Community Foundation Boulder County offers grants for rebuilding and for unmet needs.
Rebuilding grant funds:
fund guidelines
fund application
Unmet needs grant funds:
fund guidelines
fund application
Marshall Fire Financial Help
Use Tax Rebate Application Form
Who qualifies?
Everyone who lost a home in either the Marshall or Cal-Wood Fires and is rebuilding on their affected property qualifies for the county’s Use Tax Rebate. This program is designed to support victims of a total loss due to a federally declared disaster. Residents must have owned the home at the time of the disaster and are still the owners during the rebuild for the same property. Purchasers of lots are not eligible, even if the purchaser was impacted by the fire.
What is Use Tax?
Use tax is charged for construction and tallied and paid when the building permit is issued. It is based on the projected valuation of the project as submitted by the builder.
How much is the rebate?
The rebate is 100% of county use tax paid at the time the permit was issued with a maximum cap of $3,500 for permit’s issued in 2022 and a maximum cap of $4,200 for permit’s issued in 2023-24. This increase in 2023-24 is taking into account the increase in use tax resulting from November’s voter-approved ballot measures.
What is the deadline to apply for the rebate?
To claim the rebate, property owners must file building permits within three years of the fires:
- Permit deadline for Cal-Wood Fire – Oct. 31, 2023
- Permit deadline for Marshall Fire – Dec. 31, 2024
Why can’t the county just waive the use tax?
Due to the structure of the county’s finances and bonds that have been issued, the use tax cannot be waived by the county, which means the rebate will be funded through an estimated $3.85 million from the county’s general fund revenues.
Is the rebate also for Louisville and Superior use tax?
No. This program applies only to the county’s use tax on residential properties. The county is aware that both the City of Louisville and the Town of Superior have or may determine to offer their own use tax relief to impacted property owners in those communities.
Louisville Construction Use Tax & Building Permit/Tap Fees Frequently Asked Questions
Superior Permit Fees and Tax Rebates
For inquiries regarding the application process and eligibility, connect with a representative by calling or texting 303-532-2785, Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or emailing rebuild@cedproject.org.
The Sales Use Tax Exemption Wildfire Disaster Construction Act (HB23-1240) created a refundable exemption for the state sales tax paid for construction and building materials used directly in rebuilding or repairing a qualified homeowner’s qualified residential structure due to a declared wildfire disaster between Jan. 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2022. The state has released Form DR 0992: Application for Wildfire Rebuild Exemption Certificate and updated their FAQ page regarding this refund.
To qualify for the refund, you must meet the following criteria:
- You owned a home when it was destroyed or damaged in a declared wildfire disaster in 2020, 2021 or 2022;
- You are rebuilding or repairing that home, or you have hired a contractor to rebuild or repair that home; and
- The replacement/repair costs exceed your homeowner’s insurance coverage under any policy associated with the home.
For residents of unincorporated Boulder County with a home damaged or destroyed by the Marshall (2021), Calwood (2020), or Lefthand (2020) Fires, homeowners can submit Form DR 0992 to Community Planning and Permitting after receiving their building permit to receive a Wildfire Rebuild Exemption Certificate. For questions regarding this process, please contact Kathy Gissel, Permit & License Operations Manager, at kgissel@bouldercounty.gov.
Since launching the program, the Department of Revenue has provided clarity on the following items:
- The Department of Revenue State Sales Tax Refund for Rebuilding after a Declared Wildfire Disaster processing time is approximately 4 weeks from receipt to check issuance. This time can vary if DOR receives a large influx at one time, but statutorily, these refunds are processed prior to other types of refunds.
- Refunds will only be issued by a paper check mailed to the mailing address listed under “Homeowner Information” on the DR 0993 form submitted to DOR.
- For different ownership structures, the tax ID number may be used in place of the SSN. The property still needs to be for residential use.
- The refund is 4% of the cost amount used by the local government to collect estimated use tax in connection with the issuance of a building permit – refund amounts will not be updated based on actual material costs of the property. Property owners can submit DR 0992 to the permitting jurisdiction to receive DR 0993 for submission to DOR immediately after receiving a building permit.
