Larimer County charges a Transportation Capital Expansion Fee (TCEF) to help cover capital costs directly associated with the impacts of development. These fees are commonly utilized by counties and municipalities in Colorado to fund road infrastructure improvements necessary for maintaining adequate service levels on major road systems. TCEFs are one-time charges levied on new developments, representing the proportionate share of the cost for road improvements needed due to growth. TCEFs can be used for improvements on mainline public County roads in unincorporated Larimer County. However, these fees can only be applied to projects that increase the capacity of the road system. TCEFs cannot be used for operations, maintenance, infrastructure replacement, or addressing existing deficiencies.

Colorado is a "home rule" state, allowing local governments to collect impact fees under the home-rule authority granted by the Colorado Constitution. Additionally, Colorado Statutes (29-20-104.5) explicitly authorize statutory counties, including Larimer County, to collect capital expansion fees. Fees are typically collected when a building permit is issued. However, new uses approved through Larimer County processes that do not require a building permit may also be subject to an assessment fee.

Larimer County has conducted several studies to set these one-time fees.  If you would like to see these studies, please email us to request a copy and we will be happy to assist you.

RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

Transportation Capital Expansion Fees (TCEF) do not apply if the permit for the original house was filed before July 1, 2018. The following fee schedule applies to residential building permit applications when the permit for the original house was submitted after June 30, 2018, for:

• new residential structures
• additions
• basement finishes
• change of utility building to living space

The following tiered fee schedule applies to building permits for new residential structures with an application date after June 30, 2018. For new residences built after this date, the TCEF will be applied to any new or additional finished living space square footage, including permits for additions, basement finishes, and detached buildings. In these cases, the total fee is based on the difference between the existing and proposed finished living space square footage. The tiered fee structure will not apply to additions or finishes of existing residential living space if the original residential building permit was initiated on or before July 1, 2018.

COMMERCIAL BUILDING

Commercial TCEFs are determined based on building use and total square footage (SF). They apply to both new SF and changes in use of existing SF. Payment of commercial TCEFs may be deferred until the Certificate of Occupancy (CO), but only under special circumstances. The use categories are as follows:

• Industrial: Includes the processing or production of goods, along with warehousing, transportation, communications, and utilities.
• Commercial: Covers retail development, eating/drinking establishments, and entertainment uses typically found in shopping centers (i.e., movie theaters).
• Office & Other Services: Includes offices, healthcare and personal services, business services (i.e., banks), and lodging. This category also encompasses public and quasi-public buildings providing educational, social assistance, or religious services.

The fee is charged for every 1,000 square feet of the building’s floor area.

Previous Fees