Construction & Deconstruction Policy in Colorado

Front Range

Boulder: Regulates waste reuse and recycling for large-scale construction and deconstruction projects. These regulations apply to all residential and commercial projects of all types, as described in the city's 2020 Energy Conservation Code and Ordinance 8366

Fort Collins: Since 2012, the City of Fort Collins Building Code has required construction and demolition projects to recycle specific materials. All new construction, remodels, and additions over 2500 square feet, and all demolitions over 1000 square feet are required by City code to recycle metal, wood, cardboard, and aggregates (asphalt, concrete, masonry).

Lakewood: New buildings, additions, or remodels with a total interior space over 2,500 square feet and new developments with multiple buildings with a combined total interior space over 5,000 square feet must recycle: Concrete, Asphalt, Untreated wood, Metal, and Cardboard. Demolition projects must recycle: Concrete, Asphalt, Metal and where possible, all remaining materials, such as doors, windows, cabinets, and fixtures.

City & County of Denver: City & County of Denver’s Waste No More ordinance requires nearly all construction and demolition projects to separate and recycle, at a minimum, all readily recyclable concrete, asphalt, clean wood, scrap metal, and corrugated cardboard. Clean wood is solid wood, lumber and pallets that are unpainted, unstained, free of glue, and untreated. The wood may be pierced with nails or other metal fasteners, such as screws and staples. The ordinance also requires these projects to submit a recycling and reuse plan to the city to confirm compliance with the ordinance prior to obtaining a construction or demolition permit.

Boulder County: Boulder County requires construction jobsite recycling and deconstruction through its land use codes. Construction jobsites must recycle appliances, concrete, metals, cardboard, wood (except painted or pressure treated) and mercury containing devices (e.g. thermostats). Building demolition is not permitted and cabinets, dimensional lumber, flooring and solid core doors must be donated, sold or reused. A recycling checklist list must be submitted prior to any work.

Greater Colorado

Aspen: Beginning February 13, 2025, projects with more than 2,000 square feet of disturbance area applying for permits need to comply with the City's Construction and Demolition Debris Diversion Ordinance. All recoverable materials must be separated and designated for recycling, repurposing, reuse or alternative recoverable management. Materials requiring diversion: concrete, corrugated cardboard, porcelain, metal appliances, asphalt, rock and dirt, metal, single stream recyclables, organics and untreated (no stain, paint or chemical treatment) lumber and pallets. The projects must achieve a minimum 50% diversion to receive the project deposit back.

City of Glenwood Springs: Implemented a demolition and deconstruction permit checklist in 2023. For most building and demolition permits within the City of Glenwood Springs this sorting is now mandatory. The only exception are residential projects that are less than 1000 square feet. Materials to sort and divert include: metal, appliances, concrete, dirt, rock, brush, leaves, grass, food waste, pallets, untreated lumber, cardboard, paper, and mattresses

Eagle County: Working toward a C&D Toolkit and voluntary waste diversion program. Hoping to implement policy 2025/2026
Pitkin County: Implemented a C&D policy in 2020 requiring the building and demolition permits to pay a deposit based on the total estimated waste that will be produced by the project. Projects are required to meet a minimum of 35% total waste diversion and 100% diversion of the listed recoverable materials. Recoverable materials are: concrete, corrugated cardboard, porcelain, metal appliances, asphalt, rock and dirt, metal, single stream recyclables, organics and untreated (no stain, paint or chemical treatment) lumber and pallets.

Steamboat Springs: Began working with a C&D Materials Management consultancy in May of 2024 to conduct a feasibility study regarding C&D disposal and diversion in the local community.
Summit County: Began working with a policy consultant December 2023. Will be presenting a policy proposal to the Summit County Board of County Commissioners late Spring or early Summer 2024.