Please review info below regarding any construction within Nederland town limits. The Town of Nederland is governed under the 2012 ICC codes, with 2017 Electrical code in effect.
For building permit questions, please contact Cynthia Bakke, Deputy Zoning Administrator, (303) 258-3266 ext. 1040, or stop by the Town Hall.
Wherever possible handy How-To Guides are being developed and/or updated to assist applicants through Building and Land Use processes.
How-To Applicant Guide - Find Zoning, Yard and Bulk Requirements, and allowable Uses (1.2 MiB, 1,146 hits)
How-To Applicant Guide - Right-of-Way/Excavation/Blasting (833.4 KiB, 539 hits)
How-To Applicant Guide - Determining Passive Solar Site Orientation + Colorado low-energy home example (819.9 KiB, 757 hits)
FireWise / Protecting property from wildfire
Protecting Your Home from Wildfire (738.5 KiB, 351 hits)
Forest Home Fire Safety (341.4 KiB, 344 hits)
FireWise Construction (704.3 KiB, 524 hits)
Fire Resistant Landscaping (183.8 KiB, 390 hits)
FireWise Plant Materials (266.0 KiB, 343 hits)
All building and construction projects, including those done by homeowners, must be permitted by the Town of Nederland. Property owners bear the responsibility of ensuring that hired contractors pull appropriate permits for work to be done. The Nederland Municipal Code provides general guidance for project managers and contractors. Chapter 18 concerns building regulations, and Chapter 16 concerns zoning.
The Town of Nederland processes all building permit applications at Town Hall. The Town contracts with SAFEbuilt for plan review and all inspections. Dan Wester is the Chief Building Official who can be reached via email: dwester@safebuilt.com Streamlined review for standard residential or small commercial rooftop flush-mounted PV systems is available, and the Town accepts NABCEP PV Installation Professional certification.
One-Stop Building Permitting Applications for common improvements such as: Electrical Service Changes, Furnace Replacements, Replacement Doors/Windows, Reroofs, Siding, or Water Heaters can generally be processed the same day. Miscellaneous projects such as demolitions, Solar PV, Retaining Walls over 4 feet, and/or Temporary/Accessory Structures must be accompanied by required documents to be reviewed by Plan Review and thus will not be issued same day. Please fill out the attached application for One-Stop or Miscellaneous projects.
Nederland Building Permit Application (One-Stops) (130.6 KiB, 1,453 hits)
Electrical License Contemporaneous Review Guidelines
The Town requires all new residential/commercial projects, projects being built on sensitive land, or any renovations of 20% alteration or more to meet for a Concept Review/Site Plan Review with Town staff prior to applying for a permit. Concept Review/Site Plan Review is a non-refundable $250 fee, with a $1000 engineering/legal escrow deposit required. The remainder of deposit minus engineering/legal review costs will be returned to the applicant when the building process is completed.
Any applicant proposing to excavate for a project, moving more than 50 cubic yards of earth, must pull an excavation permit in addition to their building permit. Any work done in the public rights-of-way, requires a permit, along with submission of security deposit to ensure Town roads are returned to finish-grade. Security deposit = $1000 which will be held to ensure road quality withstands seasonal weather patterns. (6 month hold for dirt roads; 1 year hold for concrete/asphalt roads)
To begin the permitting process, please complete the standard building permit application below. Please note that new builds will require a survey which can be used to create a site plan for either residential or commercial construction, which must be no older than 5 years from survey date. An Improvement Location Certificate (ILC) is acceptable for minimal development, i.e. renovation, however any change to building footprint will require a survey. Prior to design of your project, please review NMC Sec. 16-33 Yard and Bulk Requirements to determine required setbacks, allowable maximum lot coverage, and building heights by zoning district. (Yard and Bulk Requirements pdf is available at the very bottom of this page as via link above.)
The Town staff request that within the building process, a project representative (owner, builder, designer) be designated as the point-of-contact regarding the project to streamline communication. This representative will be contacted when the permit is ready to issue, or more information is needed. If you have not heard response within 7 days, please contact Cynthia Bakke, the Planning and Building Technician to inquire about your application. If you have many questions regarding the building process, location, zoning, fee structure etc, please contact Cynthia Bakke @ 303-258-3266 ext. 22 to set an appointment to discuss your project.
Nederland Building Permit Application (Residential or Commercial New Construction) (143.7 KiB, 1,330 hits)
ROW & Excavation & Blasting Permit Application - Revised October 2016 (514.2 KiB, 442 hits)
Nederland C&D Recycling Requirements (134.4 KiB, 555 hits)
Below are the Residential and Commercial Checklists. Please submit a completed checklist along with your building permit for any new residential or commercial development or significant renovation projects to expedite your building permit submission. To expedite the review process, please submit two (2) copies of paper plan along with .pdf files of these plans.
Nederland Commercial Plans Checklist (12-2015) (166.9 KiB, 550 hits)
Creating Defensible Space for Wildfire Prevention
Colorado State Forest Service - Creating Wildfire Defensible Zones Guide (738.5 KiB, 391 hits)
Construction Best Management Practices – Noxious Weeds Control from Nederland Noxious Weed Plan 2015
Construction Best Management Practices - Controlling the Spread of Noxious Weeds (131.4 KiB, 1,124 hits)
For building permit questions, please contact Cynthia Bakke, Planning and Building Technician, (303) 258-3266 ext. 22, or stop by the Town Hall.
To schedule a building inspection with SAFEbuilt on an approved permit, please call (303) 450-8748.
Project-Specific Information
Federal-State of Colorado Asbestos Renovation and Demolition Requirements + Nederland C&D Recycling Requirements (329.6 KiB, 521 hits)
Basement Finish Permit Packet (2.5 MiB, 1,321 hits)
Garage and Pole Barn Inspection List (53.0 KiB, 1,169 hits)
Gas Line Inspection Form (10.8 KiB, 1,117 hits)
Re-Roof Permit Packet (317.4 KiB, 0 hits)
Residential Addition Permit Packet (3.8 MiB, 1,353 hits)
Residential New Construction Inspection List (63.2 KiB, 1,288 hits)
Residential Remodel Inspection List (33.3 KiB, 1,169 hits)
Solar/Photovoltaic Permit Requirements (155.7 KiB, 1,348 hits)
Solar Thermal Permit Requirements (39.5 KiB, 807 hits)
Wind Turbine Ordinance (65.4 KiB, 1,640 hits)
Other Helpful Information
Request for Address Assignment (240.4 KiB, 0 hits)
Carbon Monoxide Detector Requirements (71.8 KiB, 1,048 hits)
Nederland Design Standards (1.4 MiB, 5,506 hits)
Work Exempt from Permit (from I.R.C) (1.3 MiB, 1,699 hits)
Yard & Bulk Requirements (setbacks, lot coverage, etc. - by zoning category) (328.2 KiB, 1,700 hits)