Loveland, CO Accessory Structures: ADU Impact Fees (2026)
Key Facts
- Exemption threshold
- ADU 900 sq ft or less gross floor area
- Governing section
- UDC § 18.16.04.03.C
- Adopted
- Ord. 6445 § 3, eff. 12/29/2020
- Large-lot ADUs over cap
- Fees charged per § 18.04.07.01.E.4
- Unpaid fee consequence
- Perpetual lien on real property
- Fee schedule review
- Set by Council resolution every 5 years
Summary
Loveland exempts accessory dwelling units of 900 square feet or less from the city's capital expansion fees, the municipal equivalent of development impact fees. Larger ADUs allowed on Large Suburban, Estate, and Large Estate lots lose that exemption and are billed under the standard fee schedule tied to the principal dwelling.
C. Accessory Dwelling Units. Capital expansion fees are not charged for accessory dwelling units that are 900 square feet or less in gross floor area, in accordance with Section 18.04.07.01, Accessory Dwelling Units.
Full Breakdown
02. 02 normally triggers these fees. 1, owes no capital expansion fee at all. That exemption was adopted by Ord. B. The exemption is not unlimited. 04, Capital Expansion Fees" once an ADU grows past the standard threshold. So the fee break tracks the 900-square-foot line, not ADU status generally. 2, and are adjusted every January 1 using the Engineering News-Record Denver-area construction cost index, with street capital fees pegged instead to the Colorado Department of Transportation's construction cost index. C.
Violations & Fines
Capital expansion fees that are owed and go unpaid become a perpetual lien on the property under UDC § 18.16.04.04.A, ranking ahead of every other lien except real property taxes. Under § 18.16.04.04.B, the City Clerk certifies delinquent charges to the Larimer County Treasurer, who collects them the same way as property taxes. Separately, § 18.16.04.04.C lets the City withhold or revoke any permit, certificate, or approval from an applicant who is delinquent on capital expansion fees, which can stop a building permit or certificate of occupancy for an ADU that exceeded 900 square feet without paying the assessed fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Loveland ADU under 900 square feet owe capital expansion fees?
What if my ADU on a large lot is bigger than 900 square feet?
What happens if capital expansion fees on an ADU go unpaid?
Are ADUs the only exemption from Loveland's capital expansion fees?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Loveland
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ADU Impact Fees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Larimer County handle adu impact fees.