***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. In an effort to accommodate social distancing recommendations, the Planning & Development Services Center will be  closed to the public through April 19, 2020 . 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.

• Permit and Development Review/Plan Case Applications:
  • Applications for all of our services are available online at  https://bouldercolorado.gov/plan-develop/applications
  • 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 for building permits submitted in hard copy will not be available during this time.
  • Single Trade Permits: 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.
  • 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.
    • Permit Application Submittals: To submit an electronic permit application including building, demolition, temporary event, floodplain and wetland permits 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 . Refer to the Electronic Submittal Application Requirements for Permit for additional information.
    • Development Review/Plan Case Application Submittals: Including administrative, land use and technical document reviews, revocables, pre-applications, historic preservation, BOZA, and public process flood and permits. 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 . Refer to the Electronic Submittal Application Requirements for Development Review/Plan Cases for additional information.
      • Application Deadline: Applications shall be submitted to the email address above by 10AM on the Friday prior to the application deadline . Fees shall be paid and files uploaded to the customer self-service portal by 10 AM on the application deadline. Refer to ADR track / LUR and TEC track calendars for application deadlines.
      • Sign posting: Due to the closure of city offices, the requirement to physically post signs has been temporarily suspended. Notices will continue to be mailed to surrounding property owners by the city.
      • Temporary Outdoor Events: Due to the Stay-at-Home public health order, the city will not be issuing temporary outdoor event approvals until further notice.
    • Resubmittals: Resubmittal materials shall be uploaded through the “Attachments” tab in the customer self-service portal using the naming conventions in the relevant Electronic Submittal Requirements for Permit / Development Review/Plan case document. This is necessary because staff does not have access to your hard copy submittal materials.

Resubmittals shall include the following components:

• Permit / Development Review Resubmittal form
• ALL documents, including forms and specifications supplied at the time of submittal. 
• 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. These must be saved as PDFs. 
• A written response identifying all changes made, saved as a PDF file.  
• A revised application with adjusted valuations, floor area and scope, as needed. (Permit only)
• Some projects may have multiple cases being reviewed concurrently. Please be sure to upload the relevant documents to each individual case in CSS to ensure continued permit processing. 
• Files must be uploaded by 10 AM on application deadline. Refer to ADR track/LUR and TEC track calendars for application deadlines. (Development Review/Plan cases only)

• NEW!!! Building and Right-of Way Inspections:
  • Building and Right-of-Way Permit Inspection services are limited while the city buildings are closed. The following options are available for inspections:
    • Emergency Inspections will be performed for the following situations and maybe performed on site or using remote video (virtual) methods:
      • Inspections necessary to maintain effective operations for all critical facilities, such as hospitals, nursing homes, Fire, Police, EOC, etc.
      • Inspections necessary to restore interruptions for essential utilities, such as electrical, gas, water and sewer services.  This does NOT include new utility services.
      • Inspections necessary to address structural concerns resulting from incidents such as explosions, fires, vehicles hitting buildings, etc. 
      • All emergency inspection requests that meet the criteria above shall be e-mailed to  [email protected] . A member of our team will then contact you with directions for the next step to complete these inspections.
    • Critical Construction Inspections will be performed for projects that the city has determined are critical public infrastructure, including emergency shelters, affordable housing, essential businesses, telecommunications, public utilities or projects that are necessary to restore life safety requirements, such as shelter, sanitation, water, heat and cooking of existing occupied buildings. These inspections maybe performed on site or using remote video (virtual) methods and should be schedule through the Customer Self Service Portal.
    • Third Party Inspections will be accepted in-lieu of city inspections when the third-party inspections and inspectors have been pre-approved by the city.  Request for approval can be discussed with a permit/projects assigned city inspector.  If an inspection has not been assigned please contact the CBO at [email protected] 
    • Remote Video (Virtual) Inspections are available for the following inspections: underground plumbing, temp power, underground electrical, rough plumbing, rough mechanical, gas piping, hydronic piping, shower pans, non-structural framing, insulation, drywall, shear walls, exterior weatherization (building wrap, cladding & veneer, mid-roof, final roof, etc.) and minor re-inspections.  Please review this process remote inspections  for directions on how to schedule and complete a remote video inspection.
    • Postponed/Deferred Inspections for existing appliances that are necessary for sanitation and health, such as water heaters, furnaces, boilers, etc. can be replaced when necessary and inspections obtained at a future date, prior to the permit expiring. Permits can still be applied for on-line and will be processed and issued through the Customer Self Service Portal. The person(s) replacing fuel gas appliances are responsible for verifying required carbon monoxide alarms are installed.
    • Right-of-Way Permit Inspections for essential utility services should be submitted using the same method as normal business operations and a Right-of-Way inspector will contact you to arrange for inspections using virtual or other methods. Non-essential right-of-way permits and inspections are still suspended.
    • All Other Inspections are suspended at this time. Staff is currently determining protocols for resuming normal inspection operations.  Please visit this website for updates.

• Licensing:
  • Extended Renewal Deadlines for Rental Housing Licenses:  The city has extended the renewal deadline for rental housing licenses currently set to expire before May 31 by 90 days for occupied properties.
  • The city is also requesting that in-home inspections of occupied rental units be postponed. We understand that current COVID-19 impacts may cause challenges for scheduling a rental license inspection. 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.
  • The city’s Rental Housing Licensing office has adjusted our process during this time to accept your renewal application by email  [email protected]  as scheduled and then submit your inspection report once it has been completed at a later date. Visit  https://bouldercolorado.gov/plan-develop/rental-housing-licensing  for more information.
  • Email your rental housing licensing questions or completed application packet to  [email protected] .
  • Contractor Licensing: Email your contractor licensing questions or completed application packet and updated insurance forms to  [email protected] .
• Expiration dates and deadlines: P&DS will be considering changes to expiration dates for approved Land Use Reviews, Technical Documents, ADU’s and permits, along with deadlines for resubmittal of applications, but since the situation is still evolving it is too early to make and announce specific changes to these dates. Details will be posted as they are developed.
• 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/

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