Development Permits

Developer's Guide to Public Improvements for Development Permits, Construction and Initial Infrastructure Warranty.

Step 1: Development Approval

Your development has reached approval for meeting the Standards and Specification and the Land Development Code. Once all final documents have been approved and recorded; your Development Engineer will forward your approved construction drawings to the City Engineer for signature. Concurrently, our Development Construction Permit Team will be notified of the project approval and will set up your public improvements permit application, called the Development (DEV) Permit.

Step 2: Permit & Document Review

Once the DEV permit is set up, you will be notified via email of the additional information that you will need to provide. The requested documents should be uploaded to the DEV permit via Arvada Permits. Reviews of each document will be completed within 5 business days.

Permit Tracking & Notifications

You will have access to the DEV permit progress by going to Arvada Permits. There are two ways to log into our system. If you are a licensed contractor with the City of Arvada you can log in using the license (AEC) number that was provided to you. If you are not a contractor, you can create an account and link to the permit. Complete instructions on how to create an account can be found at the eTRAKiT Help page. Emails will also be sent when the permit status has been updated. This email will be sent to the applicant and the contractor listed on the permit.

Submittal Documents for Permit Issuance

This is an inclusive list and not all documents will need to be submitted, your project setup letter will identify the items that are required.

All documents should be unlocked PDF format and uploaded to the permit via Arvada Permits

Documents:

  • Engineer's Estimate
  • Escrow or Letter of Credit - (these items can't be attached to the permit, they have to be hand delivered or mailed to City of Arvada, 2nd floor Engineering-Warranty, 8101 Ralston Road, Arvada CO 80002)
  • Signed Construction Plans
  • Proposed Project Schedule
  • Traffic Control Plans
  • Signed Permit Application
  • Municipal General Contractor sign on form - if different from developer
  • Traffic Materials Submittal

Fees

Fees will be assessed in accordance with the Approved Right-of-Way Fee Schedule (PDF) and ordinance. All fees (excluding escrow) can be paid online via credit card at Arvada Permits.

Public Improvement tax will also be collected at time of permit. Use tax is calculated on the job value provided on your application. Sales and Use Tax is required by law on all materials and equipment incorporated in or used in the performance of the work. The contractor/developer is subject to audits on these taxes. Once the permit is issued, please use the permit when purchasing goods and materials for your project. If you are an Arvada Business License holder you can submit your Business license number for quarterly reporting. If the project is tax exempt, you will need to include your project specific tax exempt form.

Escrow / Letter of Credit

  • All projects are required to provide 100% of the engineering cost estimates for public improvements. This can be paid by a letter of credit or by a Cash Escrow.
  • Letter of Credit - Please note that if the letter of credit is not on the City of Arvada approved form, it will need to be reviewed and approved by the City's attorney. Here is the approved standard letter of credit form
  • Cash Escrow - Please note that only a check will be accepted for the escrow. The City does not accept a credit card for payment of this cash escrow.
  • When completing the Letter of Credit or Cash Escrow, provide a cover sheet with the DA number and/or project number and email Warranty Division or call 720-898-7651 of its anticipated arrival date. All documents should be mailed to:
    • City of Arvada
      Attention: 2nd Floor Engineering Counter
      8101 Ralston Road
      Arvada, CO 80002

Municipal General Contractor Licensing

Either the developer or the municipal general contractor will need to have an active general municipal contractor's license with the City of Arvada. Please see information regarding how to obtain this license on our Municipal General Contractor page. Bonds, Insurance and Statutory Workmen's Comp are required for licensing. Please note that all subcontractors performing work on the project will be the responsibility of whoever holds the Municipal General Contractor License and would fall under that licensee's insurance and bond.

For all other questions regarding licensing, please contact our Engineering counter at 720-898-7640 or email Engineering Division.

Permit Issuance

When will the permit be issued? All fees can be paid once all required documents have been approved and the following permits have been issued:

  • Development Application has reached final approval
  • Site Disturbance permit - Must be issued and have the initial Site Disturbance inspection completed
  • Water and Sewer Demo have been completed and inspected if applicable. A separate Right-of-Way WTR SWR Service permit is needed for this disconnection of service. A licensed contractor, holding a Municipal General Contractor license will need to apply for this permit at Arvada Permits.

Step 3: Construction

Once the plans, contractors, required documents, escrows and fee payments have been finalized, approved and paid; the permit is ready for issuance. Your team will be contacted to schedule your Pre-Construction meeting with your City Inspector. This meeting will be scheduled within 2 weeks of your desired project start date. We request that you have your municipal contractor, utility, asphalt and concrete contractors attend the meeting on site.

After the meeting the inspector will determine if your project is ready for construction and will give your team the approval to commence inspections. Daily inspections must be scheduled online at Arvada Permits, under the appropriate permit.

Materials Inspections

Once the materials are onsite, the assigned inspector will complete an onsite inspection. Please review the approved product list.

Required documents to submit during construction

All documents should be unlocked PDF format and uploaded to the permit via Arvada Permits:

  • Site Compaction test reports (prior to hard surface- inspector to review) Reports must include a cover letter from the engineer.
  • Pavement Design Report (prior to hard surface - engineer/inspector to review)
  • Asphalt, Concrete Mix Designs - Approved onsite by inspector. Must meet City of Arvada, Colorado Department Of Transportation (CDOT) or City and County of Denver guidelines

Road Closure Requests

In the event of a full closure of roads, weekend or a night closure is warranted for your project, you will need to submit your request to the Development Engineer assigned to your project. Road closures must be submitted at minimum 72 business hours prior to the scheduled work date.

