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+News from Denver CPD that may impact building and development projects
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News from Community Planning and Development (CPD)
June 2026
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In this issue
- Denver's new 90-day review for affordable housing
- Preservation tax credits for reroofing projects
- Beware of hailstorm contractor scams
- Review begins for Denver Energy Code amendment proposals
- Limited technical update underway for Blueprint Denver
- Increases in linkage fees effective July 1
- Colorado is updating its electrical standards
- Updates to residential building code policies
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Learn about Denver's Prop 123 Fast-Track Process at staff presentation July 14
Denver will officially roll out the city's 90-day fast-track plan review process for affordable housing on Monday, June 22. Learn more about how it will work at an upcoming open house. In collaboration with the Denver Permitting Office, members of CPD's Affordable Housing Review Team will provide an overview of the process, which is a requirement of the state ballot initiative Proposition 123 (Prop 123), approved by Colorado voters in 2022.
Event details:
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When: Tuesday, July 14, from 9-10:30 a.m.
- Where: Webb Municipal Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave., Denver in Room 4.F.6/4.G.2 (4th floor)
- RSVP link
An RSVP is not required to attend the event, but it will help city staff ensure there is room for everyone who wishes to attend.
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Preservation tax credits for reroofing projects
If your roof was damaged during the recent hailstorms and needs replacement, your project may qualify for state historic preservation tax credits if your property is in a historic district or is an individual landmark. Twenty percent of your qualified reroofing expenses may be credited from your state income taxes, but you must apply for the tax credit before the project is completed. If your property is in Denver and is not income-producing, please request a tax credit pre-application meeting from Denver Landmark Preservation. If your property is income-producing or is located outside of Denver, you can coordinate tax credits with History Colorado’s Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.
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Beware of hailstorm
contractor scams
Since the hailstorm that hit the Denver metro area at the beginning of June, CPD has heard from residents about contractor scams regarding roof damage. It’s important to know there are resources available to find a licensed contractor in Denver.
Community Planning and Development licenses roofing contractors, general building contractors and a variety of specialty building contractors. Electrical and plumbing contractors are regulated at the state level; however, CPD still issues licenses for them to perform work within Denver. Use the contractor license search tool to check whether a contractor has a current license in Denver. Tips on hiring contractors can be found on the CPD residential permitting webpage.
Additionally, residents can file a complaint directly with CPD if they believe a contractor has not met their responsibilities under the Denver Building Code or the city’s contractor licensing requirements. To submit a complaint, email our contractor licensing team. CPD investigates complaints related to contractor responsibility, performance and compliance. If the issue is civil in nature—such as contract or payment disputes—the city does not intervene. If the complaint involves suspected fraud, the matter is referred to the City Attorney’s Office for review.
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Review begins this week for Denver Energy Code amendment proposals
The Denver Energy Code update process continues this week as technical subcommittees for residential and commercial construction will start reviewing amendments proposals.
Submitted proposals will be prioritized based on the following criteria: impact on operational carbon, embodied carbon of buildings and building reuse, cost effectiveness, technical feasibility and market readiness, equity impact, energy efficiency, impact on code usability/regional alignment, enforcement complexity, grid resiliency, and national leadership as a jurisdiction.
Subcommittees are made up of subject matter experts who will investigate specific concepts and strategies. All meetings are virtual and open to the public. For the full schedule of meetings, visit DenverGov.org/energycodeupdate.
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Limited technical update underway for Blueprint Denver
CPD will be conducting a limited technical update of Blueprint Denver in 2026 to maintain consistency with recent state legislation and adopted city plans. This effort incorporates and clarifies existing adopted policies and required information into Comprehensive Plan 2040 by updating Blueprint Denver as an adopted supplement to the Comprehensive Plan. It will also adopt the Denver One Water plan as a supplement to the Comprehensive Plan. Want to give us feedback on the proposed changes? There are several ways to participate in the process to have your voice heard:
The process, proposed changes and additional details about the technical update can be found at DenverGov.org/Blueprint.
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Increases in linkage fees effective July 1
Linkage fees are one-time fees charged to developers based on the total square footage of new construction or development. These fees help fund the city's Affordable Housing Fund to create and preserve homes for low- to moderate-income residents. Previously, the Expanding Housing Affordability (EHA) ordinance was on a fixed fee schedule through July 2025, with yearly increases based on inflation after that. For 2026, the increase is 2.3 percent. New fees take effect July 1, 2026, and can be found under “Fee schedule” on the EHA webpage.
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Colorado is updating its electrical standards
During its May 27, 2026 rulemaking hearing, the Colorado Electrical Board approved the adoption of the 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC)/NFPA 70. Next, the state legislature will finalize the proposal, with an anticipated adoption date of August 1, 2026. As a result, effective August 1 all new project submittals to CPD must comply with the 2026 NEC. Projects submitted for plan review prior to August 1, 2026, may remain under the 2023 NEC as the basis of design.
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New updates to residential building code policies
To better support our customers, the CPD residential plan review team has updated six residential building code policies, which are available on the CPD Denver Building and Fire Code webpage. These policies outline permit submittal requirements, design criteria and construction standards. The updates are intended to clarify existing codes and help customers prepare complete permit applications. The following updated policies can be found on the Denver Building and Fire Code website:
- DRC Geotechnical Investigation Reports
- Structural Submittal Requirements for DRC Structures
- Excavation, Sloping, Benching, and Shoring for DRC Structures
- Adjacent Property Notification for Construction Activities
- Setback-Separation Verification for One-and Two-Family Dwellings
- Exterior Wall Requirements for DRC Buildings
If you have questions about these changes, reach out to our Residential Plan Review team.
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ICYMI: Recaps from
our last newsletter
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Get caught up on last month's news >>
- On Monday, May 4, Denver City Council approved a zoning code update that gives all site development plans approved before 2026, an additional three years to obtain building permits. Specifically, council members voted to extend the period of validity for site development plans (SDPs) approved on or before December 31, 2025, to 66 months from their approval date. SDPs approved on and after January 1, 2026, will maintain a 30-month period of validity.
| | Denver’s Department of Community Planning and Development (CPD) complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or gender to include language. It is your right to request oral or written language assistance services in your primary language, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations, if needed. Please fill out our language services request form and these services will be provided free of charge. If you have any questions, contact CPD’s Operations Team at cpdoperations@denvergov.org. | | Copyright © 2026 City and County of Denver. All Rights Reserved. | | | | |
