RESTART

The members of the Colorado Springs Fire Department, Engineering Section will serve as a constant point of contact to ensure timely customer care for incoming businesses. Once a prospective owner/tenant finds a building they are considering, they can call the CSFD Technical Services to begin.

• Address and parcel ID of prospective building
• Proposed use of building
• Occupancy classification of building (may need to contact Regional Building Department – See “Other City Resources” below)

• Cursory review of the proposed use against the existing building for potential fire code issues
• Initial inspection of existing building for current fire code violations
• A constant point of contact to help users through the process until occupancy
• A personal connection to other City departments and outside agencies businesses may need to work with
• Available vacant properties showing applicable fire protection features

Cursory fire inspections of a prospective building are available at no cost. Cursory inspections are deigned to assess the current status of fire protection and safety systems and devices within the building.  This allows prospective owners and tenants to know what might need to be upgraded just to move in. 

A list of examples of items addressed during the cursory inspection include but not limited to:

• Status of sprinkler and fire alarm systems
• Status of fire extinguishers
• Status of fire lanes
• Status of exit doors
• Status of exit signage
• Status of emergency lighting
• Status of private fire hydrants

It is recommended that the current owner of the property attend the inspection as well as the prospective owner/tenant. If the current owner or representative are not able to attend the inspection, copies of all previous inspection forms should be available if possible.

Below is a list of outside agencies that you may contact while trying to work on your RESTART project:

• Colorado Springs Open For Business
• Colorado Springs Business Partners
• Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
• Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs
• Pikes Peak Association of Realtors
• Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance
• Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center
• Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC

The following are a list of City departments and/or agencies along with common topics each address. Contact any or all of these with specific questions or issues regarding your project.

Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) 719.668.8259

• Existing water lines and main sizing
• Adequacy of existing electrical/gas/water/wastewater for proposed use
• Need for a sand/oil interceptor
• Need for additional fire hydrants  (also CSFD)

Colorado Springs Fire Department – Hazardous Materials Section 719.385.5978

• Determining whether the proposed use has hazardous materials or not
• Determining whether the amount of hazardous materials require a permit
• Adequacy of existing building to store hazardous materials

El Paso County Health 719.578.3199

• Swimming pools
• Food service

Regional Building Department (RBD) 719.327.2880

• Occupancy classification determination of proposed use for building
• Issues resolving around any proposed interior remodeling or building upgrades
• Adequacy of restroom facilities for proposed use

Land Use Review (Planning) 719.385.5905

• Buying a property
• Current zoning for property
• Zoning Code for help in determining potential new lane use (see Chapter 7)
• Conditional Uses allowed within a given zone (see Section 7.3.203)
• Determining adequacy of current parking

Colorado Springs Economic Development 719-385-5955

• Rapid Response Team - Rapid Response Program provides qualifying projects an expedited review and approval of land use applications and building permits.

For any questions regarding the RESTART program or if you would like to discuss your project with someone or you would like to schedule a meeting, please contact us through one of the methods below.

1.        Send an email with the minimum requirements, as listed above, to RESTART@coloradosprings.gov (this is the best method to schedule a meeting)
2.        Call Steve Smith at 719-385-7362, and if necessary, leave a message with the minimum requirements as listed above
3.        Visit us at our office at 375 Printers Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80910. (You’re welcome to stop by anytime during normal business hours, however, it’s best to have a meeting pre-scheduled to ensure Steve is available to meet with you)