Colorado Development Fees
Colorado home-rule cities and counties fund growth through development impact fees authorized under C.R.S. 29-20-104.5, zoning and development review application fees set by local fee schedules, and water tap and plant investment fees charged by the utility that serves each parcel. There is no single statewide fee schedule, so fee research happens jurisdiction by jurisdiction and utility by utility.
Coverage last updated: 2026-06-28. 4 Colorado jurisdictions live on ZoneFee.
Live Colorado Jurisdictions
How Development Fees Work in Colorado
Colorado local governments derive land-use authority from the Local Government Land Use Control Enabling Act (C.R.S. 29-20-101 et seq.). Within that framework, C.R.S. 29-20-104.5 expressly authorizes a local government to impose an impact fee or other similar development charge on new development, provided the fee is legislatively adopted, applied to a broad class of property, and based on a reasonable and roughly proportional relationship to the development's impact, with a published schedule. Unlike Virginia, Colorado does authorize impact fees; unlike the uniform Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 framework, Colorado does not impose a single statewide procedural regime, so the structure differs by jurisdiction.
Most of Colorado's larger cities are home-rule municipalities under Article XX of the Colorado Constitution, which gives them broad authority over local matters, including the structure of their development fees. As a result, much of the fee detail lives in each city's municipal code and adopted fee schedule rather than in state statute. Denver is a special case: it is a consolidated city and county under Article XX, so a single Denver government administers both municipal and county functions.
Colorado cities and counties charge zoning, development review, and subdivision application fees for staff review of rezonings, site and development plans, conditional uses, plats, and similar applications. These cover the cost of review and are set by each jurisdiction's adopted fee schedule. Many jurisdictions also levy capital facility impact fees, development excise taxes, or community development impact (CDI) fees that fund parks, transportation, public safety, schools, and other capital needs, along with a construction use tax on building materials in many home-rule cities.
Water and wastewater service for new development is provided by a patchwork of municipal utilities, separate enterprise utilities, and special districts. Some cities run their own utility (Aurora Water; Boulder Planning and Development Services), Colorado Springs is served by the separate Colorado Springs Utilities enterprise, and Denver is served by Denver Water, a self-governing city-owned utility. Each charges its own tap, connection, and plant investment fees, so the applicable connection charge depends on the specific service provider for the parcel rather than on the city alone.
Colorado Statutory Anchors
- C.R.S. 29-20-104.5 - Authority for local governments to impose impact fees or similar development charges (enacted by HB 01-1062, 2001), within the Local Government Land Use Control Enabling Act. (leg.colorado.gov - Colorado Revised Statutes)
- C.R.S. 29-20-101 et seq. - Local Government Land Use Control Enabling Act; the umbrella land-use authority for Colorado local governments. (leg.colorado.gov - Colorado Revised Statutes)
- Colorado Constitution, Article XX - Home-rule municipal authority and consolidated city-county status (the basis for Denver's city-and-county government). (leg.colorado.gov - Colorado Constitution)
- C.R.S. Title 30, Article 28 - County planning, zoning, and subdivision regulation (including C.R.S. 30-28-133, subdivision regulation). (leg.colorado.gov - Colorado Revised Statutes)
- C.R.S. Title 31, Article 23 - Municipal zoning and subdivision authority (including C.R.S. 31-23-214). (leg.colorado.gov - Colorado Revised Statutes)
Coverage Detail by Jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | Type | Region | Fee Types Covered | Last Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | Consolidated city-county (home rule) | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO MSA (Front Range / Denver Metro) | Building permit and plan review fees (CPD ADMIN 138); DOTI site development, plat, and engineering review fees; DOTI sewer tap (SUDP) fees. Impact fees (EHA Affordable Housing Linkage Fee, Gateway, Construction Use Tax) and Denver Water System Development Charge confirmed as programs; specific amounts disclosed as coverage gaps | 2026-06-26 |
