Broomfield, Colorado - City and County Development Fees
Broomfield | Consolidated City and County | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO MSA (US-36 / Denver-Boulder corridor)
Broomfield is one of only two consolidated city-and-county governments in Colorado (with Denver): it exercises both municipal and county powers directly, so there is no separate county fee layer, and a single February 2026 document is the complete local development-fee picture. It sits on the US-36 corridor between Denver and Boulder, adjacent to Westminster and, to the east, Thornton. The dominant development charge in Broomfield is the utility license: water and sewer are sold as licenses priced per tap equivalent and per equivalent residential unit, and for a detached single-family home they run to roughly $54,900 before the small physical tap and meter fees. That structure differs sharply from neighbouring Thornton, which front-loads a lot-size-tiered water and sewer connection fee and charges a metropolitan-district service-plan fee; Broomfield charges no district fee at all. On top of the licenses, Broomfield levies a Service Expansion Fee, public land dedication cash-in-lieu, and inclusionary-housing cash-in-lieu, while its land-use application fees are strikingly low for the Denver metro. This page presents the utility tap, impact, and zoning fee families captured from the official City and County of Broomfield Community Development Fees document. Verify current amounts with the City and County of Broomfield before relying on them.
On this page
Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility Tap Fees (Water and Sewer License Fees) | Confirmed | Water license $39,350 per tap equivalent (TE); sewer license $15,500 per ERU plus $50 tap inspection ($15,550 minimum per single-family unit); roughly $54,900 in licenses for a detached single-family home; construction water fee $25 | Sewer license 2026-01-01; document revised February 2026 (water license undated) |
| Impact Fees (Service Expansion, Public Land Dedication, Inclusionary Housing) | Confirmed | Service Expansion Fee $1.00 per finished sq ft of dwelling area; Public Land Dedication cash-in-lieu $86,000 per acre (subject to change); Inclusionary Housing cash-in-lieu (2025 tier) rental $106,635, for-sale $165,669, each plus CPI-U adjustment | Revised February 2026 |
| Zoning Fees (Planning Division application and building permit fees) | Confirmed | Most Planning Division applications $250 under 10 acres, $650 + $10/acre over 10 acres; Use by Special Review $500; oil and gas application $5,000 per facility + $1,639.64 registration; building permit fees by valuation of work | Revised February 2026 |
| Special District Fees | Not administered | Broomfield publishes no developer-facing special-district application fee; as a consolidated city and county it recovers capital through the water and sewer licenses, the Service Expansion Fee, and public land dedication rather than through developer-formed districts | - |
| Proffers | Not applicable | Colorado jurisdictions do not use Virginia-style cash proffers | - |
Water and Sewer License Fees
Source: City and County of Broomfield Community Development Fees, revised February 2026 (pp.9-10). In Broomfield, water and sewer service is sold as a license - priced per tap equivalent (TE) for water and per equivalent residential unit (ERU) for sewer - with the physical tap and meter charged separately and comparatively cheaply on top. These license fees are the dominant development cost in Broomfield.
Water license
The current water license fee is $39,350.00 per tap equivalent (TE) (Broomfield Municipal Code Chapter 13-02-090). Residential license quantities are set per unit type; non-residential is calculated by estimated annual consumption.
| Unit Type | Tap Equivalents (TE) |
|---|---|
| Single-family dwelling | 1.0 TE |
| Townhouse unit | 0.6 TE |
| Apartment unit | 0.4 TE |
| Non-residential | 1.0 TE for every 163,000 gallons of estimated annual consumption |
At $39,350 per TE, a single-family dwelling water license is $39,350. Minimum monthly service charges begin on the date a water license is purchased, and additional license fees may be due later for consumption above the license originally purchased. Note the dating gap: unlike the sewer license, the water license fee is stated as "current" in the source with no explicit effective date; the document as a whole is stamped revised February 2026.
Sewer license
The current sewer license fee, effective January 1, 2026, is $15,500.00 per equivalent residential unit (ERU), plus a $50.00 tap inspection fee per tap (Broomfield Municipal Code Chapter 13-08-080). The minimum for all single-family residential units is $15,500 + $50 = $15,550. Multi-family, apartment, and other attached residential buildings on one common sewer tap are assessed one ERU per dwelling unit, plus one tap inspection fee. The document's own worked example: an 8-unit apartment building buys eight ERUs and one tap inspection - (8 x $15,500) + $50 = $124,050. Non-residential sewer license fees are determined case by case, based on 320 gallons of average daily flow (116,800 gallons per year) per ERU.
