Thank you to all who attended our monthly engagement meeting on State Land Use and Housing Legislation held on July 25, 2025. A recording of this webinar and meeting slides are now available. You can find slides and recordings from past monthly meetings on our Tools, Guidance, and Engagement page.
Action Items
Key relevant local government action items in the coming weeks, will be to:
- Certified ADU Supportive Jurisdictions are eligible to apply for the first [preliminary] round of the ADU Grant Program (ADUG) (Friday, August 1 - Friday, August 29th). Please note that the deadline of this round may be extended to accommodate a longer-than-anticipated certification process.
- Review recently released ADUG Guidelines
- Email Hannah Van Nimwegen to learn more about the ADU Supportive Jurisdiction certification process
- Email Jack Wolflink to learn more about ADU Grant Program
- Contact Ashley Basham if your local government or regional entity is interested in the Housing Planning Grant Program.
- Comment by Thursday, July 31st on draft versions of the Statewide Strategic Growth Report and Policy Scan
- Register for Housing Action Plan webinar on Thursday, July 31 at 10:30 a.m.
- Consider applying for the Local IMPACT Accelerator program. Current round closes Friday, August 1
- Consider applying for Neighborhood Centers Pilot Designation Opportunity
- Register for the Housing Strategies Peer Exchange webinar on Thursday, August 21 at 9:00 a.m. Topic: Local financing strategies.
- Contact Kyle Sohner about DOLA’s Housing Opportunity Goal (HOG) Calculation tool if you have questions or would like technical assistance calculating your HOG.
Updates
Feedback Opportunity: DRAFT Introduction and Policy Scan for Statewide Strategic Growth Report
Senate Bill 24-174 requires DOLA to create a statewide Strategic Growth Report (due October 30, 2025). This legislation directs DOLA to develop a report that analyzes policy-driven land use scenarios, the impact of existing state policies and programs, and regional context. This will inform recommendations that encourage environmentally and fiscally sustainable growth. We are excited to release the first draft documents that will inform the Strategic Growth Report. Find the draft documents and a feedback form on our website. Comments are due by Thursday, July 31, 2025. We also want to thank the Rock Mountain Land Institute for hosting a webinar about the report.
Announcing Neighborhood Centers Guidance and Pilot Designation Opportunity!
On June 30, DOLA published Version 1 of our Guidance for Neighborhood Centers and announced a Pilot Designation Opportunity. As identified in SB24-174 and HB24-1313, Neighborhood Centers are voluntarily designated by local governments in areas that meet criteria established by DOLA, as outlined in the newly published Criteria and Guidance.
The Pilot Designation Round will be an opportunity for communities to participate in assisting the State in refining Neighborhood Center criteria so that the criteria is responsive to local and regional contexts. This will also be an opportunity to achieve early designation of Neighborhood Centers for upcoming grant funding rounds as early as October 2025.
DOLA seeks approximately 9-12 jurisdictions with Existing Neighborhood Centers (see Guidance for more details) that are interested in participating in an initial round where the Neighborhood Center program will be piloted. This Pilot Designation Round of Neighborhood Centers will run July 7, 2025 through October 31, 2025. Complete this brief form to kick off the process.
Summaries and Preliminary Guidance for Land Use & Housing Bills Passed in 2025
HB25-1093 Local Growth Limit Policies: Expands the definition of "anti-growth law" and clarifies that municipalities can seek a judicial determination of the legality of citizen-initiated land-use measures before they go to a ballot. The law applies to all Colorado city, town, and county governments and takes effect on August 5, 2025.
HB25-1198 Regional Planning Roundtables: Establishes a 21-member Regional Planning Roundtable Commission within the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to help local governments address regional challenges and opportunities in areas such as housing, land use, transportation, and environmental planning.
HB25-1273 Residential Building Stair Modernization: Requires certain large municipalities to update their building codes by December 1, 2027 to allow for multifamily residential buildings up to five stories to be served by a single stairway, provided they meet specific fire safety, structural, and design criteria.
SB25-0002 Regional Building Codes for Factory-Built Structures: Aims to standardize regulations for factory-built homes, including modular housing and tiny homes. This law seeks to reduce regulatory barriers and streamline the approval and construction process for these structures across the state. DOLA’s Division of Housing is leading the effort to provide guidance for this law.
Funding Opportunities
Our new Land Use and Housing Grants page is a great place to find grant opportunities!
DOLA’s New Accessory Dwelling Unit Grant Program
The Accessory Dwelling Unit Grant (ADUG) Program will open on August 1st and close August 29th!* The ADUG Program will offer reimbursement-based grants to certified ADU Supportive Jurisdictions for activities that promote the construction of ADUs. These activities include but are not limited to, offsetting costs incurred in connection with developing pre-approved ADU plans, providing technical assistance to persons converting or constructing ADUs, or waiving, reducing, or providing financial assistance for ADU associated fees and other required costs.
*The deadline of this round may be extended to accommodate a longer-than-anticipated certification process.
Housing Planning Grant Program
The second round of the Housing Planning Grant Program closed on July 11th. Reach out to Ashley Basham if you are interested in applying for grant funds in future rounds and/or learning about how this program can support your community. This program supports SB24-174-compliant housing needs assessments, housing action plans, and comprehensive plan elements (water supply and strategic growth).
Other Funding Opportunities
Proposition 123 Local Planning Capacity (LPC) Grant Program
LPC Grants are available to local governments that have opted in to Proposition 123. Local Governments can also use LPC funds towards some components of state land use and housing legislation compliance. Examples of projects include adopting ADU strategies or displacement mitigation strategies, calculating Housing Opportunity Goals or designating Neighborhood Centers, and updating land use codes to address parking minimums and occupancy limits. DOLA is currently offering a $50,000 incentive if fast track is adopted by 12/31/25!
Piloting AI to Streamline Permitting or Plan Review
Is your community development team interested in piloting AI software to streamline the development review process? DOLA is still welcoming additional communities to join this pilot project, and will provide grant funds to support local governments’ software costs for participating in this pilot project. DOLA is specifically looking for communities whose development review process is typically longer than 90 days review period. Interested participants should contact Robyn DiFalco for more information.
The Local IMPACT Accelerator program closes August 1, 2025!
$50M grant program through the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) will fund activities to support policy adoption & implementation in land use, transportation, buildings, and waste sectors. The current round of letters of interest closes August 1, 2025.
Webinars and Events
Housing Action Plan webinar
Thursday, July 31 at 10:30 a.m. Learn more and register for the July 31 webinar.
Local Planning Capacity (LPC) Grant Program info webinar
Thursday, August 14 at 11:00 a.m. Register for the info webinar
Housing Strategies Peer Exchange webinar
Thursday, August 21 at 9:00 a.m. Topic: Local financing strategies. Learn more and register for the webinar
Monthly State Land Use and Housing Laws Engagement Meeting
Friday, August 22 at 10:30 a.m. Register for the monthly engagement meeting
Thank you to all who have participated in these monthly meetings and helped with our engagement and implementation efforts. We look forward to seeing you at the next one! You can find slides and recordings from past monthly meetings on our Tools, Guidance, and Engagement page.
We're Here to Help!
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