Change of Use / Land Use Review (Development Order) in Aspen, Colorado

Aspen requires a change of use / land use review (development order) permit for: No standalone change-of-use permit, application, or checklist is published by the City of Aspen; this file's own commercial-tenant-improvement-permit entry independently confirms that a change of use (between Mercantile, Business, Assembly, Residential, or Storage/parking use groups, or more broadly between commercial, residential, and lodging categories) requires contacting the Planner of the Day and is treated as a Planning/zoning matter, not purely a Building Division one; A change in use categorically disqualifies a project from Aspen's EPIC (Expedited Permits in Commercial Zones) fast-track program (already documented in this file's EPIC-related entries) — confirming that change-of-use review runs on its own, separate track from ordinary tenant-finish building permits; The Land Use Application process (per the City's own Land Use Application Packet) requires, at minimum: a completed Land Use Application Form (project/applicant/representative info plus existing-conditions and proposal narratives); a Dimensional Requirements Form, which explicitly captures existing-vs-proposed Commercial Net Leasable square footage, Lodge Pillows, Lodge Units, and Residential/Free-Market/Affordable unit counts — the exact figures a change-of-use analysis turns on; a signed Agreement to Pay Application Fees; and an HOA Compliance Form; The Land Use Application's own 'Type of Application' checklist has no dedicated 'Change of Use' box; the two most relevant categories on that checklist are 'Growth Management Review' (GMQS, Chapter 26.470 — Planning & Zoning Commission materials reviewed for this file confirm GMQS explicitly addresses changes between land use categories, e.g., commercial/lodge net leasable converting to residential) and 'Conditional Use Review' (for a proposed use that is conditional rather than permitted-by-right in the applicable zone district under Chapter 26.700, Zone Districts) — which one (or both) applies is a case-by-case Planning determination, not a bright-line rule in the checklist itself; Applicants must first obtain a Pre-Application Conference Summary letter from the Planner of the Day (per Chapter 26.304) before submitting; the City's own Land Use Application Packet also strongly advises a preliminary consultation with the Zoning Officer, Building Department, Parks Department, and Engineering Department to confirm code compliance and avoid mid-review project changes; If the specific application type requires a public hearing, notice must be published in a paper of general circulation, posted on the property, and mailed to all owners within 300 feet — each at least 15 days before the hearing — per Aspen Land Use Code Sec. 26.304.060(E); surface-development applications additionally require mineral estate owner notice at least 30 days before the initial hearing; Fees follow the City's Land Use Review Fee Policy, adopted via Ordinance No. 40, Series of 2018 (as amended): either a flat fee for applications requiring minimal, predictable staff time, or a deposit against City of Aspen Community Development Department staff time billed at $325.00 per hour once the deposit is exhausted, plus separate cumulative flat referral fees (Engineering, Parks, APCHA, Other) as applicable — confirmed directly from the City's own Land Use Application Packet; This Title 26 land-use-level Development Order process is distinct from the Title 10 building-code Certificate of Occupancy already documented in this file's residential-building-permit and commercial-building-permit entries (which sign off on construction quality before a building can be occupied); a single project involving both new construction and a genuine change of use can require both a land-use Development Order and a building permit/CO; No City-published numeric Round-1 review-timeline SLA exists for land use / change-of-use applications, unlike the Building Permit Timelines page (aspen.gov/244), which explicitly covers only Building Division permit categories; the City's own Land Use Process & Resources page instead describes a multi-step sequential process (pre-application, completeness review, fee payment, case assignment and referral, public hearing if applicable, decision, recording, then building permit) without attaching a fixed day or week figure to any step; Unpaid Land Use Review invoices carry real consequences: the Community Development Director may cease processing an application with an invoice 30+ days past due, may assess a 1.75%-per-month late fee at 90+ days past due, and the City will not accept a building permit for the same property until all Land Use Review invoices are paid in full — an already-issued building permit can even face cessation of processing or a stop-work order over an unpaid Land Use Review balance of 90+ days. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Aspen Community Development Department, Building Division at 970-920-5000 before starting work.

Either a flat fee for predictable-scope applications, or an hourly-billed deposit at $325 per hour of Community Development staff time beyond the deposit, per the City's Land Use Review Fee Policy (Ordinance No. 40, Series of 2018), plus any applicable flat referral fees for Engineering, Parks, APCHA, or other departments.