Residents in Superior should contact Superior staff at marshallfire@superiorcolorado.gov.
Residents in Louisville should contact the Louisville Planning & Building Safety Department at building@louisvilleco.gov or visit the City of Louisville Wildfire Rebuild Tax Exemption page.
Once a permit and exemption certificate are obtained, homeowners can submit a Wildfire Refund Claim to the Colorado Department of Revenue using their Revenue Online account or by mailing the Wildfire Rebuild Exemption Certificate and building permit to:
Colorado Department of Revenue, Business Tax Accounting
PO Box 17087
Denver, CO 80217-0087.
Wildfire Refund Claims must be submitted to the Colorado Department of Revenue by June 30, 2028.
On December 6, 2022, the Board of County Commissioners modified the building permit fees for Cal-Wood and Marshall Fire rebuilds. The program recognizes the increases in construction costs and insufficient insurance coverage that many residents who were impacted by the Cal-Wood and Marshall Fires are experiencing.
The revised building permit fee program applies to Marshall Fire and Cal-Wood Fire-impacted residential properties in unincorporated Boulder County, not in the City of Louisville or the Town of Superior.
It is intended to assist property owners with rebuilding without drastically impacting the county’s permitting services, given the efficiencies gained by economies of scale. The approved program attempts to ease the financial issues residents are facing, while at the same time recognizing the resource needs related to processing building permits.
Eligibility for Reduced Building Permit Fees
On residential properties, the owner of the subject property on the event date is eligible. Complete Building Permit applications filed by the owner of record of a destroyed residential property due to either the Marshall Fire or Cal-Wood federal disasters (must have owned the property on December 30, 2021, or October 17, 2020, respectively). Property owners meeting the program criteria who have already paid their building permit fees will be refunded the difference.
The program period covers building permits that are filed within three years (by December 31, 2024 for Marshall Fire-impacted properties, and October 31, 2023 for Cal-Wood Fire-impacted properties). The discount is available retroactively for eligible properties that have already remitted their fees.
Reduced Fees for Eligible Properties
- Single-family rebuilds – $4,400 building permit fee reduction for new single-family homes.
- Accessory Structure rebuilds – 25% reduction of permit fees. Please note that the Sales and Use Taxes must be calculated on the total valuation but are eligible for the Federal Disaster Use Tax Rebate Program as approved.
For more information, email MarshallRebuilding@bouldercounty.org, or call 303-441-3926.
Property owners of Colorado communities impacted by state-declared or federally-declared disasters may be eligible for financial resources to rebuild or rehabilitate a residential property affected by those disasters.
The Impact Development Fund Disaster Recovery Program website provides applications to access to grants, rebates, forgivable loans, and traditional loans that are available by State, municipal, and philanthropic funding sources.
The State of Colorado Housing Recovery Program provides grants and loans for those who have been impacted by state-declared disasters. Additional rebuilding resources are provided for those needing assistance in order to remain in their communities following a natural disaster. The program aims to promote rebuilding in accordance with high performance building standards adopted by local communities and voluntary sustainable building elements that exceed local code requirements, including the incorporation of fire-resistant building materials and energy efficiency measures. Learn more.
View a list of rebates, discounts, and incentives for households rebuilding after the Marshall Fire.
Contact FEMA: 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired.
Special tax law provisions may help taxpayers and businesses recover financially from the impact of a disaster, especially when the federal government declares their location to be a major disaster area. Depending on the circumstances, the IRS may grant additional time to file returns and pay taxes. Both individuals and businesses in a federally declared disaster area can get a faster refund by claiming losses related to the disaster on the tax return for the previous year, usually by filing an amended return.
For more information from the IRS regarding assistance during a disaster, please visit IRS Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief for Individuals and Businesses.
Marshall Together has received a grant from the Rotary District 5450 to put toward babysitting (by Babysitters of Boulder) for fire impacted families. Funds are to be used for babysitting during mental health related activities — therapy, couples counseling, self care activities that improve mental health, etc. Apply for the grant.