Colorado Code § 29-20-104

Powers of local governments - definition
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(1) Except as expressly provided
in section 29-20-104.2, section 29-20-104.5, and article 35 of this title 29, the power and
authority granted by this section does not limit any power or authority presently exercised or
previously granted. Except as provided in section 29-20-104.2, each local government within its
respective jurisdiction has the authority to plan for and regulate the use of land by:
(a) Regulating development and activities in hazardous areas;
(b) Protecting lands from activities which would cause immediate or foreseeable
material danger to significant wildlife habitat and would endanger a wildlife species;
(c) Preserving areas of historical and archaeological importance;
(d) Regulating, with respect to the establishment of, roads on public lands administered
by the federal government; this authority includes authority to prohibit, set conditions for, or
require a permit for the establishment of any road authorized under the general right-of-way
granted to the public by 43 U.S.C. 932 (R.S. 2477) but does not include authority to prohibit, set
conditions for, or require a permit for the establishment of any road authorized for mining claim
purposes by 30 U.S.C. 21 et seq., or under any specific permit or lease granted by the federal
government;
(e) Regulating the location of activities and developments which may result in
significant changes in population density;
(e.5) Regulating development or redevelopment in order to promote the construction of
new affordable housing units. The provisions of section 38-12-301 shall not apply to any land
use regulation adopted pursuant to this section that restricts rents on newly constructed or
redeveloped housing units as long as the regulation provides a choice of options to the property
owner or land developer and creates one or more alternatives to the construction of new
affordable housing units on the building site. Nothing in this subsection (1)(e.5) is construed to
authorize a local government to adopt or enforce any ordinance or regulation that would have the
effect of controlling rent on any existing private residential housing unit in violation of section
38-12-301.
(e.7) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a local government shall not
exercise the authority granted by subsection (1)(e.5) of this section unless the local government
demonstrates, at the time it enacts a land use regulation for the purpose of exercising such
authority, it has taken one or more of the following actions to increase the overall number and
density of housing units within its jurisdictional boundaries or to promote or create incentives to
the construction of affordable housing units:
(I) Adopt changes to its zoning and land use policies that are intended to increase the
overall density and availability of housing, including but not limited to:
(A) Changing its zoning regulations to increase the number of housing units allowed on
a particular site;
(B) Promoting mixed-use zoning that permits housing units to be incorporated in a wider
range of developments;
(C) Permitting more than one dwelling unit per lot in traditional single-family lots;
(D) Increasing the permitted household size in single family homes;
(E) Promoting denser housing development near transit stations and places of
employment;
(F) Granting reduced parking requirements to residential or mixed-use developments
that include housing near transit stations or affordable housing developments;
(G) Granting density bonuses to development projects that incorporate affordable
housing units; or
(H) Adopting policies to promote the diversity of the housing stock within the local
community including a mix of both for-sale and rental housing opportunities;
(II) Materially reduce or eliminate utility charges, regulatory fees, or taxes imposed by
the local government applicable to affordable housing units;
(III) Grant affordable housing developments material regulatory relief from any type of
zoning or other land development regulations that would ordinarily restrict the density of new
development or redevelopment;
(IV) Adopt policies to materially make surplus property owned by the local government
available for the development of housing; or
(V) Adopt any other regulatory measure that is expressly designed and intended to
increase the supply of housing within the local government's jurisdictional boundaries.
(e.9) The department of local affairs shall offer guidance to assist local governments in
connection with the implementation of this section.
(f) Providing for phased development of services and facilities;
(g) (I) Regulating the use of land on the basis of the impact of the use on the community
or surrounding areas;
(II) (A) The general assembly finds and declares that access to outpatient clinical
facilities providing reproductive health care, as defined in section 25-6-402 (4), is a matter of
statewide concern and that, for purposes of zoning and other land use planning, such facilities
fall within the meaning of a medical office use, a medical clinic use, a health-care use, and other
facilities that provide outpatient health-care services.
(B) For the purposes of zoning and other land use planning, every local government that
has adopted or adopts a zoning ordinance shall recognize the provision of outpatient
reproductive health care, as defined in section 25-6-402 (4), as a permitted use in any zone in
which the provision of general outpatient health care is recognized as a permitted use.
