The Colorado Department of Local Affairs is pleased to report a high rate of compliance and compliance in progress among subject jurisdictions with various laws related to strategic growth, in many cases well ahead of the statutory deadline. As required by Governor Polis’ May 16, 2025 Executive Order (EO) Regarding Strategic Growth through Compliance with State Laws (D 2025 005), DOLA made an initial determination of the compliance status of local governments subject to seven laws included in the 2024 and 2025 strategic growth legislation.
Additionally, there is significant voluntary participation and early engagement among local governments that are not subject to these strategic growth initiatives, and who see the importance in moving forward to gain access to and/or receive priority for funding programs that support local strategic growth work.
“Coloradans want more housing we can afford in the communities we want to live in, and we have taken important steps forward over the last few years. It’s clear that communities across the state are removing obstacles and regulations that prevent housing from being built and expanding housing options. I applaud these local leaders and look forward to this continued work to make housing more affordable in our state. I’m particularly excited that a number of cities have gone above and beyond the state law including by eliminating parking requirements altogether,” said Governor Jared Polis.
“There is no silver bullet when it comes to solving the affordability crisis in our state. Addressing this crisis requires strong partnerships and utilization of an array of planning tools and development approaches. Here in Larimer County, we saw the promise of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and wanted to take advantage of the state’s grant program to incentivize the building of these housing units,” said Larimer County Commissioner Jody Shadduck-McNally.
The 2024 and 2025 laws signed by Governor Polis and passed by the legislature aim to increase Colorado’s housing supply, reduce housing costs, and provide homes for different budgets and life stages by enabling communities to build more housing near transit, and reduce regulatory barriers to housing such as minimum parking requirements, discriminatory occupancy limits, and lengthy review processes for housing solutions like Accessory Dwelling Units.
“As advocates for efficient and climate-friendly urban growth, we are heartened to see so many municipalities embracing planning best practices by aligning their codes with the state’s 2024 housing and land use laws. Expanding housing choices and removing excessive parking mandates are smart moves that will make Colorado communities more affordable and environmentally sustainable,” said Matt Frommer, Transportation & Land Use Policy Manager with the Housing Forward Colorado campaign at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project.
Compliance with state laws will serve as a factor in scoring and grant prioritization (not a condition for eligibility or withholding of funds) for 34 grant opportunities across multiple agencies, including DOLA, the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), the Colorado Energy Office (CEO), and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).
Additional data-driven housing steps like these strategic growth laws are necessary to address our State’s ongoing housing challenges and help mitigate the problem from getting worse. Recently, the State Demography Office released an analysis of Colorado’s housing shortfall for 2023, the most recent year for which data are available. The estimated 106,000-unit shortfall shows that while the State has made gains to narrow the housing gap since its peak in 2019, so there is still work to be done.
Per the EO, subject jurisdictions are designated as Strategic Growth Compliant, Strategic Growth Compliance in Progress, or Strategic Growth Noncompliant. More information about how these determinations are made is available in the Compliance Framework and Guidelines.
- Compliant: means timely and satisfactory completion of each requirement set forth in the laws listed in Section I of the Executive Order
- Compliance in Progress: means means non-timely or non-satisfactory completion of a requirement set forth in the laws listed in Section I of the Executive Order but where good faith effort is being made to comply in a timely manner
- Not Compliant: means means non-timely or non-satisfactory completion of a requirement set forth in the laws listed in Section I of the Executive Order
- Voluntary Compliance: means a jurisdiction not subject to the requirements of one or more of the laws listed in the Executive Order chooses to take action (or report previously taken action) that demonstrates compliance, and submits reporting to DOLA.
There are other laws that do not have reporting requirements. Subject jurisdictions are assumed compliant unless there is verified evidence to the contrary, such as a local government adopting a resolution or ordinance establishing a policy not to conform with the law.
DOLA’s Community Development Office (CDO) team remains committed to working with subject jurisdictions, as well as those that choose to opt in, to answer their questions and support local compliance efforts. Since June 2024, and in collaboration with CEO and CDOT, DOLA hosted 34 webinars, provided 155 direct technical assistance meetings, and hosted 50 presentations for local communities. The team has answered 272 questions through the website, performed 74 courtesy reviews, and developed 79 tools and resources for local communities.
Additional resources and recordings of past webinars for subject jurisdictions can be found on our Tools, Guidance and Engagement page.
On June 30, 2025, DOLA published the Compliance Framework and Guidelines as required by the EO. The material outlines the framework, criteria, and benchmarks that will be used to certify and determine compliance status.