How Does Denver Community Planning and Development Review Work?

Everything starts in e-permits under Development Services. The applicant registers, selects Apply for a Permit, and chooses Building Log under the submit-building-plans-for-review path, then uploads the full document set as PDFs following the city's file naming convention. Drawings prepared by a licensed architect, engineer, or surveyor need a valid electronic signature visible on the first page and a seal on each sheet; missing seals are one of the most common completeness rejections. The city checks the package for completeness first, and plan review begins only when the submittal is complete. For projects triggering site review, the Formal Site Development Plan goes through its own e-permits track after the mandatory Concept Plan. The assigned project coordinator collects comments from every reviewing agency and issues a single comment letter; applicants should not expect piecemeal feedback, because the coordinator waits until all agencies have weighed in. Review fees are assessed with the first SDP comments and must be paid before the next submittal. The SUDP runs as a separate e-permits application covering sanitary, storm, and floodplain review, with its early 60-percent-design deadline for floodplain projects.

Express plan review is Denver's fast lane, but it has a narrow on-ramp. Select commercial projects and the simplest single-family and duplex projects can qualify for walk-through-style review, with commercial applicants checking the Commercial Express Plan Review box on the Building Log. The catch is eligibility: the project must be among the listed low-complexity types and must not require reviews by other agencies, which rules out most projects with zoning, landmark, or drainage complications. The most common delays are avoidable. Incomplete packages sit until every document arrives; drawings without proper electronic seals get rejected at intake; floodplain submittals that miss the 60-percent-design SUDP deadline force redesigns; and zoning issues discovered late, such as setback or use problems, can send a project back to land-use review. Responding to correction comments completely and promptly matters more than responding fast: a partial resubmittal that ignores half the comments burns a full review cycle. Experienced teams confirm the current submittal checklists with CPD before filing, because requirements and fee schedules are updated periodically.