No fixed City-published timeline exists. Unlike ordinary Building Division permits, which have a dedicated Building Permit Timelines page with explicit week-ranges, land-use review timing depends on application complexity, whether a public hearing is required, and the Planning & Zoning Commission's hearing calendar.

You'll need: Land Use Application Form; Dimensional Requirements Form; Agreement to Pay Application Fees; HOA Compliance Form; Pre-Application Conference Summary Letter. Depending on your project, Aspen may also ask for: Public Notice Affidavit. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Aspen requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / land use review (development order) permit, in order: Zoning/Land Use Compliance Review. Schedule each through City of Aspen Community Development Department, Building Division (970-920-5000).

Apply through City of Aspen Community Development Department, Building Division at 427 Rio Grande Place, Aspen, CO 81611. Phone: 970-920-5000, email: buildingsupport@aspen.gov. Office hours: City of Aspen main line 970-920-5000. Building Support (permit requirement inquiries, pre-submittal questions): buildingsupport@aspen.gov, Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm. Builder of the Day (building code/regulations questions): builderoftheday@aspen.gov, 970-429-2735, Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm. Planner of the Day (zoning, floor area, net leasable, signage, mountain view plane, exterior design): planneroftheday@aspen.gov, 970-429-2764, walk-in hours Monday-Friday 9:00am-12:00pm. Historic Preservation: HP@aspen.gov, 970-429-2758. Construction hours: Monday-Friday 7:30am-5:30pm, Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm, no construction on Sundays.. Official information: https://aspen.gov/179/Building.

Aspen, Colorado has adopted: 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — adopted by Ordinance #1, 2023 (January 24, 2023), effective for permits submitted March 31, 2023 and later; the IRC has NOT been adopted by the City of Aspen and is not applied — single-family, duplex, and townhouse projects are reviewed under the 2021 IBC as locally amended, per the City's own 'Building Permit Application Checklist for Singlefamily, Duplex, and Townhouse Projects (2021 IBC)'; 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC); 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC); 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC); 2021 International Fire Code (IFC); 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC); 2021 Aspen Energy Code (local amendment/supplement to the IECC); 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), effective August 1, 2023; 2024 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code with local amendments — adopted by Ordinance 6, 2026 (March 25, 2026), effective April 23, 2026; referenced directly in the current Fence Permit Application Checklist (fences within 8 feet of a structure must be noncombustible/ignition-resistant; hedges within 5 feet must use ignition-resistant vegetation); Prior code cycle: 2015-edition IBC/IEBC/IMC/IFGC/IPC/IFC applied to permits submitted between February 2017 and March 2023, with local amendments in Ordinance 40, 2016 (superseded, listed for reference only); Local amendments to all adopted codes are codified in Title 8 (Building and Building Regulations) of the Aspen Municipal Code; Municode's Aspen library is a JavaScript-rendered application that could not be scraped directly in this or the prior session (confirmed again 2026-07-23: raw curl returns only the Angular SPA shell, and the shared browser environment used for the re-chase attempt this session was too unstable to reliably render deep-linked Title pages). However, the City's own 'Currently Adopted Building & Energy Codes' page (aspen.gov/197) directly publishes a 'Climate & Geographical Design Criteria' table (2026-07-23, live-confirmed): Ground snow load 100 psf; Wind Speed/Exposure Category 89 mph / B; Seismic Design Category C; Weathering Severe; Frost line depth 36 inches; Termite None to slight; Decay None to slight; Winter design temp -15°F; Summer design temp 82°F; Ice shield underlayment required Yes; Air Freezing Index 2000; Mean annual temperature 40°F. This resolves the design-criteria gap without needing Title 8/Municode.. Local amendments apply — see the Aspen overview page for the full list.

No. There is no standalone change-of-use permit or checklist. A change in use is addressed through the City's general Title 26 Land Use Review / Development Application process, potentially requiring Growth Management Review and/or Conditional Use Review depending on the specific use and zone district, administered by the Planning & Zoning group of Community Development. Contact the Planner of the Day for a required Pre-Application Conference before submitting.