New Denver Permitting Office to Overhaul, Simplify City's Permitting Process

On Monday, April 15, Mayor Johnston and the City & County of Denver announced the creation of the Denver Permitting Office (DPO), aimed at overhauling the City's permitting and development approval processes to make building easier, faster and more predictable. Highlights of the announcement include DPO's commitment to ensuring all permits are complete within 180 days of City review (with developers being eligible to receive up to $10,000 fee refunds if timelines aren't met); dedicated project champions to shepherd every case ahead from start to finish; in-person customer service every weekday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and the alignment of efforts of nearly 300 City employees across seven departments with a "get to yes" focus.

As a continued advocate for development and a business-friendly regulatory environment, the Downtown Denver Partnership applauds Mayor Johnston and the City for this move, which represents an important step to ensuring that Denver is business- and development-friendly.

In 2024, the Partnership focused several efforts on advocating for an overhaul of Denver's development review and permitting functions, recognizing the significant impact that cumbersome processes have had on development (including delivery of housing) and on our city's overall economic competitiveness. Together with the Denver Metro Association of Realtors (DMCAR), NAIOP Colorado, Urban Land Institute (ULI) Colorado, the Partnership convened more than 70 leaders representing companies of all sizes and scales in development, architecture, construction and engineering to weigh in on all facets of Denver's development processes, ultimately issuing a package of recommendations that urged City leaders to reimagine Denver's approach to permitting.

On the heels of the recommendations package, the Partnership tackled permitting and development review processes once again on our annual Urban Exploration program, which in summer of 2024 went to Boston. During the program, the Partnership facilitated programming that examined the cross-sector collaboration required to drive big moves, with a focus on what makes Boston's processes effective and how the City of Boston fosters a culture of 'yes' across departments. Urban Exploration Boston was culminated by a recommendations workshop led by Mayor Johnston and Partnership and City leaders, during which improvement of permitting processes was identified as a key takeaway from the program.

Read on for the full announcement from Mayor Johnston and the City & County of Denver:

Mayor Mike Johnston announced [on Monday, April 15] his first executive order, the creation of the Denver Permitting Office (DPO). The new office created by Executive Order 151 will overhaul Denver’s permitting and development approval processes, making building in the city easier by streamlining permit review timelines and coordination across city departments.

The DPO will help stimulate economic activity in Denver by improving customer service and breaking down barriers for residents and developers trying to build housing or open businesses in the city. With this announcement, Mayor Johnston made a historic public commitment to get every permit submittal completed within 180 days of time in the city's hands. The office is a commonsense solution to make government work better for every single resident. This is key to build more housing that residents can actually afford and create new economic activity and jobs in our city.

The DPO will reform Denver’s current permitting processes by integrating and aligning the efforts of the nearly 300 employees responsible for permits across seven city departments with a “get to yes” focus for approvals while maintaining safety and community interests. The DPO will also improve transparency and communication, requiring responses to customer questions within two business days, establishing a one-stop-shop website (denvergov.org/dpo) and expanding in-person availability at permit counter hours to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Expert staff will serve as “project champions” who will lead the customer through each submittal, providing a central point of contact to give updates, answer questions and navigate potential challenges.

“To make housing more affordable and make it easier to do business, we have to remove unnecessary obstacles and streamline city processes so builders can spend less time with permit reviews, and more time creating quality construction jobs that drive our economy,” Mayor Johnston said. “The Denver Permitting Office will take immediate action that will restore Denver’s reputation as one of the best cities in the country to do business, to build, and to get big things done. By overhauling our permitting process, we’ll be able to build more affordable housing, residents can remodel their homes more easily, and entrepreneurs can more efficiently open the doors of their businesses.”

Currently in Denver, developers planning large-scale housing and commercial projects can experience two-plus years of waiting on site development plan approvals. Executive Order 151 will require such plans and other permits to be reviewed within a total of 180 days or less of city review time. If an application is in the city’s hands for longer than that time period, an executive committee comprised of city department executive directors and the DPO director will review the project to find a resolution. To increase accountability, the committee will also issue partial application fee refunds if certain criteria are met.

The executive committee will consist of agency leaders for Community Planning and Development (CPD), Denver Fire Department (DFD), Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) and Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO), and other department executive directors as needed.

The DPO will start operations in mid-May. Mayor Johnston has appointed CPD Deputy Executive Director Jill Jennings Golich as the inaugural director of the DPO. Jennings Golich holds more than 20 years of planning and development experience, including 9 years in leadership roles at CPD. She will report to the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Jenn Ridder.

“I am honored to serve in this role,” Jennings Golich said, “I look forward to building off our success in 2024 to work collaboratively with all city partners involved in permitting and our customers. This is the next step to ensure that the development permitting process is responsive, delivered with speed and supports the needs of our community.”

Reducing construction permit review times by 30% was among the Mayor’s 2024 citywide goals and permitting efficiency continues to be a focus in the 2025 Vibrant goal. CPD and partner agencies achieved a 37% reduction in total city possession time for single-family/duplex projects compared with 2023, as well as a 30% reduction in the number of days to complete the building/zoning intake process.

“We are very proud of that first step to improve permitting times, yet we must do more,” said Manish Kumar, who began his role as CPD executive director in April 2024. “What we have heard consistently from residents and businesses over the last year is we need a faster permitting system that is easier to navigate. The DPO gives us the structure and the guardrails we need to deliver a permitting experience that is more efficient and centered on the needs of the people we serve.”

Breakdown of the Denver Permitting Office