Demolition Permits in the Denver Metro: What You Actually Need

The General Rule

Across the Denver metro, demolishing a building, meaning anything with a roof and walls, needs four things in order: a state asbestos inspection, a CDPHE demolition notice, utility disconnects, and a city or county demolition permit. Fences, most decks, and small sheds under each city's size threshold need none of that. Interior, non structural demolition usually rides on the remodel's building permit rather than a separate demo permit, with a few cities that want their own.

Every city draws the lines a little differently and a handful add historic review for older buildings. The sections below are the statewide steps, then the local wrinkles city by city.

Step One: The State Asbestos Inspection

Colorado regulates asbestos through CDPHE's Air Pollution Control Division, and the rule is broader than people expect. The building or the part of it being demolished must be inspected by a Colorado certified asbestos inspector before demolition, no matter when it was built, because the regulation triggers on the demolition, not the build year. Floor tile and mastic, drywall texture, pipe insulation, and panel adhesive are the usual positives in metro homes from before about 1990.

For a single family home, removal is required when the friable material exceeds the state trigger levels: 50 linear feet on pipes, 32 square feet on other surfaces, or the volume of a 55 gallon drum. Public and commercial buildings use higher thresholds of 260 linear feet, 160 square feet, or a 55 gallon drum. Above those levels, a certified general abatement contractor removes the material before demo starts. This is the single biggest source of timeline and budget surprises in residential demolition, so we schedule the inspection the week the proposal is signed.

Step Two: The CDPHE Demolition Notice

Separate from the inspection, CDPHE requires a Demolition Notification Application Form for every demolition, even when the inspection finds no asbestos at all. As of this writing the fee is $50 plus $5 per 1,000 square feet, and there is a ten working day notification period before demolition can begin. Cities want the approved notice attached to the permit application, so this is the first clock we start on any teardown.

Step Three: Utility Disconnects

Before a structure comes down, gas and electric service must be disconnected and documented, and most cities want the letters with the permit application. Xcel schedules the cut on its own timeline. Water and sewer are capped at the main by a plumber or the district, and several cities want to inspect the cap before it is backfilled. Arvada issues a separate permit just for abandoning the water and sewer lines, with a 7 to 10 business day review. Golden wants the lines capped at the main tie in and inspected by Public Works. Littleton wants Denver Water's approval in the packet. For a detached garage with one power line it is simple; for a house it is the part of the schedule we have the least control over.

Step Four: The City Permit, City by City

What each jurisdiction adds on top of the state steps, from their own published requirements. Fees and rules change, so we confirm the current checklist with the city for your address when we scope the job.

