City and County of Denver, CO

15/07/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 15/07/2024 20:19

Denver Cuts Residential Permitting Times by 33 Percent, Meeting Goal

Denver Cuts Residential Permitting Times by 33 Percent, Meeting Goal

Published on July 15, 2024

Mayor Mike Johnston, joined by Denver Community Planning and Development and other city agencies, today announced that the city has cut bureaucratic red tape and streamlined processes to exceed Mayor Johnston's goal of cutting residential permitting times by 30 percent and is on track to reduce commercial permitting times by 30 percent by the end of the year.

Earlier this year, Johnston announced that reducing review times by 30 percent for commercial permits and residential projects, such as home remodels, were among his top citywide goals for 2024. A multi-agency "Tiger Team" is working together, with a sense of urgency, to complete innovations based on staff and customer feedback to make the permitting process more seamless. The city has already implemented several innovations that have reduced delays, with more on the way.

The city's Tiger Team - including representatives from Community Planning and Development, Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, Excise and License, Denver Fire Department, Parks and Recreation, Technology Services and Department of Public Health and Environment - has made significant progress in reducing permitting review times for single-family and duplex projects. To date in 2024, permitting timelines have decreased by 33 percent for residential projects (combined average of intermediate and main residential projects) compared to last year.

"I am proud of our city departments coming together to make incredible progress toward this goal," said Mayor Johnston. "We know that delays in permitting review can have significant impacts on our city: from residents who want to remodel their kitchen to builders working to create more housing. By cutting through the red tape and focusing on making our services better for Denverites, we are giving residents the high-quality and responsive customer service they deserve."

The city has also reduced building permitting timelines for commercial and multi-family projects, such as apartment complexes. To date in 2024, building permitting timelines for intermediate commercial projects have been reduced by 11 percent.

Previous efforts combined with current innovations and initiatives are helping the city make progress in meeting the mayor's goal by the end of 2024. This progress reflects steps the city took several months ago to reduce the backlog in permit review times. Community Planning and Development has also met with several city stakeholders, including the Downtown Denver Partnership and developers, to collect feedback and act on solutions.

Kourtny Garrett, DDP's president & CEO, said her organization is appreciative of the city's collaboration and strides it is making to improve the permitting process.

"At the Downtown Denver Partnership, we sit at the intersection of the public and private sectors and have a deep appreciation for the collaborative spirit needed to build and strengthen processes that support a thriving city for all," Garrett said. "Mayor Johnston and his administration have a sense of urgency that meets the needs of this moment in time - that is making real progress in our city, and we've been grateful for the opportunities for downtown stakeholders to have our voices heard."

Innovations and initiatives that have contributed to the reduced review time include:

Increased valuation thresholds for commercial projects

Given the rising cost of construction materials in the past decade, the valuations of projects have increased accordingly by about 50%. As such, the city has adjusted the valuation thresholds for major, intermediate, and express (walk through) commercial projects, which impacts the review timeframe assigned to projects. This will better align with the current market and result in more projects qualifying for a shorter review time. For example, certain intermediate projects that typically took two weeks to review now qualify as a minor project taking two days to review.

Streamlining building permits needed for select single-family/duplex projects

New residential projects building a house and a detached garage formerly had to obtain two permits, one for the house and another for the garage. Now, these projects only need to obtain one permit. This initiative reduces plan review time and improves efficiencies within the inspections process.

Daily inspections ETA website

CPD introduced a user-friendly daily building Inspections ETA list, with the goal of reducing call volume so staff can focus on other customer service needs. The list includes addresses, type of inspection (such as construction, mechanical, plumbing, electrical) and an expected 2-hour window for when inspectors are scheduled to arrive.

SolarAPP+ program expansion

In 2023, CPD adopted SolarAPP+, a plan review software program developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory that can run compliance checks and process building permit approvals for solar panels as "quick permits" without the need for a city plan review. This year, CPD announced expanded criteria for SolarAPP+ allowing more solar projects, including energy storage systems, to use the program.

"We are reimagining the customer experience at CPD because we want residents and other stakeholders to easily navigate our process without bureaucratic burden holding up their dreams," said CPD Executive Director Manish Kumar, who began his role in April. "I applaud our staff and city partners for being on track to meet the mayor's goal of a 30 percent reduction on the residential review time. We are also pleased to roll out more improvements in the months ahead. I am confident that we will use similar innovative strategies to achieve the same goal on the commercial side by the end of this year."

Staff have been focused on driving the improvements and will continue to do so. The city also recognizes that these timelines can still fluctuate if other variables are at play. Changes in permit application volumes, staffing levels, and market activity have the potential to affect plan review timelines positively or negatively before the end of 2024. Throughout the year, the city will continue to monitor progress and prioritize solutions that will help us achieve the permitting timeline goals.