Site Preparation Checklist Before Building a Custom Home in Colorado

A current boundary survey is the starting point for every other decision on the lot. It establishes exactly where the property lines sit, confirms setback compliance for the planned home footprint, and identifies any recorded easements — utility, access, drainage, or conservation — that restrict what can be built where. On rural or unplatted parcels, especially in the foothills and further west, boundary lines described decades ago can be surprisingly imprecise, and a survey resolves that ambiguity before design work goes further.

It's worth confirming the survey also captures topography (an ALTA or topographic survey) rather than boundary lines alone, since the design and grading plan both depend on accurate elevation data across the buildable area. A survey done years earlier for a different purpose may not reflect current conditions if the lot has since been disturbed.

A geotechnical engineer drills test borings across the buildable area and reports on soil composition, expansion potential, bearing capacity, and groundwater depth. Along the Front Range, this report is the single most influential document in the entire pre-construction process, because expansive clay soils common across much of the metro area and foothills require specific foundation designs to control long-term movement.

The report typically concludes with a foundation recommendation — footing depth, bearing pressure, and sometimes a specific system type (see the companion article on expansive soil for more detail on foundation options). This recommendation, not a generic assumption, should drive the structural engineer's foundation design. Ordering the soils report early, before finalizing a floor plan that assumes a particular foundation type, avoids a costly redesign if the report calls for something different than expected.

Before finalizing a site plan, confirm how the home will get water and wastewater service. Inside most municipal service areas this means confirming tap availability and the process for obtaining a water and sewer tap with the relevant provider — Denver Water, a local municipal utility, or a metro district serving the area — and understanding what's required to bring service to the building envelope.

On rural or unincorporated parcels, water may come from a well rather than a municipal tap, which raises its own set of questions: whether an existing well has adequate yield and water quality, or whether a new well requires a well permit from the Colorado Division of Water Resources. Wastewater on these parcels is typically handled by an onsite septic system, which requires a soil percolation test and a permit from the county or local health department before the system is designed and installed.

Electric, gas, and broadband availability should be confirmed with the respective utility early as well, since bringing service to a remote or newly subdivided lot can involve significant coordination and lead time that's easy to underestimate.

Colorado's water law is unusual among states, and it's worth a direct conversation with a water attorney or the local water conservation district if a lot's water supply depends on anything beyond a straightforward municipal tap. This is most relevant on rural parcels relying on a well, where the type of well permit (household use only versus an augmentation plan) affects what the water can legally be used for, including outdoor irrigation.

This isn't a step most in-town lots with municipal water need to worry about, but on acreage or mountain parcels it can materially affect what's buildable and how landscaping and irrigation can be designed.

Steep or long driveways are common on foothill and mountain lots, and the grade, surface material, and turnaround design all need to satisfy both the local fire authority's access requirements and practical year-round drivability given Colorado winters. Fire district access standards typically address driveway width, grade, and turnaround radius for emergency vehicle access, and should be confirmed with the authority having jurisdiction before finalizing a driveway alignment.

In wildland-urban interface areas, defensible space and wildfire mitigation requirements affect where the home can sit relative to existing vegetation, what vegetation needs to be thinned or removed around the structure, and sometimes what exterior materials are required. These requirements are set locally and vary by jurisdiction and by the property's specific wildfire risk zone, so confirming them with the county or fire district early avoids redesigning the site plan later.

Before significant ground disturbance begins, most jurisdictions require erosion and sediment control measures in place — silt fencing along the downslope perimeter, inlet protection where storm drains are nearby, and often a stabilized construction entrance to keep mud off adjacent roads. These measures typically need to stay in place and be maintained throughout construction, not just installed once at the start.

Clearing trees and vegetation ahead of construction should be scoped carefully: some jurisdictions and HOAs regulate tree removal, particularly of large or native specimens, and clearing more than the construction footprint actually requires can trigger unnecessary erosion exposure and revegetation costs later.

Most custom home projects need temporary electrical service (or a generator) and a portable toilet on-site from the start of construction, both of which may require coordination with the utility or a rental provider well ahead of groundbreaking. A temporary construction fence or entrance sign is often required by the jurisdiction as well.

Before excavation starts, the building footprint should be staked precisely by a survey crew, with a benchmark elevation established to control finished floor height relative to the surrounding grade and street. This staking is what keeps the excavation crew, foundation crew, and framer all working from the same reference points throughout the project.

On lots within an HOA, architectural review typically has to be completed, and often approved, before the local building department will accept a building permit application, or at minimum before construction can start — the exact sequencing depends on the HOA's governing documents and the jurisdiction's process. Confirm this order early, since submitting to the wrong body first, or assuming HOA approval is a formality, is a common source of schedule delay on custom home projects.

Jurisdictional review itself — building permit, grading and drainage plan review, and any zoning or variance process — can run in parallel with some site preparation work but often gates others, such as final excavation or foundation pours. Confirming the specific permit sequence with the building department having authority over the property's address, whether that's the City and County of Denver, City of Littleton, or the relevant county, is worth doing before finalizing a construction schedule.