Pools and spas
Building, zoning or site-plan review; barriers; electrical, gas, plumbing, drainage, and equipment location.
Seven-area approval navigator
Colorado outdoor project permit planning by area.
Use this page to find the correct starting authority and the reviews a complete outdoor-estate scope may trigger. It is a route map—not a permit determination for a parcel.
Where should permit planning begin?
Verify the parcel and governing jurisdiction first. Then map the entire scope across building and zoning, grading and drainage, fire, utilities, right-of-way, and any HOA or design-review body. A permit from one authority does not replace a separate approval from another.
Jump to one location
Every Registry area, in one place.
What should you send with the first permit question?
Prepare the parcel address, a marked-up survey if available, and a short scope list. Include work outside the finished feature: excavation, walls, utility routes, equipment and construction access. Label unknown dimensions rather than estimating them as facts.
Ask the authority: “Which applications and drawings does this complete scope need, which other agencies should review it, and what must be resolved before we submit?” Record the answer, date and any remaining conditions. This is a suggested inquiry—not an application or an approval.
Keep the reply with your preconstruction checklist. For source-checked changes with specific effective dates, see planning updates.
Scope map
Which reviews can an outdoor project involve?
These are prompts for the project team. The actual route depends on the property, project, adopted rules, utilities, and authority having jurisdiction.
Pavilions and pool houses
Accessory-structure rules; setbacks, height, lot or impervious coverage; structural, fire, utility, and private design review.
Outdoor kitchens and fire features
Gas, electrical, plumbing, fire-district, appliance-clearance, ventilation, structure, and seasonal operating requirements.
Retaining walls and grade changes
Wall height and surcharge; structural design; land disturbance; drainage; erosion control; guard conditions; easements and setbacks.
Patios, decks and hardscape
Coverage and drainage; deck structure; guard and stair requirements; grading; utilities; private exterior-modification review.
Landscape and irrigation
Water district; right-of-way or backflow work; grading and drainage; wildfire or defensible-space requirements; tree and HOA review.
Driveways and construction access
Road authority; driveway and culvert work; gates; right-of-way use; emergency access; staging, deliveries, temporary controls, and restoration.
Area records
What is the official starting point for each area?
Each record separates what the cited source supports from what still requires parcel-specific verification.
Cherry Hills Village
Begin with the City of Cherry Hills Village. Pools, pavilions, walls, grading, drainage, impervious area, and accessory structures can follow different review paths, so the complete scope should be mapped before design packages separate.
Current reviewChecked August 22, 2026
Which City, fire, water-district, drainage, and private-review paths apply to the complete property scope?
6 project paths · 3 official starting sourcesBuilding · City of Cherry Hills VillageBuilding PermitsSupports: 2026 code adoption, portal process, right-of-way and stormwater signals, fire-flow or suppression coordination, cumulative impervious-area trigger, and Phase III closeout documents. (opens in a new tab)Planning · City of Cherry Hills VillageExterior Remodel RequirementsSupports: Published exterior-work classifications, submittal expectations, and review sequencing; verify that the document remains current for the application. (opens in a new tab)Wildfire and fire · South Metro Fire RescueConstruction and Community Risk ReductionSupports: The fire-authority starting point; the exact record type and review depend on the property and scope. (opens in a new tab)
Open the complete Cherry Hills Village decision record →Castle Pines
Verify the parcel, City permit path, grading and erosion-control requirements, and every applicable private design-review body. City approval and association approval are separate obligations; neither replaces the other.
Current reviewChecked August 22, 2026
Is the parcel inside the City, which private design body applies, and how much land disturbance will the complete project create?
6 project paths · 3 official starting sourcesBuilding · City of Castle PinesBuilding DepartmentSupports: The municipal building and permit starting point. (opens in a new tab)Site and drainage · City of Castle PinesStormwater Management and GESC ResourcesSupports: Current GESC and Low Impact GESC thresholds, submittal materials, review targets, permanent controls, inspection, and floodplain context. (opens in a new tab)Private review · The Village at Castle Pines Homes AssociationDesign ReviewSupports: Private exterior-modification review within The Village only; it does not apply to every Castle Pines parcel and does not replace City permits. (opens in a new tab)
Open the complete Castle Pines decision record →Greenwood Village
Start with Greenwood Village Community Development. The City lists site improvements—including larger concrete or asphalt work, decks, landscaping, patio covers, fences, plumbing, and electrical work—among projects that may require permits, and its residential submittal guidance calls for coordinated site, grading, drainage, structural, and utility information as applicable.
Current reviewChecked August 22, 2026
Which City, fire, water and sanitation, HOA, grading, drainage, and trade reviews apply to the complete improvement?
