City Development

Development Services’ goal is to make every effort to preserve quality and assure that safe measures are employed whether you are looking to develop land, repair a sewer line, or even build a deck.  We aim to assist you in accomplishing your goals in a timely manner while protecting the best interests of the community.

We have implemented new services that improve our communication and transaction from start to finish. See our Development Review Guide for a preview of things to come. Development Services is also improving our existing services by measuring our progress and applying methods for improvement. We will be gathering feedback  directly from users involved in our process and utilizing it to follow through with our commitment to you. See our Development Services Feedback Form for more details.

• Current Planning & Zoning: Information and services around current development, including annexation, zoning and rezoning, subdivision, etc.
• Development Engineering: Information and services around plan reviews, inspections, and permitting for infrastructure for both commercial and residential.
• Landscape Architecture: Landscaping requirements and helpful handouts to aid in yard and construction projects.
• Building Inspection: Information on licenses, permits, building guides, advisories, and more.
• Active Development: City Development resources for learning about active development throughout the City of Thornton.

Information and services around the City's long-range planning, including population and demographic information, the Thornton Comprehensive Plan, North Washington Subarea Plan, Eastlake Subarea Plan, Thornton Transportation and Mobility Master Plan, Station Area Master Plans, and more.

Mapping information and data analysis involving the City’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) used to assist City staff in making informed decisions about our community.

GIS Open Data Page

GIS Fee Schedule

Standard Maps - Cost for Printed Maps
Please email CD_Gis@ThorntonCO.gov to request a printed map.

The Development Code Update has been Approved!

The 2025 Development Code update was adopted by the City Council on August 12, 2025, and became effective on September 1, 2025.  The updated Development Code modernizes development standards, streamlines the development review process, incorporates more opportunities for public outreach, and makes innovative approaches to development and redevelopment. Overall, the new standards are more objective and straightforward while also allowing for reasonable flexibility. Click the link below to access the new Development Code.

Development Code [PDF/19.3MB]

Staff has prepared summary documents of the Development Code which are described and downloadable from the links below. The summary is intended to be informational and is at a high-level, intended to be easy to understand and summarize the entire Development Code in a concise manner. 

For any questions about the code, please contact the planner of the day either by phone at 303-538-7295 or by email at pod.info@ThorntonCO.gov.

• One Page Summary of the Development Code Articles [PDF/191KB]
• Expanded Summary of the Development Code [PDF/1.2MB]

The City of Thornton Development Code is a regulatory document, which guides development within the City.  In order to ensure the Development Code changes as the City's needs evolve, amendments are necessary.  These amendments are generally initiated by City of Thornton Staff and are reviewed and adopted by City Council through a public hearing process.  The following provides information on all active Development Code amendments.

Amendments To Chapter 18:

• Cleanup items from the recently adopted Development Code.