Colorado Springs, CO Accessory Structures: ADU Impact Fees (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- UDC Subsection 7.3.304E.3
- Fee amount
- Set by City Council, not fixed in Code
- Where posted
- Planning Department / City website
- Waiver ground 1
- Low-to-moderate income household
- Waiver ground 2
- ADU deed-restricted as affordable
- Waiver grounds 3-4
- Accessibility/visitability or community housing need
Summary
Colorado Springs charges ADU applicants a fee set by City Council rather than a fixed amount in the Code itself, but UDC Subsection 7.3.304E.3 lets the Manager waive or reduce it for low-to-moderate-income households, deed-restricted affordable ADUs, accessible units, or units serving community housing needs.
3. Accessory Dwelling Unit Fees: Reasonable and necessary fees are to be established by the City Council and will be available from the Planning Department or on the City's website. The Manager may waive or modify fees if the applicant demonstrates the applicant's household is low-to-moderate income, the ADU will be deed restricted as an affordable dwelling, the ADU will be accessible and visitable by persons with disabilities, or the ADU will be used to support demonstrated community housing needs.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 26-23, passed June 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
3, titled 'Accessory Dwelling Unit Fees,' does not fix a dollar figure in the UDC text itself; instead it directs that reasonable and necessary fees are to be established by the City Council and made available from the Planning Department or on the City's website, meaning applicants must check the Planning Department's current fee schedule rather than the Code for the exact building-permit and application charges tied to an ADU. What the Code does fix is a waiver framework: the Manager may waive or modify fees on four grounds, the applicant's household is low-to-moderate income, the ADU will be deed-restricted as an affordable dwelling, the ADU will be accessible and visitable by persons with disabilities, or the ADU will support a demonstrated community housing need.
This four-part waiver list gives Colorado Springs a discretionary, case-by-case reduction tool rather than an automatic exemption, so an applicant seeking relief must document which of the four grounds applies at the time of application, income documentation for the affordability ground, a recorded deed-restriction commitment for the affordable-dwelling ground, or accessibility plans for the visitability ground. i, which is where the fee is actually collected as part of the site plan and building permit submission.
Violations & Fines
Submitting an ADU building permit application without paying the Council-established fee (or without a Manager-approved waiver) will stall permit issuance under Subsection 7.3.304E.1.i; misrepresenting eligibility for a fee waiver, for example, false income or deed-restriction claims, is enforceable as a Code violation under the general penalty in Section 1.1.201, up to $2,500 and up to 189 days in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an ADU permit cost in Colorado Springs?
Can I get my ADU fee waived?
Who decides whether I qualify for a fee waiver?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Colorado Springs
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