Flatwork and Sidewalks in Denver, CO

Walkways, steps and public sidewalk work, including the licence Denver requires for the right of way.

Flatwork covers the walkways, landings and steps that make up most of the concrete on a property, plus the public sidewalk at the front of it. That last one is a different category of work, and it catches people out.

Denver treats concrete work in the public right of way as licensed. Guidance on the city's right-of-way licences describes a cement sidewalk licence covering laying sidewalks, laying and paving driveways, making curb cuts, laying curbs and gutters and minor drainage structures, with excavation in public property licensed separately. Because Denver is a consolidated city and county, one department handles this rather than separate city and county offices. The practical consequence: a contractor who is perfectly competent to pour your back patio may not hold the licence to touch the sidewalk out front, and work involving a curb cut has to meet accessibility requirements for the crossing.

Ask directly whether the contractor holds the right-of-way licence before any part of the job crosses the property line, and verify it rather than taking the answer on trust. Colorado does not issue a statewide general contractor licence, so a licence number offered in general terms is not evidence of anything in particular. What you can check is the specific city licence, current liability insurance and workers' compensation.

On steps specifically: risers need to be consistent. Uneven riser heights are the most common cause of trips on residential concrete steps, and they are the kind of defect that is effectively permanent once poured.

For narrow flatwork, joint placement and thickness still apply. A four-foot walkway with no control joints will crack across itself, usually within the first year, and usually in the least convenient place.