Putting the two licenses together, a detached single-family home buys 1.0 TE water license ($39,350) plus a sewer license ($15,500) plus the $50 tap inspection - roughly $54,900 in licenses - before the physical tap and meter fees below and the one-time $25 construction water fee.
Physical tap fees
| Tap Size | Tap Fee |
|---|---|
| 3/4" | $75 |
| 1" SFD | $100 |
| 1-1/2" | $150 |
| 2" | $200 |
| 3" | $100* |
| 4" | $100* |
Meter fees
| Meter Size | Meter Only | Meter + Pit, Yoke & Cover |
|---|---|---|
| 1" E Series Res & Irrigation | $623 | $1,020 |
| 3/4" UL Fire Rated | $495 | $791 |
| 1-1/2" E Series | $965 | - |
| 2" E Series | $1,426 | - |
| 2" Compound | $3,420 | - |
| 3" Turbo Comm | $2,175 | - |
| 3" Compound | $3,810 | - |
| 3" Turbo Irrigation | $2,175 | - |
| 4" Turbo Comm | $2,241 | - |
| 4" Compound | $4,962 | - |
| 4" Turbo Irrigation | $2,241 | - |
Construction water and temporary licenses
Building permits for new residential construction carry a one-time construction water fee of $25.00 (a pre-manufactured meter yoke jumper or idler is required in the meter pit before a permanent meter set). Fire lines are charged tap fees but are not metered. Temporary licenses are also published: a 3/4" temporary water tap with the meter provided by Broomfield is a $495 deposit, $50 permit fee and $75 tap fee; a 2" temporary water tap with the meter provided by the contractor or owner is a $1,426 deposit, $50 permit fee and $200 tap fee; and a temporary sewer license is a $100 deposit, $25 permit fee and $50 tap fee. Authority: Broomfield Water and Wastewater.
Impact and Capital-Recovery Fees
Source: City and County of Broomfield Community Development Fees, revised February 2026 (pp.4-7). Broomfield levies no fee labelled "impact fee", but it levies three developer capital-recovery charges that belong in this family.
Service Expansion Fee (SEF)
All residential new-construction permits (single and multi-family) are subject to the Service Expansion Fee of $1.00 per finished square foot of dwelling area, collected prior to the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy.
Public Land Dedication (PLD) cash-in-lieu
The Broomfield Open Space, Parks, Recreation and Trails Plan requires new residential development to dedicate public land and/or pay cash in lieu (CIL). The obligation is computed in two steps:
- Step 1 - obligation: estimate population from per-unit multipliers - single-family x 2.93, single-family attached / townhome x 2.50, multi-family x 1.91, senior independent living x 1.75 - then population / 1000 x 24 = acres of PLD required.
- Step 2 - minimum on-site dedication: projects that are 100% income-aligned at 60% Area Median Income (AMI) dedicate 15% of a site under 10 acres or 20% of a site over 10 acres (remaining obligation waived if met). Projects with no on-site income-aligned units dedicate a minimum of 25% of the site as PLD, with the balance met as CIL.
The CIL rate is the Assessor's Value per Acre for Vacant Land, currently $86,000 but subject to change (that qualifier is reproduced from the source). Where the minimum on-site PLD itself is not met, the Market Price per Acre applies to the unmet portion.
Inclusionary Housing cash-in-lieu
Under Broomfield Municipal Code Chapter 17-76 (BMC 17-76-070), the inclusionary requirement applies to developments containing 25 or more for-sale residential units, or more than 5 units marketed primarily as rental housing. The published cash-in-lieu amounts are:
| Tenure | January 1, 2024 | January 1, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Rental | $80,965 | $106,635 + CPI-U adjustment |
| For-sale | $127,112 | $165,669 + CPI-U adjustment |
Two important qualifications on these amounts. First, in the source document these amounts print under the "SF / Duplex" column, and the "Townhome / Row Home" and "Multifamily" cells are blank in the PDF text layer. ZoneFee could not determine whether one amount applies across all typologies or whether per-typology values are simply missing from the document, so the amounts are presented as printed and not extrapolated to other typologies. Second, the January 1, 2025 tier is stated as an amount "plus CPI-U adjustment" (Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, over 2022-2024); the adjusted figure is not published, and developers must request a calculation from Broomfield Housing staff (available up to 60 days prior to permitting). ZoneFee does not compute a CPI-adjusted figure. Fees are due at the time of permitting; if construction does not begin within 364 days of permit issuance and fee payment, a supplemental payment must match the cash-in-lieu fee in effect at the construction start date.