Requests for Information

Requests For Information (RFIs), or changes to the approved plan set, must be made through your assigned Development Engineer. Please use the RFI Standardized Cover Sheet (PDF) and attach your request to the DEV permit at Arvada Permits for processing. Please allow 5 business days for review comment return or approval. RFIs should be coordinated with your assigned municipal inspector prior to submittal.

Avoid Construction Delays

If at any point during construction your site disturbance or your fire safety plan is out of compliance, you may be issued a stop work order which will cause a delay in construction. Ensure that you have the correct inspections called in and you are following the approved plans.

Step 4: Initial Warranty

Upon completion of the construction of public improvements associated with utilities, roadways, landscaping and/or irrigation, etc., the Municipal Inspector will notify the Permit Coordinator that the project is ready for initial warranty inspections. The Permit Coordinator will notify all applicable City Divisions / Departments to inspect the project for initial warranty. City departments will review the corrections and approve if items have been completed and are approved.

Required Documents for Initial Warranty

All documents should be unlocked PDF format and uploaded to the permit via Arvada Permits.

Documents:

  • As-builts (must be a full, stamped set clearly marked as-builts or record drawings and include the civil engineers statement, stamp and signature)
  • Detention Pond Certification and spreadsheet, along with any other related documentation
  • Final Sworn Affidavit of Certified Construction Costs
  • No Action Determination (NAD) (If applicable)
  • Underground Detention Conformance Letter (If applicable) please submit installation conformance letter and spreadsheet of drain times. The letter shall be stamped, signed and dated by the civil engineer.
  • Updated Contact list for Warranty period
  • Subgrade Test Reports (see note)
  • Concrete Compressive Test Report (see note)
  • Asphalt Density Testing Report (see note)

Note: Certified by project engineer with cover letter

Initial Warranty Punch Lists

City divisions will be notified of the developments Initial Warranty request. Each division will inspect the development, if items are found to not be in compliance, a list will be compiled. Once lists are compiled you will be notified in writing of all outstanding punch list items needed to be completed. The contractor will have thirty days to complete the punch list items, during completion of the punch list items, the Developer /Contractor is required to schedule inspections during the completion of punch list items.

After all items have been corrected, a follow up inspection will be completed to confirm that all corrections have been made, a Memorandum of Initial Warranty Acceptance will be issued. The 2 year warranty period will begin on the date of issue of the memorandum of Initial Warranty Acceptance. When the developer successfully completes the public improvements and initial warranty is initiated, the City will retain 20% of the certified construction costs and release the remainder of the escrow back to the developer. The City will retain 20% of the certified construction cost of public improvements to ensure that the public improvement meets the City standards through the warranty period. During this warranty period you are responsible for checking the site to ensure compliance and no failures. If there is a failure during this time, you will need to correct them. Please contact the City to schedule an inspection of the site prior to corrections.

Step 5: Final Warranty Acceptance

Three months before the end of the warranty period, the Permit Coordinator will send a final acceptance inspection request to all applicable City Divisions/Departments to inspect the project for final acceptance by the City of Arvada. At least sixty days prior to the expiration of the warranty period, the Developer/Contractor will be notified in writing of punch list items needed to be completed and will have thirty days to complete the punch list items. Follow-up inspections may reveal additional items to be corrected within the warranty period. Upon completion of the punch list items, the Developer/Contractor will schedule a follow up inspection and notify the Municipal Inspector in order to arrange reinspection of the project.

After the public improvements have passed the Final Acceptance/Release from Warranty inspection or the City of Arvada has drawn upon the warranty performance guarantee and completed the public improvements, the Permit Coordinator shall prepare a Memorandum of Final Acceptance/Release from Warranty to be signed by the City Engineer. For most projects this can be completed within fourteen days. Final Acceptance shall be issued, the warranty period shall expire, and the Permit Coordinator will release the balance of the Warranty Performance Guarantee.

Other Required Permits

Site Disturbance

Permit applications are available online through Arvada Permits. This permit can be applied for prior to having signed construction plans. Separate fees, reviews and escrow are required for this permit, as well as inspections. Please note that the review process can take up to 45 days for this permit, so please plan accordingly as this permit is required prior to beginning any work on a site that will disturb 10,000 square feet or more of land. If you have any questions regarding this permit please refer to our website.

Demo of Water or Sewer Lines

Any existing water or sewer lines on the property will require a demolition permit. The contractor completing this work needs to apply for the permit online at Arvada Permits please allow 7 to 10 business days for permit review. These fees are not collected under the Development / DEV permit.

Water/Sewer Service lines

New water and/or sewer service lines require a separate permit for each line installed from stub out to 5 feet from building. This permit cannot be approved until a building permit has been issued. These are not part of the Development / DEV permit process and must be applied for individually for each address. The contractor completing the work should apply for the permit at Arvada Permits. Review of these permits is typically 2 to 3 days. These fees are not collected under the Development / DEV permit.

Irrigation Meters

A WTR SWR Service permit and new address is required for each irrigation meter that is installed. The contractor completing this work needs to apply for a WTR SWR Service permit and provide the required information needed for a new address. 

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