Demolition in Cherry Hills Village, CO

Demolition in Cherry Hills Village carries two overlapping obligations: a City building permit for moving or demolishing any building, structure, or interior or exterior wall that is part of a structure, and a state asbestos inspection under Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment rules that applies whether or not the City permit process flags it. We treat those as two separate checklists rather than one, because CDPHE’s demolition rules apply even to projects that never touch a City reviewer.

Cherry Hills Village’s older estate homes, additions, and outbuildings mean a demolition scope can range from removing a single interior wall to taking down a detached garage or a full structure ahead of new construction. The permit and asbestos path scales with that scope, not with how small the job feels on-site.

The City’s Demolition Site Plan Requirement

A demolition permit application in Cherry Hills Village must include two sets of a site plan showing the construction to be demolished, including structures and their foundations; the location and size of existing structures and construction that will remain on the site; and existing contours in one-foot intervals in USGS datum. That is a more detailed submittal than many homeowners expect for what looks like a simple teardown, and it is the same site-plan standard used for new construction and additions.

We prepare that site plan before filing rather than after a reviewer asks for it, because the contour and remaining-structure information also feeds directly into the drainage and grading questions that come up once demolition is complete and new work begins.

Asbestos Inspection Is Required for Every Demolition

Under CDPHE’s asbestos rules, every demolition project, regardless of the building’s age or whether asbestos is suspected, requires an inspection by a Colorado-certified asbestos building inspector before work begins. Unlike a renovation, where a newer building can sometimes skip inspection with architect or engineer documentation, demolition carries no such exception. If regulated material that is friable, or will become friable during demolition, exceeds the state’s trigger levels, a Colorado-certified General Abatement Contractor must remove it first.

For a single-family residential dwelling, those trigger levels are 50 linear feet of pipe insulation, 32 square feet on other surfaces, or the volume equivalent of a 55-gallon drum. Even where the inspection finds nothing regulated, a Demolition Notification Application Form still has to go to CDPHE, along with a notification fee and a mandatory 10-working-day notification period, before demolition can start.

Handling Material During Demolition

CDPHE’s rules also constrain how demolition is carried out once asbestos-containing material is on site. Concrete floors covered with asbestos-containing floor tile have to come up in large sections rather than being crushed or pneumatic-jacked in place, and recycling of material bonded with asbestos-containing mastic or tile is not permitted. If a structure is imploded or burned rather than mechanically demolished, every asbestos-containing material has to be removed beforehand regardless of quantity or type.

We plan demolition sequencing around those constraints from the start, since a method chosen for speed on an ordinary teardown, such as crushing a slab in place, is exactly the method the state rules restrict once regulated material is present.

Fees, Use Tax, and Timing

Demolition permits are exempt from the Arapahoe County use tax that otherwise applies to building permits with a valuation over $2,000. That exemption does not shorten the CDPHE clock, however: the 10-working-day notification period runs regardless of how quickly the City issues its own permit, so we build that state timeline into the schedule as the controlling constraint on most demolition starts rather than the City’s review cycle.

What Falls Outside a Cherry Hills Village Demolition Permit

A named utility-disconnect or utility-locate requirement specific to a Cherry Hills Village demolition permit was not part of the official material we could verify, so we follow standard practice and request a utility locate through Colorado 811 before any excavation or structural demolition, in addition to whatever the City’s own review requires. A historic-structure review process tied specifically to demolition in Cherry Hills Village likewise was not part of the verified official material; if a property has any historic designation, we confirm review requirements directly with the Community Development Department before scheduling demolition.

How We Sequence a Cherry Hills Village Demolition

We start with the CDPHE asbestos inspection, since its 10-working-day notification period is usually the longest lead time in the schedule and has to run before demolition begins regardless of the City’s own review pace. In parallel, we prepare the City’s required site plan, showing what comes down, what remains, and existing contours, and file the demolition permit application.

Once both the CDPHE notification period has elapsed and the City permit is issued, our crew executes demolition according to the inspection findings, handling any regulated material through a licensed abatement contractor rather than in-house, protecting adjacent structures and site features that are staying, and coordinating a utility locate before any ground disturbance. The site is left at the contours and remaining-structure condition shown on the filed plan, ready for whatever construction phase follows.

Common Questions

Does every demolition in Cherry Hills Village need an asbestos inspection?
Yes. CDPHE rules require a Colorado-certified asbestos building inspector to inspect the building or area to be demolished before work starts, regardless of the structure’s age. Unlike renovation projects, demolition has no exception for newer buildings.

What has to be submitted to the City for a demolition permit?
Two sets of a site plan showing the construction to be demolished and its foundations, the location and size of any existing structures or construction that will remain, and existing contours in one-foot intervals in USGS datum.

How long does the CDPHE notification period take?
A Demolition Notification Application Form must be submitted to CDPHE, along with a fee, even if no asbestos is found, and a 10-working-day notification period must pass before demolition can commence. That state timeline usually sets the schedule for a demolition start.

Can demolished material be recycled if it contains asbestos?
No. CDPHE rules prohibit recycling of material bonded or contaminated with asbestos-containing material, such as floor tile or mastic, and restrict how non-friable asbestos-containing material can be removed so it does not become friable during demolition.

Talk to Us About Your Project

Tell us what is coming down, whether it is an interior wall, a detached structure, or a full teardown, and the approximate age of the building. We will schedule the required asbestos inspection, prepare the City’s site plan submittal, and sequence the CDPHE notification period against the rest of the project timeline.