• Denver. Community Planning and Development. A permit is required for any structure over 200 square feet or 8 feet tall. Landmark Preservation reviews every total demolition citywide: 10 business days for the initial review, and a 21 day public notice if the building shows landmark potential. Adjacent property owners must be notified at least 10 business days before the permit is issued, and CDPHE approval has to be in hand before you apply. An optional Certificate of Demolition Eligibility ($250) locks in the Landmark answer for 5 years.
• Arvada. Building Services. Water and sewer line abandonment needs its own demolition permit, reviewed in 7 to 10 business days. Olde Town properties fall under the historic district design guidelines.
• Lakewood. Public Works permit counter, with separate permit types for a whole building, an accessory building, and interior demo. Lakewood also requires a construction and demolition waste management plan, filed through its Green Halo system, before the permit is approved.
• Westminster. Building Division, 303-658-2075. Standard demolition permit on a valuation based fee schedule.
• Thornton. Building Division. A permit is required any time a structure is demolished; the 2026 fee schedule lists a $50 demolition permit.
• Commerce City. Building Safety. One residential demolition permit covers whole house teardowns and interior demolition; $75 as of the current fee schedule.
• Brighton. Building Division. Any structure 50 years or older, designated or not, gets historic review before the permit: a committee meeting within 45 days of referral and a Historic Preservation Commission decision within 60. Plan for it on anything built before the mid 1970s.
• Golden. Building Division. Water and sewer capped at the main and inspected by Public Works, asbestos documentation including the air clearance report, and a demolition plan and schedule. Historic districts, designated landmarks, and nonresidential buildings over 50 years old need a Certificate of Appropriateness for demolition ($500, Historic Preservation Board meets monthly).
• Broomfield. Building Division. Designated landmarks and historic district properties go through a Certificate of Appropriateness with the Historic Landmark Board; Broomfield defines historic as 50 years and older.
• Boulder. Planning and Development Services. Any building over 50 years old gets historic demolition review, triggered by removing more than half the roof or exterior walls or any part of a street facing wall. Post 1940 buildings get an administrative review ($51, 2 to 3 weeks); 1939 and earlier go to committee ($282) and can be sent to a Landmarks Board hearing. Full teardowns use a deconstruction permit with a zero waste plan through Green Halo, utility approvals on letterhead, and CDPHE approval.
• Englewood. Building Division, with its own demolition permit ($50 for single family and accessory structures). The packet includes the CDPHE notice, a site plan, an erosion control plan, a debris hauling map, and a surety bond. The permit expires 60 days after issuance and cleanup is required within 48 hours of demo.
• Littleton. Permit Center. State demolition approval for each structure, Denver Water approval, a site plan showing utility disconnects, a debris hauling route to the nearest state highway, and a separate grading permit. Designated historic properties need a Certificate of Demolition ($750).
• Centennial. Building Division. Residential demolition is its own permit classification with a 5 business day review. Dumpsters are not allowed on public residential streets, so the trailer stays in the driveway.
• Highlands Ranch. Unincorporated, so Douglas County Building Division: $47 per structure, proof of the CDPHE notice, a site plan, all utilities terminated, and a Demolition Permit Evaluation Request for anything 50 years or older, reviewed by the county Historic Preservation Board unless waived.
• Castle Rock. Development Services, $100 demolition permit. Buildings from before 1945 in Downtown or the Craig and Gould neighborhood need a Historic Preservation Board recommendation and Town Council approval. Everything else is administrative.
• Parker. Building Division. Designated Parker landmarks have their own demolition review; other structures follow the standard permit.
• Aurora. Building Division. The city's own handbook lists demolition as always requiring a permit.
• Unincorporated Jefferson County. Building Safety in Golden, $30, applied for by phone or in person. The application has you affirm that the state asbestos inspection and CDPHE notice are handled.

Mobile Homes: One Extra Step

A manufactured home needs the same four things as a house, plus paperwork afterward. If the home is still titled, Colorado requires a Certificate of Destruction for a Manufactured Home, filed with the county clerk and recorder along with a certificate of taxes due from the treasurer and consent from any lienholder. The clerk forwards it to the assessor so the home comes off the property tax roll, and the title is canceled. We provide the demolition documentation; you or your title company file it. In a park, management sets the access rules and what the pad has to look like when we leave.

What This Means for Common Projects

• Fence removal: no permit in any metro city we work in.
• Deck removal: generally no permit for detached or ground level decks; elevated attached decks can require one in some cities.
• Shed demolition: usually no permit below the city's accessory structure threshold, commonly 120 to 200 square feet, with no utilities connected.
• Garage demolition: permit required essentially everywhere, plus the asbestos inspection, CDPHE notice, and utility disconnect documentation.
• House and mobile home demolition: all four steps, plus historic review in Denver, Boulder, Brighton, Golden, Castle Rock, and Douglas County for older or designated buildings.
• Interior and basement guts: non structural tear outs typically ride on the remodel's building permit. Lakewood, Englewood, Commerce City, Centennial, and Boulder have their own interior demolition permit paths. The asbestos inspection still applies when the scope crosses the trigger levels.

Ranges and rules on this page are a planning guide, not a quote or legal advice. Every job is priced in writing after photos or a site walk, and permit rules are confirmed with the city for your address. Call or text (303) 521-9910.