Normally, a survey is required when you are building a new construction project. A soil report is required when you are building a free-standing new construction project. A wastewater permit is needed for almost any building permit.

1. It only takes a week or two to get a wastewater permit, and the whole thing can be done on line.
   1. The main purpose of this permit is to determine if you need a new sewer line from your property to the main sewer line in the alley or the street.
   2. Normally it’s a good idea to replace an old sewer which runs under a new structure because, if you have to replace it later, you have to access the sewer line from inside your new building.
   3. If the sewer is not old or if you think it’s in good condition, you can have it “scooped”. This is a reasonably easy process where-in a company runs a camera down the sewer line to access its condition. Most of these companies will give you a written report which can locate any problems.
   4. If the existing sewer is outside your new structure, it may be unnecessary to replace it because you can always dig it up later.
   5. For almost all cases, it’s not required to dig the sewer inside the public street or alley because, again this can be done later and technically the sewer doesn’t belong to you. You shouldn’t decide to replace the sewer to the public way unless you can’t avoid it because, with construction and tap fees, this work can cost thousands.
   6. The permit is only $100 unless you have construction work.

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the above.

For general information about Denver’s zoning

1. Go to http://DenverGov.Org/. Zoning requirements for other cities are very similar.
2. Click on A-Z Departments and Services
3. In A-Z, click on “zoning permits” at the bottom of the alphabetical list.
4. At the right side of this screen, you’ll see a green and blue box with the words printed “enter your property address”.
5. Enter your address and your zone and zoning information will pop up. Print this page or write it down.
6. Then go back to the drop down menu on the zoning tab, click on “Denver Zoning Code”. When the image opens, you can see the whole code or any one of the articles. For now, click on “General Provisions”. This will give you general information about the idea behind the code, how it’s organized, and so on.

To keep it simple, we are creating an example house which is in one of the most common zoning sections. This is called an urban house and it’s located in article 5, on page 5.3-5. Even though your zone may not be listed in article 5, the other zones are similar enough so you can understand the principle by which all this is organized.

As you can see, the code is divided into sections according to neighborhood density. Find the zone corresponding to the one you wrote down in “find your zoning”. If you don’t find your zone on the page above, look at the table of contents and go to that section. You’ll find the chart for your zone which is analogous to the example on the page above and you can interpolate. This information is itemized below:

1. Building height
2. Bulk plane
3. Minimum sizes and dimensions for lots in the various zones
4. Setbacks from the front, back, and side property lines
5. Land coverage
6. Garages
7. Accessory dwelling units (ADU’s)
8. Tandem houses

To learn more, click on this information, outlined in more detail, to the right.

As you can imagine, not everything is covered in this example. There are exceptions to the rules, specific ways of measurement, guidelines for zoning amendments, and so on.

AFTER WE “LOG IN” YOUR PROJECT, THE WAITING PERIOD FOR PROJECT REVIEW CAN TAKE FROM 60 TO 90 DAYS.

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the above. I can usually answer an email within 24 hours. If you are in a hurry, call me at 303.831.4455.

Accessory dwelling units (adu’s) were permitted years ago as carriage houses, but were not permitted in the old zoning code. Now, in the new zoning code, they are permitted again. Adu’s must have their own address and can be rented, but they can’t be sold. Also, they have the same type of restrictions as the primary structure on your property.

1. First, to learn more, take a look at the two definitions for an adu in the zoning code. These occur on pages 11.12-30 and 13.3-1. There are variations but 99% of all adu’s are apartments over a garage.
2. If it’s a detached adu, as in a separate building or over the garage, you can learn more by seeing page 5.3-35.
3. A detached adu can be 1 ½ stories and 24’ high. As with the garage, the vertical leg of the bulk plane is 10’ with an inward slope of 45 degrees from the top. The requirement for 1 ½ stories means that the upper floor area can only be a maximum of 75% of the area of the ground floor.
4. To make the adu more visible to emergency vehicles, the building has to touch the south side set back line.
5. Lot sizes are limited in the same way as the house lots except that we get a 50% exception for land coverage, up to a maximum of 500 sf. The exception doesn’t apply unless we are 15’ from the main house, and at least 80% of the ground floor is used for parking. (ie. a garage)
6. If located in the rear 35% of the lot, the side lot and rear setbacks are 5’, unless the lot is <30’ wide. If less than 30’ the side lot setback is 3’.
7. In addition to the above, the land coverage (footprint) is limited to 650 sf if the lot is <6,000sf. The coverage is 864 sf if the lot <7,000sf and 1,000 sf if the lot > 7,000sf.

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the above.