Planning & Development Services Online Center

Message to P&DS Customers

The City of Boulder is committed to its core value of community safety and is proactively taking steps to limit potential social spreading of COVID-19. To accommodate social distancing recommendations, the Planning & Development Services Center is offering many services remotely, but its physical location currently closed . A phased approach to reopening facilities is being developed and updates will be posted as we know more.

We are committed to providing services to our customers during this time. Please review the list of available services below and check back for updates as we continue to monitor health and safety recommendations and work to provide our services remotely.

***NEW***Boulder Business Recovery: Temporary Outdoor Expansion Program for Restaurants

The City of Boulder recognizes the significant impact COVID-19 has had on the local restaurant community. To support local restaurants and simplify the process of reopening, the city has established the Boulder Business Recovery Temporary Outdoor Expansion Program in conjunction with an emergency order allowing restaurants to expand outdoor seating. This program streamlines the permitting process for restaurants to expand outdoor seating areas on public and private property. The intent of the program is to protect restaurant patrons and employees, while reopening dine-in service under the state’s new Safer at Home restaurant guidelines .

Visit the Boulder Business Recovery webpage for more information.

***NEW***Boulder Business Recovery: Temporary Outdoor Events for Private Property

Boulder County Public Health has issued guidance for special events on May 28, 2020. The statewide Safer at Home Order limits both public and private gatherings to no more than 10 individuals. Nothing in this guidance should be construed as permitting a gathering of more than 10 individuals. Event organizers are strongly encouraged to use virtual electronic platforms and alternative activities less conducive to public gatherings.

Temporary outdoor events held on private property must comply with the guidance.

Inspections
All inspections should be requested through the Customer Self-Service Portal and will be facilitated in the order received. Once requested online, please do not contact staff. An inspector will contact you to coordinate details, including scheduling the day and time of your inspection. Inspections may be performed on site, using remote video (virtual) methods or postponed depending on the ability to be performed safely - including social distancing and other health protocols. Our inspectors will work with you to keep your project progressing.

Essential utility services inspection requests should be submitted to [email protected] and a Right-of-Way inspector will contact you to arrange for inspections using virtual or other methods.

Application Review
Staff will continue to process applications that are currently in review. Application status, review comment letters, invoices, payments and permit placards will continue to be available through the customer self-service portal . Available payment methods include credit card (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover; service fee applies) and ACH payments (no service fee).

Final approved plans will be available under "Attachments" in the Customer Self-Service Portal or from the inspector after payment has been received. Placard cards should be downloaded, printed, and displayed on the work site as usual.

Electronic Application Submittals
The Project Specialist Team will review applications on a first come, first serve basis. This process has been created to provide for continued services while the Planning and Development Services Center is closed. We will evaluate the effectiveness of this process in determining if this service will continue to be offered when the Services Center reopens.

Expiration Dates and Deadlines
As part of Planning and Development Services’ commitment to provide exceptional service to our customers during the COVID-19 pandemic, expiration dates for all P&DS applications and permits are being extended for 180 days. This extension applies to all applications, including Tec Docs, LURs, AURs and building permits and it applies to time frames between inspections. The extension does not apply to Temporary Certificates of Occupancy. Enforcement case are being reviewed on a case by case basis, taking safety into consideration.

Applicants and permit holders do not need to take any action for the 180 day extension to be effective.

Applications for all of our services are available online at our Applications and Forms database.

Single trade permits may be submitted online through the customer self- service portal and are generally processed by the following business day. If you are the homeowner and plan to complete the work on your own, please contact us at [email protected] to request a homeowner/contractor license prior to applying for a permit.

Single Trade Permits include:

Mechanical/HVAC
Electrical
Roofing
Plumbing
Fence and Wall
Sign

Applications
Permit applications may be submitted by email . Provide a completed application form and a site plan only to [email protected] . If you do not have a site plan (because there is no exterior scope of work), provide a proposed floor plan only.

Permit review applications include:

Building
Demolition
Temporary event
Floodplain
Wetland

Refer to the Electronic Application Submittal Requirements for Permit for additional information.

Resubmittals
Resubmittal materials shall be uploaded through the “Attachments” tab in the customer self- service portal using the naming conventions in the Electronic Submittal Requirements for Permit document. This is necessary because staff does not have access to hard copies initially submitted in the office.