Fire impact fees are charged separately (not captured here)
North Metro Fire Rescue District serves Broomfield and levies its own separately-published fire impact fees, and Broomfield's own fee document directs applicants to that district. Those fire impact fees are not captured in this record, so a developer's true all-in cost is higher than the figures on this page show. See the district's fee page at northmetrofire.org before budgeting.
Land Use and Zoning Application Fees
Source: City and County of Broomfield Community Development Fees, revised February 2026 (pp.2-3 and p.7). Broomfield's Planning Division application fees are strikingly low for the Denver metro - most applications are $250 under 10 acres - which is why the utility licenses and the impact / capital-recovery charges, not the application fees, are the dominant cost.
Planning Division development application fees
| Application Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Rezoning | $250 (under 10 acres); $650 (over 10 acres) |
| PUD Plan | $250 (under 10 acres); $650 + $10/acre (over 10 acres) |
| Amendment to PUD Plan | $250 (under 10 acres); $650 + $10/acre (over 10 acres) |
| Site Development Plan | $250 (under 10 acres); $650 + $10/acre (over 10 acres) |
| Amendment to Site Development Plan | $250 (under 10 acres); $650 + $10/acre (over 10 acres) |
| Administrative Modification to Site Development Plan | $50 |
| Urban Renewal Site Plan | $250 (under 10 acres); $650 + $10/acre (over 10 acres) |
| Vesting Rights | $250 (under 10 acres); $650 (over 10 acres) |
| Comprehensive Plan Amendment | $250 (under 10 acres); $650 (over 10 acres) |
| Final Plat | $550 (under 10 acres); $650 + $10/acre (over 10 acres) |
| Minor Subdivision Plat | $250 |
| Preliminary Plat | $200 (under 10 acres); $500 (over 10 acres) |
| Conceptual Review | $200 (under 10 acres); $500 (over 10 acres) |
| Public Right-of-Way Vacation | $200 |
| Use by Special Review | $500 |
| Zoning Board of Adjustment - Variance | $25 |
| Zoning Verification Letter (simple / complex) | $25 / $50 |
| Temporary Signs | No fee |
An easy-to-miss line: a public notice fee of $100 is charged twice - once at the time of concept review and again at the time of formal submittal.
Oil and gas facilities
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Oil and Gas Application | $5,000.00 for each facility, plus a $1,639.64 well site registration fee |
| Use by Special Review | $500.00 |
| Operator Agreement for Neighborhood Meeting | $100.00 |
| Oil and Gas Operator Registration and Renewal (BMC 17-54-100) | $1,639.64 per well |
Wireless communications facilities
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Application fee | $50.00 |
| Single Small Cell or Eligible Facility - Administrative | $200.00 |
| Small Cell Network - Administrative | $500.00 |
| Facilities - Special Review by Public Hearing | $500.00 |
Building permit fees by valuation
Building permit fees are calculated by valuation of work, computed separately for each of the building, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC valuations.
| Valuation of Work | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1.00 to $500.00 | $23.50 |
| $501.00 to $2,000.00 | $23.50 for the first $500 + $3.05 per additional $100 |
| $2,001.00 to $25,000.00 | $69.25 for the first $2,000 + $14.00 per additional $1,000 |
| $25,001.00 to $50,000.00 | $391.75 for the first $25,000 + $10.10 per additional $1,000 |
| $50,001.00 to $100,000.00 | $643.75 for the first $50,000 + $7.00 per additional $1,000 |
| $100,001.00 to $500,000.00 | $993.75 for the first $100,000 + $5.60 per additional $1,000 |
| $500,001.00 and up | $3,233.75 for the first $500,000 + $4.75 per additional $1,000 |
The plan review fee is 65% of the combined building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permit fees, and a separate hourly plan review may be assessed at $50 per hour. Payment: there is a 2.65% or $1.25 per-transaction credit card fee (whichever is greater), and a $27.00 fee for any returned check. Authority: City and County of Broomfield Community Development (Planning Division and Building Division).
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
Per ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, the items below were not closed on this page with a fixed fee amount traceable to a dated or byte-stable official source document. They are disclosed here rather than estimated, paraphrased from a non-official source, or omitted silently. These items remain under limited-coverage review until these gaps are closed.
