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