Floodplain Development Permitting for Process-Based Restoration in Colorado
Prepared for the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed by Ayres Associates (Version 1 - 2026)
About the Guide
The goal of this guidance document is to help the restoration community provide tangible workflows, expectations, and optionality to navigate process-based restoration (PBR) projects through the floodplain permitting space.
Specifically, this document:
1. Instructs financially invested parties and project managers on how to determine overlap between a project location and a FEMA floodplain,
2. Defines the different floodplain types and their implication on permitting requirements and processes,
3. Provides cost ranges for the floodplain permitting process depending on the construction technique and floodplain type, and
4. Leverages case studies to standardize hydraulic analyses for PBR projects, streamlining the floodplain permitting process.
Workflow for Process-Based Restoration in regulated floodplains (p.4) - determining overlap with a regulatory floodplain should be done as early in the project development process as possible to inform project cost, timeline, and approach.