What counts as demolition
The test is the definition of "Demolition (Historic)" in Section 9-16 of the Boulder Revised Code, for buildings over 50 years old that are not individual landmarks or in a historic district (those need a Landmark Alteration Certificate instead):
| Work | Triggers review? |
|---|---|
| Removing more than 50% of the roof, measured in plan | Yes |
| Removing more than 50% of the total exterior walls | Yes |
| Removing any part of a street-facing wall | Yes |
| Enlarging a window or door opening on a street-facing wall | Yes |
| Removing an enclosed porch on the street side | Yes |
| Covering a street-facing wall's finish (for example new siding) | Yes |
| Full teardown | Yes |
The 50% figures apply to the whole roof or all exterior walls, not to one wall. A pop-top that lifts most of the roof, or a remodel that widens the front window, is a demolition review even if most of the house stays.
Fees and time
| Step | Fee | Time (City estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Completeness check | — | 5–7 days after submittal |
| Initial review, primary building built 1939 or earlier | $282 | Within three weeks of a complete application |
| Initial review, built 1940 or later, or accessory building over 50 | $51 | Same |
| Staff or Landmarks Design Review Committee approval | — | About 1–3 weeks in all |
| Referral to the Landmarks Board | $1,504 | Adds about 1–6 months; stay of up to 180 days |
| Approval valid | — | One year, no extension |
Fees are set by Section 4-20-37 and the initial fee is non-refundable once review starts. Buildings from before 1940 also need written owner consent. If the Board does not start landmark designation by the end of its stay, the demolition is approved. The Board looks at landmark eligibility, the building's relationship to the neighborhood, its condition, and the projected cost of repair, but may not count deterioration caused by unreasonable neglect.
The approval letter then goes in with a deconstruction permit (full demolition) or a building permit (partial).
What it means for hiring
- Check the year built before design. The Boulder County Assessor's Year Built field decides it. A 1939 house and a 1940 house have different fees ($282 against $51), and pre-1940 houses need written owner consent.
- Let the designer draw to the threshold. A designer who knows the rule can sometimes keep a project under 50% of the roof and off the street-facing wall, which avoids review. Ask them to show the roof-removal percentage on the drawings.
- Schedule the one-year clock. Approval lapses in a year with no extension. Do not file demolition review until the builder can start within that year.
- Ask the builder for past Boulder deconstruction jobs. Full demolition here goes through a deconstruction permit, and our data shows few firms do many of them.
Compare Boulder demolition and deconstruction firms →
What Boulder permits show
| Measure | Demolition & deconstruction | Addition | Remodel & repair |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permits, October 2023 to September 2026 | 117 | 369 | 1,178 |
| Firms | 58 | 186 | 414 |
| Usual days, issue to final | 340 | 415 | 141 |
| Finished (a year or more old) | 76.7% | 78.0% | 80.6% |
| Firms with a single permit | 58.6% | 62.9% | 56.0% |
| Busiest month | May | May | July |
Demolition is a small market: 117 permits in three years, only 2 firms with 10 or more, and Colorado Demolition Inc the busiest. Permits bunch in May (index 200, 100 = an average month), so a demolition review approved in winter lines up with the busy season. The usual addition was filed at $100,000, which is the scale of project where a roof-removal percentage on the drawings is worth arguing over.
Five-minute check
- Look up Year Built in the Boulder County Assessor property search.
- Ask the builder for two past Boulder addresses with demolition review and find the permits as in Boulder building permit search.
- Compare firms on our Boulder demolition list and addition list; values are on Boulder addition cost and counts on Boulder permit statistics.
Similar rules elsewhere: Cambridge demolition delay. The general question: do I need a permit for demolition.
What this does not tell you
Demolition review applications are not in our permit file, and Boulder's demolition permits carry no filed value, so we cannot show what teardowns cost. Partial demolitions sit inside addition and remodel permits.
How we know this
The rules, fees and timelines are from the City of Boulder's Historic Preservation Demolition Review for Buildings Older than 50 Years page, read 23 October 2026. Permit counts are City of Boulder permits on homes in our demolition and deconstruction, addition, and remodel and repair categories, October 2023 to September 2026; the finished share uses permits a year or more old.
Numbers come from City of Boulder construction permits, data through October 16, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Does Boulder require historic review to tear down a house?
If the building is over 50 years old, yes, even when it is not a landmark or in a historic district. Staff or the Landmarks Design Review Committee review it first; a referral to the Landmarks Board can bring a stay of up to 180 days.
- Does an addition count as demolition in Boulder?
It can. Boulder's historic definition of demolition includes removing more than 50% of the roof measured in plan, more than 50% of the exterior walls, or any part of a street-facing wall, including enlarging a window or door opening or removing an enclosed porch.
- How much does Boulder's demolition review cost?
$282 for a primary building built in 1939 or earlier, $51 for one built in 1940 or later or for an accessory building over 50 years old, and $1,504 more if the application is referred to the Landmarks Board (Section 4-20-37). The initial fee is non-refundable.
- How long does Boulder demolition review take?
The City says staff or committee approval takes about 1 to 3 weeks; a Landmarks Board referral adds about 1 to 6 months, and the Board can impose a stay of up to 180 days. An approval is good for one year with no extensions.
- How do I find out how old my Boulder house is?
Use the Year Built field in the Boulder County Assessor property search. For accessory buildings not listed there, the City points to the Carnegie Library for Local History or an Inquire Boulder request.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
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