Denver contractors
Denver’s construction waste rules changed on September 1
A plain-language summary of what changed, for contractors trying to get their heads around it.
We rent trailers — we are not an authority on this. Everything below is our reading of the City and County of Denver’s own published guidance, summarised for contractors. It is not legal advice and it is no substitute for the ordinance itself. For anything that actually binds you, go to Denver’s Construction & Demolition Universal Recycling page or email CDWasteDiversion@denvergov.org. The city revises its guidance often, and it governs — not this page.
Does it apply to your job?
Denver calls these “qualifying projects.” As the city describes them:
Over 500 sq ft
New buildings, new additions, or demolition of a building — measured in gross floor area.
Over 2,500 sq ft
Renovations and tenant finish in an existing building.
A couple of wrinkles worth knowing: demolition and new construction on the same site count as two separate projects, each with its own plan and its own deposit. A renovation that includes demo counts as one. And this is City and County of Denver only — a job in Centennial, Littleton, Aurora or Parker isn’t covered by it.
What you actually have to do
Divert 50% by weight
At least half the total weight of debris coming off the site has to be recycled or reused rather than landfilled.
Across 3+ material streams
From this list: concrete, asphalt, masonry, untreated wood, metal, corrugated cardboard, and reused items. Three of them, minimum.
The second one is the part with logistics attached. Three material streams generally means three different destinations — concrete one place, clean wood another, metal to a scrapper. That’s the part we get asked about, because it’s a hauling problem rather than a paperwork one. How the requirement applies to your specific job is a question for the city.
The part that costs money
The city’s process guide describes filing a Waste Diversion Plan through Green Halo before the permit issues, along with an administrative fee ($105 as published) and a refundable performance security deposit.
What the city says you post
| Scope of work | Rate | Max |
|---|---|---|
| New construction 501–2,500 sq ft | $0.50/sq ft | $1,250 |
| New construction over 2,500 sq ft | $1.00/sq ft | $200,000 |
| Demolition 501–2,500 sq ft | $0.50/sq ft | $1,250 |
| Demolition over 2,500 sq ft | $1.00/sq ft | $200,000 |
| Renovation / tenant finish over 2,500 sq ft | $1.00/sq ft | $100,000 |
Reproduced from Denver’s URCO C&D Process Guide as published (revision dated 29 August 2026). The city updates this document; confirm the current figures on Denver’s C&D page before relying on them.
The guide also notes that where the deposit exceeds 10% of project valuation, a reduction can be requested for economic hardship.
How the city says the refund is determined
| Diversion achieved | Deposit refunded |
|---|---|
| 50% or more | 100% |
| 40–49.9% | 75% |
| 30–39.9% | 50% |
| Under 30% | Nothing |
Reproduced from Denver’s URCO C&D Process Guide as published (revision dated 29 August 2026). The city updates this document; confirm the current figures on Denver’s C&D page before relying on them.
One detail worth knowing either way: the ordinance is specific that the refund is issued to the permit holder, whoever actually paid it. Worth settling with your customer in writing before the job starts.
How the paperwork runs
Before the permit
File a Waste Diversion Plan in Green Halo saying how you intend to hit the targets. Pay the $105 fee and post the deposit. No plan, no permit.
During the job
Collect weight tickets and donation receipts for every load, and upload them to Green Halo as you go. That running total is your diversion rate.
After final inspection
You have 60 days to upload anything outstanding and submit the final plan for review.
Refund
The city reviews and releases the deposit in full, in part, or not at all, per the table above.
Documentation is what the city reviews. Per the process guide, weight tickets and donation receipts uploaded to Green Halo are what the diversion rate is calculated from. If you’re unsure what counts for your project, ask the city directly rather than us — that’s genuinely their call, not ours.
Where we can actually be useful
Not on what the rule requires — that’s the city’s to answer. On moving the material, which is what we do.
Sorted material has to travel separately, and the destinations usually aren’t in the same place. A roll-off parked on site for two weeks gets one mixed pull at the end. Keeping streams apart means more trips, not fewer.
That’s the one part of this we have an honest opinion on: a trailer you control handles separate trips better than a container you don’t. Load concrete, run it, come back, load wood, run that. Ours is $150/day with no deposit and 24/7 self-service pickup in Centennial — but the point stands whoever you rent from, and we don’t provide weight tickets or file anything on your behalf.
Where each material goes
Green Halo keeps its own directory of certified recycling facilities. It’s the platform the city’s process runs through, so it’s the sensible place to start looking — though whether a given facility works for your project is between you, them and the city.
Search the Green Halo facility directory →
Hours and what a yard accepts change often enough that it’s worth a phone call before you load. If you want to know where we’d take something, text us — we run these loads ourselves. That’s a hauling opinion, not a compliance one.
Common questions
Is this the same thing as “Waste No More”?
Yes. Waste No More was the 2022 ballot initiative — 70% of Denver voters approved it. City Council updated it in September 2025 and folded it into the Universal Recycling and Composting Ordinance (URCO). The construction and demolition piece was paused until September 1, 2026, which is why it feels new.
What if I genuinely can’t hit 50% on this job?
The city’s guide describes a process for requesting reduced requirements based on site-specific conditions or material recyclability, and indicates it can be raised in the permit application. Whether your job qualifies is a conversation to have with the city, not with us.
Does this apply outside Denver?
Not this one — it’s City and County of Denver. Other Front Range municipalities have their own rules, so check with whichever jurisdiction your permit is in.
Who gets the deposit back — me or the owner?
Per the city’s guidance, the refund goes to the contractor — meaning whoever the permit was issued to. The ordinance doesn’t appear to say who has to pay it in the first place, which is worth settling in writing with your customer before the job starts.
Again: this is a summary written by a trailer rental company, not legal advice. The requirements that actually bind you are in Article XV of Chapter 10 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code and the city’s Rules & Regulations. Verify everything here against the city’s C&D page or email CDWasteDiversion@denvergov.org. Last checked 14 September 2026.
Sorting three streams on a Denver job?
$150/day. No deposit. 24/7 self-service pickup in Centennial.