Emergency Status
Apr 06

Why is construction continuing during the stay-at-home order?

The State of Colorado’s Stay-at-Home order lists construction as an essential activity during this months-long social distancing/quarantine period. However, not all construction is created equal and if projects can wait, they should.

In particular, the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment has released these guidelines to address constructions projects:

  • Essential projects are those that are intended to allow for continuity of operations on critical infrastructure such as roads, rails, airports, housing (especially low-income housing), energy infrastructure and water infrastructure. However, as is reinforced by this guidance, construction projects and companies in their supply chain are Not Exempt from social distancing requirements, even if compliance means added cost.
  • For small projects, especially residential projects such as home renovations, businesses and homeowners are strongly encouraged to provide construction contractors with flexibility to defer work until after the stay at home order is lifted.”
  • Focus on activities that are truly critical: Not all construction activities are of equal urgency. When considering whether a project is critical, please consider factors such as:
    • Whether the project is under construction already and thus requires active traffic management (in the case of a transportation project) or other work zone safety measures that benefit from ongoing activity;
    • Whether deferral of a start date on a project would undermine public safety or continuity of operations for critical infrastructure;
    • Whether the project can feasibly be done with social distancing measures as detailed above.