| Aurora | City (home rule) | Denver Metro (Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties); Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO MSA | Capital Impact Fee and park, infrastructure, and construction use tax charges; zoning and development review application fees plus building permit fees; Aurora Water single-family connection and plant investment fees (2026 fee schedules). Proffers not applicable; special-district fees not administered | 2026-06-26 |
| Boulder | City (home rule; county seat) | Boulder County (Colorado Front Range); Boulder, CO MSA | Development Excise Tax and Capital Facility Impact Fees; building permit and land use review fees; water and wastewater tap fees and plant investment fees (2026 Planning and Development Services Schedule of Fees). Proffers not applicable; special-district fees not administered | 2026-06-25 |
| Colorado Springs | City (home rule; county seat) | El Paso County (Front Range); Colorado Springs, CO MSA | Community Development Impact (Police and Fire CDI), school and park impact fees, and construction use tax; zoning and plat review application fees (2017 Development Application Review Fee Schedule). Water and sewer via Colorado Springs Utilities (separate enterprise); proffers not applicable | 2026-06-26 |
| Douglas County | County (statutory) | Denver South Metro; Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO MSA | Zoning, subdivision, site-development, and special-review application fees plus engineering and building permit charges. Impact fees not administered (construction use tax); utility tap fees and special-district fees administered by independent Title 32 metropolitan districts; proffers not applicable in Colorado | 2026-07-06 |
What This Coverage Includes
ZoneFee currently has 4 Colorado jurisdictions live: Denver (the consolidated city-county anchoring the Front Range / Denver Metro), Aurora (the Denver Metro city spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties), Boulder (the city and county seat of Boulder County), and Colorado Springs (the El Paso County seat and Colorado's second-largest city). Each record is published under ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, with at least one meaningful development-fee family confirmed verbatim from an official primary source and SHA-256 source content hashes recorded for the captured documents. Denver covers its CPD building permit and plan review fees, DOTI site development, plat, and engineering review fees, and DOTI sewer tap fees; its EHA Affordable Housing Linkage Fee, Gateway Impact Fees, Construction Use Tax, and Denver Water System Development Charge are confirmed as programs with specific amounts disclosed as coverage gaps pending hash-verified capture. Aurora covers its 2026 Capital Impact Fee, zoning and building permit fees, and Aurora Water single-family connection and plant investment fees. Boulder covers its Development Excise Tax, Capital Facility Impact Fees, building and land use review fees, and water and wastewater tap and plant investment fees from the 2026 Schedule of Fees. Colorado Springs covers its Community Development Impact (CDI), school, and park impact fees and its development application review fees, with water and sewer charges noted as administered by the separate Colorado Springs Utilities enterprise. Fee families not located via official sources are honestly disclosed on each jurisdiction page as unverified or not administered rather than estimated.
Researching Colorado Fees: What to Expect
Looking up Colorado development fees requires reading several separate documents per jurisdiction. Expect to consult the city or county adopted fee schedule (for zoning, development review, and subdivision application fees); the municipal code or council ordinance establishing any impact fee, capital facility fee, development excise tax, or construction use tax authorized under C.R.S. 29-20-104.5; and the schedule of the utility that serves the parcel for water and sewer tap, connection, and plant investment fees. Because home-rule cities set much of their fee detail by local schedule, and because water service is fragmented across municipal utilities, enterprise utilities, and special districts, a researcher should confirm both the governing city or county and the specific water and wastewater provider before relying on a figure. ZoneFee jurisdiction pages bring these together into one record per covered jurisdiction, with verbatim source quotes, source URLs, and SHA-256 source content hashes recorded for primary sources retrieved at verification time.
Colorado Development Fees - Frequently Asked Questions
Does Colorado allow development impact fees?
