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Water Damage Restoration in Denver, CO
The South Platte River and Cherry Creek meet in Denver, the channels that peaked at 40,300 cubic feet per second in the June 1965 flood; around the clock, one call links homeowners here with vetted local flood- and water-damage crews.
Active floods · Denver
No active flood events near Denver right now — see the live board.
Flood damage dominates the water risk here: of 11 federally declared disasters in the county, four were floods, including the severe storms of 2013 and 2015 that triggered flooding, landslides, and mudslides. Despite a semi-arid 17.1 inches of yearly precipitation, intense summer downpours send fast runoff toward the South Platte River and Cherry Creek, so flood cleanup in Denver usually follows sudden storms rather than prolonged rain.
Water & flood damage risk in Denver
7
flood, hurricane & storm disasters declared in Denver County (FEMA)
2015
most recent flood/storm declaration: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (FEMA)
0"
rain forecast for Denver in the next 24 hours (NWS)
Sources: FEMA OpenFEMA — federally-declared disaster history (county FIPS 08031) · NOAA NCEI — 1991–2020 Climate Normals (DENVER WATER DEPARTMENT, CO US)
Why Denver homes flood
Two waterways set the flood risk here: the South Platte River, which runs south to north across the city, and Cherry Creek, which joins it near downtown. Denver sits in a semi-arid basin, but intense summer thunderstorms can drop rain faster than the channels and urban gulches — Harvard Gulch and Goldsmith Gulch among them — can carry it, sending flash floods well beyond the main rivers.
FEMA maps regulatory floodplains along both corridors, and the flood record runs deep. The area's first major flood, in May 1864, pushed Cherry Creek and the Platte over their banks and killed an estimated 15 to 20 people. To coordinate drainage across the growing metro, the Mile High Flood District was formed in 1969 and now oversees 1,608 square miles of streams and channels.
Local rules reflect the exposure: the city sets a Flood Protection Elevation 1.5 feet above the base flood elevation for building in the mapped floodplain (Article V, Chapter 56 of the municipal code). For homeowners near these corridors, water can rise quickly, so fast flood damage restoration and clear documentation of the source are what protect a claim. The water damage restoration guide outlines the first steps.
Flood repair permits & inspections
Two permit tracks apply to flood repairs. Community Planning and Development issues the building and trade permits for structural repairs, drywall, and replacing water-damaged wiring, plumbing, or mechanical equipment. Separately, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure administers floodplain permits: any construction in the mapped regulatory floodplain, even a remodel, needs a Sewer Use and Drainage Permit for floodplain use. When repair or improvement costs reach 50 percent of the structure's market value, the work counts as a substantial improvement and the whole building must meet current flood-protection elevation standards.
| Permit / inspection | When it applies |
|---|---|
| Community Planning and Development — Building Permit | Required for most construction, alteration, or repair work on private property, including a residential interior remodel that replaces flood-damaged drywall, insulation, or structural framing. Applications run through the Denver Permitting Office; structural repairs need plan review and inspections before the work can be closed out. |
| Community Planning and Development — Quick Permits (trade permits) | Trade-specific permits issued without plan review for like-for-like replacements after water intrusion, such as a flooded water heater, a furnace, or damaged electrical wiring. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and roofing or siding work qualify. Structural work and most larger projects cannot use this lane and require a full building permit instead. |
| Department of Transportation and Infrastructure — Sewer Use and Drainage Permit (Floodplain Use) | Required for all construction in the mapped regulatory floodplain, even interior remodels and repairs, and administered by the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure's floodplain management group. The lowest floor, including basements, must sit at the flood protection elevation, set at 1.5 feet above the base flood elevation. |
| Floodplain Management — Substantial Improvement / Substantial Damage determination | Any repair, remodel, or addition to a floodplain structure requires a determination of whether it is a substantial improvement. When construction cost reaches 50 percent or more of the building's market value, excluding land, the entire building — not only the repaired portion — must be brought into compliance with the floodplain ordinance. |
Floodplain & drainage ordinances
- Denver Revised Municipal Code, Chapter 56, Article V — Floodplain Management (Sec. 56-200 to 56-206)
- Any construction in a mapped regulatory floodplain (Zone A, AE, AH, or AO) — including interior remodels, tenant finish, and flood repairs to an existing building — first requires a Sewer Use and Drainage Permit for Floodplain Use before the work can begin.
- Substantial Improvement / Substantial Damage determination (DRMC Chapter 56, Article V)
- When repair and improvement costs reach 50 percent or more of the building's pre-damage market value, the project is a substantial improvement, and the entire structure — not only the damaged portion — must be brought into full floodplain compliance, including elevation.
- Flood Protection Elevation and freeboard (DRMC Chapter 56, Article V)
- A substantially improved home in the floodplain must have its lowest floor, utilities, and mechanical equipment raised to the Flood Protection Elevation — the base flood elevation plus 1.5 feet (18 inches) of freeboard, or 24 inches for critical facilities. Basements are prohibited in the regulatory floodplain.
- DOTI Rules and Regulations, Chapter 12 — Floodplain Management (grading, drainage, and floodproofing)
- A grading plan sealed by a Colorado-licensed engineer is required for substantially improved buildings and for grade changes affecting the regulatory floodplain. Enclosed areas below flood elevation, such as garages and crawl spaces, must use flood vents and flood-damage-resistant materials.
Local water-damage notes
- Community Rating System — CRS Class 6 — The city participates in FEMA's Community Rating System at Class 6, which earns a 20 percent discount on National Flood Insurance Program premiums for insured properties in the Special Flood Hazard Area, effective April 1, 2023.
- Montclair Basin drainage — The Montclair Basin is the largest watershed in the city but lacks a meaningful outfall to the river; in moderate to large storms its pipe systems fill and runoff crosses streets at depths of three feet or more over multiple blocks. The roughly $298 million Platte to Park Hill: Stormwater Systems program, a set of four projects, was built to add flood protection across the north of the area.
- Flash Flood Prediction Program (F2P2) — The Mile High Flood District runs the Flash Flood Prediction Program from April through September across the metro area, combining National Weather Service data with local reports so officials can warn residents in high-risk zones as storms develop.
- Chatfield Dam — After the June 1965 South Platte flood, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began Chatfield Dam in 1967 and completed it in 1975, adding flood-control storage on the South Platte River upstream of the city.
Cleanup & recovery services nearby
- Denver Household Hazardous Waste — City program for low-cost at-home collection of paint, batteries, and household chemicals pulled during a cleanout.
- 5280 Waste Solutions — Colorado-owned roll-off dumpster rentals (10–40 yard) and bulky-item hauling for cleanout debris.
- Sam's Hauling — Locally owned roll-off dumpsters (6–16 yard) sized for homeowner tear-out and debris removal.
- ArborScape — Storm-damage tree removal, crane work, and debris cleanup by ISA-certified arborists across the metro area.
- 12 Broadway Self Storage — Family-owned, climate-controlled self-storage in the Baker neighborhood for holding contents during repairs.
By the numbers
- Properties with flood risk — About 8.6% of the area's properties carry some flood risk in First Street's property-level model, which weighs heavy rainfall alongside river overflow.
- 16,596
- Rain upstream in the 1965 flood — Roughly 14 inches fell in about four hours upstream on June 16, 1965, the burst that sent the South Platte over its banks.
- 14 in