6 project paths · 2 official starting sourcesBuilding · Greenwood VillageBuilding Permits & InspectionsSupports: Application steps, residential permit examples, submission requirements, external-agency coordination, review targets, fee calculator, inspections, and active or historical permit search. (opens in a new tab)Wildfire and fire · South Metro Fire RescueConstruction and Community Risk ReductionSupports: The fire-authority starting point; confirm the property, water supply, access, and proposed scope. (opens in a new tab)
Open the complete Greenwood Village decision record →Evergreen & Genesee
Many Evergreen and Genesee properties use unincorporated Jefferson County processes, but a mailing address does not establish jurisdiction. Confirm the parcel, fire district, zoning, land disturbance, retaining, pool, access, water, sanitation, and private-covenant path before relying on a generic foothill checklist.
Current reviewChecked August 22, 2026
Is the parcel unincorporated Jefferson County, and which fire, road, water, sanitation, well, septic, and private authorities serve it?
6 project paths · 3 official starting sourcesBuilding · Jefferson CountyBuilding SafetySupports: Address lookup, permit history, current codes, WUI resources, and the July 1, 2026 code and wildfire-regulation effective date. (opens in a new tab)Planning · Jefferson CountyOutside the HomeSupports: Current project-specific guidance for decks, gates, driveways, pools, hot tubs, retaining walls, sport courts, accessory structures, grading, and WUI considerations. (opens in a new tab)Site and drainage · Jefferson CountyMandatory Application DocumentsSupports: Published document expectations for grading and related applications, including narratives, erosion control, drainage, soils or geology where applicable, and ownership records. (opens in a new tab)
Open the complete Evergreen & Genesee decision record →Boulder Foothills
First determine whether the parcel is inside the City of Boulder or unincorporated Boulder County. For County parcels, building, land-use, grading, wildfire, fire-district, utility, and private-review requirements may overlap; the cited County material cannot establish the route for a City parcel.
Current reviewChecked August 22, 2026
Is the parcel in the City of Boulder or unincorporated Boulder County, and which wildfire zone, fire district, water, sanitation, and prior land-use approvals apply?
6 project paths · 3 official starting sourcesBuilding · Boulder CountyBuilding PermitsSupports: Unincorporated County jurisdiction, July 1, 2026 code-amendment date, permit categories, pool, deck, retaining-wall and fence examples, fees, and application starting points. (opens in a new tab)Wildfire and fire · Boulder CountyWildfire Mitigation Code RequirementsSupports: Wildfire zones, ignition-resistant materials, defensible space, noncombustible perimeter, fences and retaining, inspection stages, and emergency-water context. (opens in a new tab)Building · Boulder CountySwimming Pools, Spas and Hot TubsSupports: County-published pool-plan, engineering, mechanical, electrical, barrier, and grading-document starting points for unincorporated parcels. (opens in a new tab)
Open the complete Boulder Foothills decision record →Golden Foothills
Confirm whether the parcel is inside Golden or unincorporated Jefferson County before using any permit checklist. The City directs applicants to verify municipal status and its WUI map; County parcels use separate Jefferson County building, planning, grading, and wildfire processes.
Current reviewChecked August 22, 2026
Is the parcel inside Golden or unincorporated Jefferson County, and which WUI, fire, road, utility, and private-review paths apply?
6 project paths · 3 official starting sourcesBuilding · City of GoldenBuilding Permit ProcessSupports: Municipal-status check, WUI map, City permit portal, contractor licensing, planning review for exterior work, fees, records, and current review targets. (opens in a new tab)Building · Jefferson CountyBuilding SafetySupports: The current unincorporated County building, WUI, code, records, and July 1, 2026 change starting point. (opens in a new tab)Planning · Jefferson CountyOutside the HomeSupports: Current County outdoor-project triggers for pools, retaining, decks, driveways, grading, sport courts, structures, and WUI considerations. (opens in a new tab)
Open the complete Golden Foothills decision record →Bow Mar
Bow Mar publishes a two-step sequence: Design Review Board approval first, then the appropriate Town building permit. Landscaping changes and general property changes have dedicated review applications, while street cuts and driveway work can require separate Public Works approval.
Current reviewChecked August 22, 2026
Which Design Review Board application, Town permit, fire, water and sanitation, driveway, and private-property obligations apply?
6 project paths · 4 official starting sourcesPrivate review · Town of Bow MarDesign Review Board ApplicationSupports: Application types, scaled-document requirements, meeting and submittal calendar, homeowner attendance, and 180-day approval validity. (opens in a new tab)Building · Town of Bow MarBuilding ProceduresSupports: Two-step approval sequence, contractor licensing, required construction documents, soils report, inspections, and 360-day building-permit validity. (opens in a new tab)Access and records · Town of Bow MarStreet Cut & Driveway PermitsSupports: Separate street-cut, qualifying driveway and drainage permit path and the Town’s published allowance of up to 20 days for processing. (opens in a new tab)Wildfire and fire · South Metro Fire RescueConstruction and Community Risk ReductionSupports: The fire-authority starting point; verify the property and exact fire, access, and water-supply scope. (opens in a new tab)
Open the complete Bow Mar decision record →Important boundary
This map cannot approve the project.
Requirements change and can depend on parcel boundaries, overlays, adopted codes, project valuation, wall height, land disturbance, utilities, fire district, drainage, and private covenants. Confirm the current route with the cited authority and qualified project professionals before design or construction commitments.