application assistance, E-permits help, answering questions about zoning or building codes and general questions on permitting procedures and requirements. By appointment only (currently available Tuesdays and Thursdays): https://www.denvergov.org/naoa/.

Contractor Licensing: This group provides services at the 2nd floor permit counter Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. No appointment necessary. They are happy to answer general contractor licensing questions.

Inspections: Inspectors also provide in-person consultation services. Their hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 to 11 a.m., currently on the 3rd floor. No appointment necessary.

Please note that staff at the counter do not accept plans and do not issue permits. Plans must be submitted through the e-permits portal.

Information: Scheduling an appointment.

Find your inspection times in new CPD dashboard

CPD recently launched a new webpage that shows the estimated times of arrival for construction inspections. The dashboard lists the address, type of inspection and an expected 2-hour window for when inspectors are scheduled to arrive. We believe this will significantly cut down on one of our most frequently asked questions to the customer service team: When is my inspection?

Previously, customers would need to log into e-permits to find their times. Now all that information is listed in a publicly accessible dashboard and ETAs are updated every 30 minutes throughout the business day. Please note the 2-hour windows are estimates and could change based on various factors.

See the new dashboard

Updated residential Denver Energy Code checklists now available

Significant updates to the 2022 residential energy code checklists are now available online. These updates make the checklists more user-friendly, to support complete permit submittals and more efficient plan review.

Updates include:

Clarified language for code descriptions and submittal requirements
Updated tables for prescriptive additional efficiency credits, including credit descriptions and submittal requirements
New: Simplified checklist for additions and alterations following the prescriptive path
New: Example templates for tables of proposed mechanical and plumbing systems. Using these templates to include all necessary information can help reduce review cycles

Checklists to support 2022 Denver Energy Code compliance are available on our website.

The energy code checklists are continuously maintained. Be sure to download and use the latest version for your project. Questions? Email energy.review@denvergov.org.

Closure notification for inactive issued building permits

Per Chapter 1 of the Denver Building and Fire Code, building permits that are inactive for 60 days may be closed. Starting next month, CPD will resume the process of closing issued building permits that have been inactive for 120 business days. Customers will be notified when their issued permit has been inactive for 90 business days. At that time, the project team will have 30 business days to request an inspection or ask for an extension. View instructions on how to schedule an inspection >>

Outdoor Places Program: Right-of-way permit fee and economic analysis

An Outdoor Places permit fee and other applicable fees are required for all outdoor patios located within the right-of-way. Fee amounts are determined based on the location and size of the patio and whether the permit is for a new location or an annual renewal. Any additional required permits, such as modifications to Liquor Licenses or Denver Fire Department permits, will have their own fees. *Application fees are waived through the end of 2024.

You can calculate your expected Outdoor Places permit fee by using the permit fee calculator, and view fee tables, on the Outdoor Places Program webpage.