If your home is in an HOA, get the association's written approval for a new deck before you apply for a permit or sign a build date. In Highlands Ranch, the Highlands Ranch Community Association (HRCA) requires prior architectural approval for decks, with a fee, drawings and a site plan. Douglas County recommends HOA approval before you apply for a deck permit, and Lakewood requires an HOA letter for townhome and condo decks. Start with your covenants and design guidelines, then submit plans, wait for approval, and only then move on to permits and construction.
Why the HOA comes first
An HOA approval and a building permit answer different questions. The building department checks safety: footings, framing, guards, ledger connections. The HOA checks whether the deck fits the neighborhood's rules: size, placement, materials, color, railings, sometimes setbacks from the lot line. A deck can pass one and fail the other.
Going in the right order saves money. If you pull a permit and the HOA later asks for a different size or material, you may be paying for new drawings and a permit revision. Douglas County says this plainly on its deck permit page: HOA or architectural control committee (ACC) approval is recommended before applying.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Highlands Ranch: HRCA architectural approval
Highlands Ranch, home to about 102,000 people (ACS 2024 5-year), is covered by HRCA covenants. According to HRCA's covenants and improvements pages, owners need prior Architectural Committee approval for improvements, and the home improvement request lists decks (new, replacement, extended or repaired). Based on HRCA's published materials:
- A fee of $40 for a deck request (confirm the current fee with HRCA).
- A wide-angle photo of the area, elevation drawings and a site plan.
- Review by the committee, which meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month; incomplete or non-conforming submittals can be denied.
- HRCA's Residential Improvement Guidelines, adopted in October 2024, cover decks, deck covers and pergolas.
Approval from HRCA does not replace the permit. Highlands Ranch is unincorporated, so permits generally come from Douglas County's Building Division, which asks for construction documents and a site plan. See deck builders in Highlands Ranch, CO for more local detail.
Lakewood townhomes and condos: the HOA letter
Lakewood's residential deck handout requires an HOA approval letter for townhome and condo decks. Those decks also need a contractor registered with the City; homeowners can pull their own deck permit only for their own single-family primary residence (Lakewood contractor registration). So if you live in an attached home, the HOA letter is part of the permit package, not a courtesy. More on the city at deck builders in Lakewood, CO.
Other suburbs: check the covenants
Many metro neighborhoods have covenants with design review. Centennial's deck submittal guide notes that HOA or civic association rules may add requirements beyond the city's. Parker, Aurora, Thornton, Arvada and Littleton neighborhoods vary association by association. The rule of thumb is the same everywhere: read the covenants and any design guidelines before a builder draws anything.
Denver historic districts: a Certificate of Appropriateness
Inside the City and County of Denver, the closest thing to HOA review for many older homes is Landmark Preservation. Denver reviews exterior work on individual landmarks and in historic districts that needs a building, zoning, encroachment or curb-cut permit, and issues a Certificate of Appropriateness (Denver Landmark Design Review). Denver's additions guidelines favor placing additions at the rear and keeping them visually secondary to the house, and rooftop decks go through the additions process with a three-week review period for registered neighborhood organizations. Since most Denver decks over 12 inches need at least a zoning permit, a deck in a historic district will usually go through this review. Our Denver deck permit guide covers the permit side.
What HOAs commonly look at
Every association is different, so treat this as a list of things to look for in your documents, not a list of rules:
- Size and placement: limits on footprint, height or how close to a lot line.
- Materials and color: approved decking types or stain colors, or a rule that colors match the house.
- Railings: allowed styles and materials, for example wood, metal or glass.
- Covers and pergolas: often reviewed separately or more closely than an open deck. See covered decks and pergolas.
- Replacements: some associations, like HRCA, review replacement and repaired decks too, not only new ones.
- Neighbor notice or timelines: how long the committee has to respond and whether neighbors are notified.
A simple order of operations
Read the rules
Get the current covenants, design guidelines and submittal form from your HOA.
Get a quote and drawings
A contractor's site plan and elevations can often serve both the HOA and the permit.
Submit to the HOA
Include everything the form asks for, and get approval in writing.
Permit, then build
The contractor pulls the permit and schedules inspections.
Before you hire, confirm the contractor is licensed with the City and County of Denver (residential work is normally Class C) or licensed or registered with your suburb or county; get proof of liability and workers' compensation insurance and a written contract with scope, materials and payment schedule; and have HOA approval, or a Certificate of Appropriateness in a Denver historic district, before work starts.
Budgeting while you wait
HOA review is a good time to compare prices. Published cost guides (2025–2026) put a new deck in Denver at about $34–$69 per sq ft installed, with an average project around $9,640. These are estimates, not quotes. Use the Denver deck cost calculator to compare wood and composite before you pick materials your HOA will approve.
Start with a quote you can submit
We connect Denver-area homeowners with independent local deck builders for free, no-obligation quotes. The contractor you choose quotes, permits, contracts and builds directly with you. Request a free quote and mention your HOA so the contractor can plan the drawings it will need.