On Monday, May 4, Denver City Council approved a zoning code update that gives all site development plans (SDP) approved before 2026, an additional three years to obtain building permits. Specifically, council members voted to extend the period of validity for SDPs approved on or before December 31, 2025, to 66 months from their approval date. (See Denver Zoning Code Section 12.4.3.6.C.1 for the exact language of the text amendment.) SDPs approved on and after January 1, 2026 will maintain a 30-month period of validity. This update impacts recently expired SDPs and means that certain previously expired plans are again valid within a 66-month period from their original approval date. Site Development Plans expire if the project has not obtained building and zoning permits and started building construction. If you have questions about an SDP application or expirations, please contact DevelopmentServices@denvergov.org.
For projects with an active, unexpired building “LOG” record (which tracks reviews associated with construction documents), the extension of an SDP does not automatically or simultaneously extend the expiration date of the LOG record. The LOG record is governed by the application expiration rules in DRMC 10-16 and Chapter 1, Section 131 of the Denver Building Code. Plan review activity on the LOG record must not be idle for more than 180 days or the application for construction documents expires. In certain circumstances, limited extensions are allowed for the building LOG application. Already expired building LOG applications are not affected by the SDP extension noted above, nor does an SDP extension affect the code version on which construction documents are designed for the LOG application. If you have questions about a LOG application or expiration, please contact the Plan Review team.
You can check the status of your SDP and/or building LOG record using Denver's Accela ePermits portal here.