Development Engineering oversees design and construction of public and private infrastructure within the City of Thornton. Development Engineering works closely with Current Planning, Building Inspection, and Landscape Architecture divisions to provide pre-application meetings, review submittals, and complete inspections of improvements.
City of Thornton Standards and Specifications, Codes and Additional Design Guides
Subject to the Director's discretion, if the DA discussions extend longer than six months or more than twenty hours for original DA's and ten hours for DA amendments, additional charges may be required to complete the agreement. This will be assessed by an overall charge of $50/hour, in 30-minute increments, per city staff member involved.
Development Engineering Review
Fees
Subdivision Plat Application
$230 plus $15/acre
Subdivision Plat Amendments
$250
Developer's Agreement (DA)
$1000 (potential additional fees)
Developer's Agreement (DA) Amendment
$500 (potential additional fees)
Construction Documents after 3rd review (at Director’s discretion)
Please read each description below before applying for your permit to avoid having to reapply.
Development Construction Permit Application - Construction permit for new or re-development of a property. Please use this permit for parking lot repairs. (Not for Franchise company use - United Power, Xcel, Comcast and etcetera).
Franchise Development Permit Application - Required for all Franchise Companies (United Power, Xcel, Comcast and etcetera) doing work in or out of the Right-of-Way (ROW). Please apply for both this permit and an Development Traffic Permit if you are closing a ROW.
Inspections: Development Engineering Inspectors are assigned to a project for its duration. Inspections are scheduled through the inspector.
Surety shall be furnished to The City of Thornton as a guarantee that all work completed meets or exceeds The City of Thornton’s Standards and Specifications, and will be completed in a timely manner. The surety protects The City of Thornton against damage or loss of city owned property, and non-fulfillment of any obligation covered in the Developer's Agreement. During the warranty period surety shall be decreased to cover all work completed until final acceptance.
Subject to the Director's discretion, if the DA discussions extend longer than six months or more than twenty hours for original DA's and ten hours for DA amendments, additional charges may be required to complete the agreement. This will be assessed by an overall charge of $50/hour, in 30-minute increments, per city staff member involved.
Development Engineering Review
Fees
Floodplain Development Permit
$600 (Individual Single Family Lot: $150/lot)
Traffic Control Permit
$50.00 plus the calculation per the traffic control permit application
Construction Permit Use Tax
Fees
Construction Permit Fee
1.5% of total contract cost ($30 minimum)
Sanitary Sewer Infrastructure TV Inspection Fee
3% of sanitary sewer main cost
Franchise Permit Fee (If Applicable)
$250
Materials Sales and Use Tax
3.75% of 50% of total contract cost (not applied toward grading costs)
Performance Surety is required prior to the issuance of any construction permit in the City. Work within the existing City right-of-way requires a cash escrow or Letter of Credit.
City of Thornton construction permit use taxes are to be paid on the “Estimated Percentage Basis”, as prescribed by §26-391.(e)(1) of the Thornton Municipal Code. A construction permit use tax deposit is required to be made based on a percentage of the total valuation of the construction contract. The payment is due at the time a construction permit is issued, and is to be paid by the owner, lessee, or the general contractor. Subcontractors electing to do so may pay the permit use tax deposit separately at the time their permit is issued. The estimated taxable materials percentage is fifty percent (50%) of the total valuation of the construction contract. The following is an example of the permit use tax calculation:
Construction Permit Use Tax Example
Fees Example
Total Valuation of Construction Contract
$100,000.00
Estimated Taxable Percentage
50%
Estimated Taxable Amount of Materials
$50,000.00
City of Thornton Use Tax Rate
3.75%
Construction Permit Use Tax Due: (At time construction permit is issued)
$1,875.00
Construction permit use tax is paid up front in lieu of City sales tax collected by vendors when materials are purchased. The construction permit must be presented to vendors when purchasing construction materials for the project to avoid paying the tax twice. The estimated permit use tax applies only to construction materials (property that becomes an inseparable part of a completed contract). Construction materials do not include equipment, tools or similar items.
Payment on the “Estimated Percentage Basis” does not typically satisfy taxes due on additions (change orders) to the original contract. Additional use taxes will be due when the value of actual taxable materials used on the project exceeds the 50% estimate. All taxes not paid on taxable materials or other taxable transactions for a construction project in Thornton are due in full thirty (30) days from the date of the Initial Acceptance. All related construction records are subject to audit after completion of a project to determine if additional tax is due – whether or not use tax was prepaid on a construction permit.
Application for refund may be made to the City within eighteen (18) months of the date of the Initial Acceptance when the total taxable materials are less than the fifty percent (50%) estimate.
City personnel are available to answer your questions by phone or in person at the Civic Center. Personal assistance is available 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is recommended that you call in advance to ensure a tax representative will be available for assistance. The phone number for the City Sales Tax Division is 303-538-7370.
The Thornton Municipal Code requires all contractors that store or use construction equipment in the City to complete a construction equipment declaration form for all equipment with a purchase price of at least $2,500. A declaration is also required for all leased or rented construction equipment regardless of its value.
This declaration should be completed within 90 days of bringing the equipment into the City. If additional equipment is used on the project or if the equipment is used for a longer than originally anticipated, an additional declaration must be submitted at the completion of the project. For projects where the equipment is used for less than 90 days, the declaration must be filed within 10 days of substantial completion of the project.
All construction equipment is subject to use tax. The amount of use tax due depends on how long the equipment is located in the City and how much municipal sales/use tax was previously paid on the equipment. Do not confuse sales and use tax with SMM taxes paid upon registration of equipment.
Please complete an equipment declaration form for all equipment to be used on your project. If another City’s sales or use tax was paid on the equipment declared, please enclose documentation (such as invoices or assessment letters) showing payment of such tax. Upon receipt of the declaration, the City will calculate the amount of any tax due and will send an assessment. If the equipment is voluntarily declared, you will only be responsible for the tax due. If the City discovers use of equipment through an audit of the project, you will be assessed for tax, penalty and interest.
Subcontractors bringing equipment into the City are also required to complete declaration forms, so please provide all your subcontractors with copies of the equipment declaration form. Forms can be obtained from the City Sales Tax Division or on pages eight and nine of the Construction Permit Handout.
If you have any questions, please call the City Sales Tax Division at 303-538-7400.