Resubmittals shall include the following components:

Permit Resubmittal Form
ALL documents - including forms and specifications supplied at the time of submittal if this is the first round of electronic review
FULL set of electronic drawings and/or affected documentation addressing the review comments
Revised plans must include clouding of all changes and the date of ALL revisions (saved as a PDF)
Written response identifying all changes made (saved as a PDF)
Revised application with adjusted valuations, floor area and scope, as needed (Permit only)

Some projects may have multiple cases being reviewed concurrently. Be sure to:

Upload relevant documents to individual cases in customer self- service portal to ensure continued permit processing

Applications
Development Review and Plan Case applications may be submitted by email . Provide a completed application form , written statement and a site plan only to [email protected] . If you do not have a site plan (because there is no exterior scope of work), provide a proposed floor plan only .

Development Review and Plan Case applications include:

Administrative Review
Land Use Review
Technical Document Review
Revocable
Pre-Applications
Historic Preservation
BOZA
Public Process Flood and Permits
Temporary Outdoor Events

Sign posting requirements are temporarily suspended due to closure of city offices. Notices will continue to be mailed to surrounding property owners by the city.

Refer to the Electronic Application Submittal requirements for Development Review/Plan Case for additional information.

Resubmittals
Resubmittal materials shall be uploaded through the “Attachments” tab in the customer self- service portal using the naming conventions in the Electronic Submittal Requirements for Development Review/Plan case document. This is necessary because staff does not have access to hard copies initially submitted in the office.

Resubmittals shall include the following components:

Development Review resubmittal form
ALL documents - including forms supplied at the time of submittal, if this is the first round of electronic review
FULL set of electronic drawings and/or affected documentation addressing the review comments
Written response identifying all changes made (saved as a PDF)

Some projects may have multiple cases being reviewed concurrently. Be sure to:

Upload relevant documents to individual cases in customer self- service portal to ensure continued permit processing

Deadlines

Refer to ADR track / LUR and TEC track calendars for application deadlines
10 am Friday prior to deadline:
- Applications must be emailed to be included in the following Monday case reviews
10 am Monday:
- Fees must be paid at the customer self- service portal
- Files must be uploaded to customer self- service portal

Licensing
The Planning & Development Services Licensing team has adjusted our process during this time to accept applications by email for both Rental Housing Licensing and Contractor Licensing.

Renewal deadlines for rental housing licenses currently set to expire before May 31 have been extended by 90 days for occupied properties
The city is requesting that in-home inspections of occupied rental units be postponed . We want both you and your tenants to remain healthy and safe during the current public health situation, which includes postponing requests of tenants to allow an inspector into their homes
Submit your application paperwork by email to [email protected] and then submit your inspection report once current distancing restrictions are lifted
The rental license handbook and applications are available at our Applications and Forms database
Visit our Rental Housing Licensing page for more information
Email [email protected] with any questions

Submit application paperwork by email to: [email protected]
Submit updated insurance forms by email to: [email protected]
The contractor license packet and applications are available at our Applications and Forms database
Visit our Contractor License page for more information
Email [email protected] with any questions

Code Compliance
If you have received a notice of violation, please contact the code compliance specialist whose contact information is listed on the notice

General Questions
Our web page contains information and FAQs . Customers are encouraged to use this resource as a first step in getting their general questions answered. If you are unable to find the answer to your questions contact a project specialist at [email protected] or 303-441-1880 and receive a response within a few days.

For up-to-date information on the city’s response to COVID-19, visit https://bouldercolorado.gov/coronavirus

For the latest emergency information, visit https://www.boulderoem.com/emergency-status/

I Want To

Find an application or form

Apply for a contractor license

Apply for a building permit

Check application status

Find information about my property

Find out what time my inspection is

Schedule an inspection for a building permit

Start the development review process

Learn about current development review projects

Apply for a business license

Learn about rental housing licensing

Report a potential code violation

Planning & Development Services (P&DS) Center

***Many Planning & Development Services are available online. We encourage you to use our online services on this web page and through the customer self-service portal.***

Upcoming Services Center Schedule Changes

The Services Center will be closed through May 31, 2020. Closures may be extended as community restrictions change.

Regular Hours

Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesdays: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Walk-ins

The P&DS Services Center is currently closed to the public and online submittals are being accepted for all work. Questions may be emailed to [email protected] for the quickest response. We will update our availability for when offices are able to safely re-open.