Demolition in Byers, CO

Demolition in Byers starts with a jurisdiction question most homeowners don’t expect: there is no Byers town hall to call, because Byers is an unincorporated community on Arapahoe County’s eastern plains. Every demolition scope here — a gutted kitchen, a removed outbuilding, or a full teardown ahead of new construction — is reviewed by Arapahoe County Public Works & Development’s Building Division, not a local permit desk. Apollo Construction treats that county review, and the separate state asbestos process layered on top of it, as the first two items on the plan, before a single wall comes down.

This page walks through the checkpoints we use before pricing and scheduling demolition in Byers. It is a planning guide, not a substitute for a site-specific determination from the county or the state. We confirm current requirements against the actual address, structure age, and scope, because an older farmhouse and a newer outbuilding can trigger different questions even on the same lot.

Arapahoe County Handles the Permit — There’s No Town Office in Byers

Arapahoe County’s Building Division issues demolition permits for all unincorporated county land, including Byers, under the county’s adopted 2021 International Building and Residential Codes with local amendments, effective April 1, 2022. Applications go through the county’s online Customer Access portal. We confirm the current adopted code edition before every project, since amendments and cycles can change between projects.

A residential demolition permit in Byers is its own application, separate from any building permit for whatever gets built afterward. We treat them as two linked but distinct submittals from the start, so the demolition schedule doesn’t get held up waiting on rebuild plans that aren’t needed yet.

A Documented Demolition Application Comes Before the First Wall Comes Down

The county’s residential demolition guidance calls for a site plan showing the extent of demolition, property lines, other existing structures, overhead and underground utilities, and the legal address and lot/block numbers — filed as a permanent record — plus a separate set of demolition plans apart from any new-construction drawings for the same site. That paperwork is what lets the Building Division actually evaluate a Byers teardown instead of guessing at scope from a phone description.

We prepare that documentation before scheduling equipment, because a site plan built after the fact tends to miss details a reviewer will ask about, and a second submission costs more time on a rural property than it would in town.

Utilities Have to Be Verified Disconnected, Not Just Assumed Off

The county requires written verification — a letter or email from each utility provider — that utilities and fire-protection systems are properly disconnected before demolition proceeds. On Byers properties, that list often includes a well pump and a septic system in addition to the usual electric, gas, and water connections, since private systems are common outside the incorporated cities to the west. We track down each provider’s disconnection confirmation before we schedule the heavy work, not during it.

Asbestos Inspection Is State Law, Not a Local Option

Colorado’s asbestos rule sits above any county process: under CRS 25-7, Part 5 and Air Quality Control Commission Regulation No. 8, Part B, the building or area to be demolished must be inspected for asbestos by a Colorado-certified asbestos building inspector, and a demolition notification application must go to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment — even when no asbestos is found — with a fee and a ten-working-day notification period before demolition can start. The county’s Building Department receives confirmation of that state review directly; it isn’t an extra step the homeowner adds on top of the county process, but it is a real one that has to be scheduled.

For single-family residential structures, the trigger levels that require a certified abatement contractor to remove material before it’s disturbed are 50 linear feet on pipe insulation, 32 square feet on other surfaces, or the volume equivalent of a 55-gallon drum. Materials such as non-friable vinyl asbestos tile or tar-based roofing left in place have to stay non-friable through the demolition — no crushing or pneumatic jacking — and any asbestos-containing waste has to go to an approved disposal site rather than a standard debris container.

Older Byers Structures Deserve a Closer Look

Byers includes older farm buildings, outbuildings, and homes from well before the 1988 cutoff Colorado uses for presumed asbestos-free construction. Any structure built before that date, without documentation from the original architect or engineer showing no asbestos-containing material was used, is treated as needing the state inspection regardless of how new a later remodel might look from the outside. We assume the inspection is needed rather than guess based on the newest visible finish.

Historic Review Status in Byers Is Unconfirmed — We Don’t Promise an Answer We Don’t Have

Some general descriptions of Byers reference a historic uptown area, but we found no Arapahoe County ordinance establishing a formal historic-district design review specific to Byers structures. Rather than tell a homeowner one way or the other, we check directly with the county’s Building Division and Planning and Land Development division for any review requirement tied to the specific structure and address before finalizing a demolition scope.

Demolition Work Near Byers

Apollo Construction approaches demolition as controlled disassembly rather than a race to clear a lot. Typical Byers scopes include interior selective demolition for kitchens, baths, and additions; removal of an outbuilding, shed, or old slab tied to a larger project; and full structure removal ahead of new construction on rural acreage. Each scope starts with the address, an existing-condition review, the utility and asbestos status, and a clear line around what stays and what goes.

Survey before removal

We trace the assembly from finish back to framing rather than assume a wall is nonstructural or a ceiling cavity is empty. On older Byers structures, that survey also has to account for additions built without documented permits over the years — a common condition on rural properties that have changed hands and use over decades. We document what we find so allowances in the estimate reflect real unknowns, not guesses.

Sequence protects what remains

Order of operations protects the parts of the property that aren’t part of the scope. On acreage with a working well, septic field, outbuildings, or fencing nearby, we mark those boundaries before equipment moves, and we plan debris routes that don’t cross an active utility line or a septic leach field. Finishes, systems, and framing come apart in a deliberate sequence, not all at once.

Closeout leaves a clean, documented condition

Closeout confirms that debris within scope is hauled, that utility disconnections are documented, and that the exposed condition matches the agreed stop line — whether that’s a cleared building pad ready for new construction or a stabilized partial removal on an occupied property. We photograph and describe anything discovered along the way, from an old fuel tank to an unmarked utility line, so the next phase starts from documentation instead of memory.

How We Sequence a Byers Demolition Project

We begin with the address, the structure’s approximate age, and the intended scope, then confirm with Arapahoe County whether the demolition permit and any rebuild permit need to be filed together or separately. In parallel, we arrange the asbestos inspection required under state law and start the utility-disconnection paperwork for every service on the property, private systems included.

Once the asbestos and utility documentation are in hand, we schedule the physical work: site protection, selective or full removal in a planned order, and debris handling that keeps material streams separate where practical. We close out with photo documentation, confirmation that all required inspections are complete, and a clear handoff — either a cleared site ready for the next permit, or a stabilized, documented stop point on a partial scope.

Common Questions

Does demolition in Byers need a county permit?
Yes. Arapahoe County’s Building Division issues a separate residential demolition permit for unincorporated county land, Byers included, requiring a site plan and demolition-specific drawings apart from any rebuild permit for the same address.

Is an asbestos inspection really required for every demolition?
Colorado state law requires an inspection by a Colorado-certified asbestos building inspector before demolition or renovation activity that could disturb suspect material, with a demolition notification filed to CDPHE and a ten-working-day notice period, even when no asbestos is found. This applies statewide, not just in cities with their own permit office.

What happens with a well or septic system during demolition?
Any private well or septic system on the property has to be identified and its disconnection or protection documented before demolition proceeds, the same way electric, gas, and water connections are verified disconnected. Septic systems in Arapahoe County are now permitted through Arapahoe County Public Health.

Is there a historic-district review for older Byers buildings?
We did not find an Arapahoe County ordinance establishing a formal historic-district design review specific to Byers structures. We confirm directly with the county for any structure where that question matters rather than assume either way.

Talk to Us About Your Project

Tell us the address, the structure’s approximate age, what’s being removed, and whether the property has a well or septic system. Photos of the structure, the surrounding parcel, and any visible utility connections help us scope the asbestos and demolition review correctly before we schedule equipment.