Water license effective date
Only the sewer license fee carries an explicit effective date of January 1, 2026. The water license fee ($39,350 per TE) is given as "current" with no stated effective date. The document as a whole is stamped revised February 2026.
Inclusionary housing per-typology amounts
In the source document the inclusionary cash-in-lieu amounts print under the "SF / Duplex" column while the "Townhome / Row Home" and "Multifamily" cells are blank in the PDF text layer. It could not be determined whether one amount applies across all typologies or whether per-typology values are missing from the document. The amounts are presented as printed and are not extrapolated. The codified per-typology amounts in BMC 17-76-070 would resolve this.
CPI-U adjustment on the 2025 inclusionary tier
The January 1, 2025 inclusionary cash-in-lieu amounts ($106,635 rental, $165,669 for-sale) are each stated as the base amount "plus CPI-U adjustment" for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area over 2022-2024. The adjusted figure is not published; developers must request a calculation from Broomfield Housing staff. ZoneFee does not compute a CPI-adjusted figure.
North Metro Fire Rescue District fire impact fees
North Metro Fire Rescue District serves Broomfield and levies its own separately-published fire impact fees, plan review, permit, and inspection charges. Broomfield's own fee document directs applicants to that district. These fire impact fees are not captured in this record, so a developer's true all-in cost is higher than the figures on this page show.
Building Permit Use Tax and additional building division fees
The Building Permit Use Tax and the Additional Building Division Fees sections of the Community Development Fees document were not extracted in detail this pass. They are disclosed here rather than estimated.
Special District Fees
Broomfield publishes no developer-facing special-district application fee - a notable contrast with neighbouring Thornton, which charges $6,500 to file a Colorado Title 32 metropolitan district Service Plan application. Broomfield's status as a consolidated city and county is the likely structural reason: it provides both municipal and county services directly and recovers capital through the water and sewer licenses, the Service Expansion Fee, and public land dedication rather than through developer-formed districts. A full-text scan of the 12-page Community Development Fees document, the broomfield.org sitemap, and the Development Applications and Forms index found no special-district application fee. Closed-search outcome: this fee family is not administered by this jurisdiction.
Proffers
Cash proffers are a Virginia and Maryland conditional-zoning instrument (Va. Code Section 15.2-2303.4) with no Colorado counterpart. Colorado developer exactions run through C.R.S. Section 29-20-104.5 impact fees, public land dedication, inclusionary housing ordinances, and subdivision improvement agreements - all of which Broomfield uses and which are captured under impact fees above. Closed-search outcome: this fee family does not apply to this jurisdiction.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| City and County of Broomfield Community Development (Planning Division and Building Division) | Land use and zoning application fees; oil and gas and wireless facility fees; building permit and plan review fees; Service Expansion Fee; public land dedication and inclusionary housing cash-in-lieu | broomfield.org |
| Broomfield Water and Wastewater | Water and sewer license fees, physical tap and meter fees, tap inspection, construction water, and temporary licenses | broomfield.org |
| North Metro Fire Rescue District | Fire impact fees, plan review, permit, and inspection charges (levied separately; not captured on this page) | northmetrofire.org |
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Community Development Fees (revised February 2026) | City and County of Broomfield Community Development | 2026-07-23 |
| Development Applications and Forms | City and County of Broomfield Planning Division | 2026-07-23 |
| Building Permit Fees | City and County of Broomfield Building Division | 2026-07-23 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-07-28. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with the City and County of Broomfield (Community Development and Broomfield Water and Wastewater) before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data sourced from the City and County of Broomfield Community Development Fees document, revised February 2026. ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. Fee schedules change. The sewer license fee carries an explicit effective date of January 1, 2026, while the water license fee is stated as current with no effective date; the document as a whole is stamped revised February 2026. The inclusionary housing cash-in-lieu amounts are presented as printed under the "SF / Duplex" column and are not extrapolated to other typologies, and the January 1, 2025 tier carries an unpublished CPI-U adjustment that is not computed here. North Metro Fire Rescue District levies its own fire impact fees separately, so a developer's true all-in cost is higher than the figures shown. Building Permit Use Tax and additional building division fees are outside the scope of this page. Colorado jurisdictions do not use Virginia-style cash proffers, and Broomfield administers no developer-facing special-district application fee. Verify all current rates directly with the City and County of Broomfield before relying on this data for land acquisition, project budgeting, or any financial decision. This page is for research and due-diligence reference only - it is not legal or financial advice.