Jill Jennings Golich, director of the new Denver Permitting Office, speaks at an April news conference. (BusinessDen file)
The new Denver Permitting Office, announced by Mayor Mike Johnston in April, got up and running in mid-May, according to the city, although not all components of it are currently in place.
The office’s mandate is to speed up the entitlement process and improve customer service for applicants — those getting permits to build new structures or build out existing spaces around the city. At an April news conference, Johnston touted a 180-day “shot clock,” saying plans and permits would be approved within that time, and pledged refunds of up to $10,000 on fees if the city failed to do so.
Johnston didn’t provide specifics at the time on how the 180 days would be calculated or when refunds would be made. But last week, DPO Director Jill Jennings Golich shared documents with BusinessDen — the full text can be found here and here — on each of those points.
“The 180 days is purely city time,” she said.
But that can be somewhat complicated, especially since many projects require multiple permits issued by different city agencies. Jennings Golich encouraged applicants to submit plans simultaneously for each of the permits they’re applying for, for simplicity’s sake.
Inevitably, there will be some overlap in the building permit process. An applicant may be redoing its plumbing plans while the city is reviewing a separate electrical permit, for example.
In instances such as those, as long as the city is still reviewing a component of the overall building plans, the 180-day clock will be ticking, even if the applicant is working on other permits related to the project, according to the city.
“Any time that [application] is with a city discipline, we’re counting it as a city day,” said Robert Peek, a DPO official.
The 180-day pledge doesn’t apply to subdivision plats, concept plans, large development reviews or infrastructure master plans.
In terms of refunds, when the 180-day deadline is missed, Jennings Golich will initially review the application, checking its quality and the responses given by the city. Her report will be completed within 14 days.
DPO’s Executive Permitting Committee will then review the report and determine whether “the delay was attributable to the city due to things such as internal city processes or city review time,” according to the DPO documents. If the city is at fault, the applicant is eligible for a refund.
But refunds will vary. Site development plans for a project smaller than an acre — a sizable category — will be eligible for a refund only of up to $500. For larger developments, the fee refunded can total up to $5,000, depending on the size of the property and how much the applicant paid in city fees.
For pure building permit reviews that exceed 180 days of city time, up to 5% of the permit plan review fee can be refunded, with a limit of $5,000 in total.
The maximum $10,000 refund could be reached if an applicant gets both a $5,000 site development plan refund and a $5,000 building permit fee refund.
The new DPO is responsible for more than just reviews and refunds. It is tasked with improving customer service by having a fully staffed, in-person permit counter where people can visit to ask questions. That will be up and running by Aug. 11, Jennings Golich said.
Currently, the Department of Excise and Licenses has a counter. A separate permitting one is staffed by a generalist, who likely couldn’t answer specific questions, Jennings Golich added.
The DPO doesn’t replace, but rather streamlines, the work of seven city agencies to expedite the permitting process. Denver Water and Xcel Energy are not subject to the department and its rules since they’re not city agencies.
One other key institution in the DPO that’s new will be the “project champions.” These individuals will be assigned to projects to provide one-on-one support to applicants throughout the process, advocating for applicants if they hit a snag.
“They’re getting those comments, reviewing them, ensuring there aren’t any conflicts, working through any issues,” Jennings Golich said.