Yes. Colorado authorizes local governments to impose development impact fees under C.R.S. 29-20-104.5, part of the Local Government Land Use Control Enabling Act, enacted by HB 01-1062 in 2001. An impact fee must be legislatively adopted, applied to broad classes of property, and based on a reasonable and proportionate relationship to the impact of the development, with a published fee schedule. This differs from Virginia, which largely does not authorize general impact fees and relies on case-by-case proffers. Denver, Aurora, Boulder, and Colorado Springs all levy impact or capital-facility charges under this authority.
What is C.R.S. 29-20-104.5?
C.R.S. 29-20-104.5 is the section of the Colorado Revised Statutes, within the Local Government Land Use Control Enabling Act (C.R.S. 29-20-101 et seq.), that authorizes a local government to impose an impact fee or other similar development charge on new development. The fee must be legislatively adopted, generally applicable to a broad class of property, and reasonably related and roughly proportional to the demand the development places on capital facilities. The statute is the basis for the development impact, capital facility, and excise charges Colorado cities levy.
What is a plant investment fee (PIF) in Colorado?
A plant investment fee (PIF), sometimes called a tap fee or system development charge, is a one-time charge a Colorado water or wastewater utility assesses on a new connection to recover the cost of system capacity. In Boulder, for example, the city charges water and wastewater plant investment fees in addition to physical tap fees. Because Colorado water service is fragmented across municipal utilities, enterprise utilities, and special districts, the connection charge for a given parcel depends on which utility serves it, so a researcher should confirm the specific water and sewer provider, not just the city.
Why does Denver appear as both a city and a county?
Denver is a consolidated city and county under Article XX of the Colorado Constitution. It functions simultaneously as a home-rule city and a county, so a single Denver government administers both municipal building and planning fees and county-level functions. On ZoneFee, Denver is listed once as a consolidated city-county jurisdiction, with its development fees administered by Community Planning and Development and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
How are Colorado water tap fees set?
Water and sewer connection charges in Colorado are set by the utility that serves the parcel, not by a single statewide schedule. Some cities run their own water utility (Aurora Water, Boulder Planning and Development Services), some are served by a separate enterprise utility (Colorado Springs Utilities serves Colorado Springs), and Denver is served by Denver Water, a self-governing city-owned utility. Each publishes its own tap, connection, and plant investment fee schedule, so the applicable charge depends on the service provider for the specific property.
Where does ZoneFee source Colorado fee data?
ZoneFee sources Colorado fee data from official city websites and fee schedules (denvergov.org, auroragov.org, bouldercolorado.gov, coloradosprings.gov), city utility schedules (denverwater.org, csu.org), municipal codes published by official codifiers, and the Colorado Revised Statutes via leg.colorado.gov. We do not source fee data from third-party aggregators, news articles, or AI summaries. See the methodology page for the full source hierarchy.
What Colorado Coverage Is Not Yet on ZoneFee
Colorado coverage is expanding. Denver, Aurora, Boulder, and Colorado Springs are currently live; additional Front Range and Denver Metro jurisdictions are queued in our expansion plan but have not yet reached ZoneFee's verification standard. We do not list pending jurisdiction names on this page; transparency on what is and is not yet covered lives on the ZoneFee coverage page. If your project is in a Colorado jurisdiction we have not yet covered, the city or county's own planning department, adopted fee schedule, and the serving water and wastewater utility remain the binding sources for current fees.
Colorado Sources Used on This Page
- Colorado Revised Statutes (leg.colorado.gov) - C.R.S. 29-20-101 et seq. (Local Government Land Use Control Enabling Act, including 29-20-104.5 impact fee authority), Title 30 Article 28 (county land use), Title 31 Article 23 (municipal land use). Accessed 2026-06-28.
- Colorado Constitution (leg.colorado.gov) - Article XX, home-rule and consolidated city-county authority. Accessed 2026-06-28.
State-level framework last reviewed: 2026-06-28. Live jurisdiction records last verified: Denver 2026-06-26; Aurora 2026-06-26; Boulder 2026-06-25; Colorado Springs 2026-06-26. For the full ZoneFee coverage list, see the ZoneFee coverage page.