(C) Nothing in this subsection (1)(g)(II) restricts or supersedes the authority of a local
government to enact uniform zoning ordinances and other land use regulations that comply with
this subsection (1)(g)(II).
(h) Regulating the surface impacts of energy and carbon management operations, as
defined in section 34-60-103, in a reasonable manner to address matters specified in this
subsection (1)(h) and to protect and minimize adverse impacts to public health, safety, and
welfare and the environment. Nothing in this subsection (1)(h) is intended to alter, expand, or
diminish the authority of local governments to regulate air quality under section 25-7-128. As
used in this subsection (1)(h), "minimize adverse impacts" means, to the extent necessary and
reasonable, to protect public health, safety, and welfare and the environment by avoiding adverse
impacts from energy and carbon management operations, as defined in section 34-60-103, and
minimizing and mitigating the extent and severity of those impacts that cannot be avoided. The
following matters are covered by this subsection (1)(h):
(I) Land use;
(II) The location and siting of energy and carbon management operations, as defined in
section 34-60-103;
(III) Impacts to public facilities and services;
(IV) Water quality and source, noise, vibration, odor, light, dust, air emissions and air
quality, land disturbance, reclamation procedures, cultural resources, emergency preparedness
and coordination with first responders, security, and traffic and transportation impacts;
(V) Financial securities, indemnification, and insurance as appropriate to ensure
compliance with the regulations of the local government; and
(VI) All other nuisance-type effects of the operations described in this subsection (1)(h);
and
(i) Otherwise planning for and regulating the use of land so as to provide planned and
orderly use of land and protection of the environment in a manner consistent with constitutional
rights.
(2) To implement the powers and authority granted in subsection (1)(h) of this section, a
local government within its respective jurisdiction has the authority to:
(a) Inspect all facilities subject to local government regulation;
(b) Impose fines for leaks, spills, and emissions;
(c) Impose fees on operators or owners to cover the reasonably foreseeable direct and
indirect costs of permitting and regulation and the costs of any monitoring and inspection
program necessary to address the impacts of development and to enforce local governmental
requirements; and
(d) Impose fees to enhance emergency preparedness and emergency response
capabilities if a carbon dioxide release occurs. Allowable expenditures of the fees collected
include:
(I) Preparing emergency response plans for a carbon dioxide release;
(II) Purchasing electric emergency response vehicles;
(III) Developing or maintaining a text message or other emergency communication alert
system;
(IV) Purchasing devices that assist in the detection of a carbon dioxide release;
(V) Equipment for first responders, local residents, and medical facilities that assist in
the preparation for, detection of, or response to the release of carbon dioxide or other toxic or
hazardous materials; and
(VI) Training and training materials for first responders, local residents, businesses, and
other local entities to prepare for and respond to the release of carbon dioxide or other toxic or
hazardous materials.
(3) (a) To provide a local government with technical expertise regarding whether a
preliminary or final determination of the location of an oil and gas facility or oil and gas location
within its respective jurisdiction could affect oil and gas resource recovery:
(I) Once an operator, as defined in section 34-60-103, files an application for the
location and siting of an oil and gas facility or oil and gas location and the local government has
made either a preliminary or final determination regarding the application, the local government
that has land use jurisdiction may ask the director of the energy and carbon management
commission pursuant to section 34-60-104.5 (3) to appoint a technical review board to conduct a
technical review of the preliminary or final determination and issue a report that contains the
board's conclusions.
(II) Once a local government has made a final determination regarding an application
specified in subsection (3)(a)(I) of this section or if the local government has not made a final
determination on an application within two hundred ten days after filing by the operator, the
operator may ask the director of the energy and carbon management commission pursuant to
section 34-60-104.5 (3) to appoint a technical review board to conduct a technical review of the
final determination and issue a report that contains the board's conclusions.
(b) A local government may finalize its preliminary determination without any changes
based on the technical review report, finalize its preliminary determination with changes based
on the report, or reconsider or do nothing with regard to its already finalized determination.
(c) If an applicant or local government requests a technical review pursuant to
subsection (3)(a) of this section, the period to appeal a local government's determination
pursuant to rule 106 (a)(4) of the Colorado rules of civil procedure is tolled until the report
specified in subsection (3)(a) of this section has been issued, and the applicant is afforded the
full period to appeal thereafter.

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