FAQs

The markings you see are color codes for locating utility lines underground. Before any type of construction can take place, all utility lines underneath the work area have to be identified. You might see these colors on sidewalks and in righ-of-way areas during fiber internet construction. Here is a breakdown of what each color represents:

• Red – Electric Power Lines, Cables, Conduit and Lighting Cables
• Yellow – Natural Gas, Oil Steam, Petroleum, or Gaseous Materials
• Orange – Communication, Fiber Optic, Alarm or Signal Lines, Cables or Conduit
• Blue – Potable Water
• Purple – Reclaimed Water, Irrigation and Slurry Lines
• Green – Sewers and Drain Lines
• Pink – Temporary Survey Markings
• White – Proposed Excavating

Every animal must be provided with water, food, and protection from the elements, or other care generally considered being normal. It is unlawful for a person to overload, overwork, torment, deprive of necessary sustenance, unnecessarily or cruelly beat, or intentionally abandon an animal.
Often these types of reports can be resolved through education or appropriate veterinary care.  If you suspect neglect or cruelty, call 911 or the non-emergency number for the regional police communications center, 970-242-6707.   

The amount of the lodging tax is 6% (in addition to the 8.27% retail sales tax). The Lodging Tax will be paid directly to the City of Fruita. (Returns for Retail Sales Tax will be sent to the State of Colorado.) Vendors collecting and remitting the lodging tax can deduct 3 1/3% of the lodging tax paid to the City. You must file a lodging tax return each month, even if the total Gross Lodging Sales is $0.00. All funds received by the City from the lodging tax will be placed in funds for the purposes of marketing and promotion of the City to tourists and others, parks, trails and open space and economic development including but not limited to business incentives, matching funds for public-private partnerships and attainable housing.

A bench warrant will issued for your arrest for non-traffic offenses and a default will be entered with the State of Colorado requesting that driving privileges be revoked for traffic offenses.

Please contact the city of Fruita at 970-858-3663 to order an additional cart for $4.00 per month.

Right-of-Way

Right-of-ways extend beyond the public roadway to include the area where the curb attaches to the sidewalk and often several feet beyond, into what many understandably assume to be private property. It is important to recognize that the location of the right-of-way is not uniform nor consistent throughout the City. Right of ways are generally used for transportation purposes. Although most people think of vehicles when using the word transportation, it is also used to describe movement of a good like electricity, water, natural gas, or oil. Right-of-way use is only used for uses like railroads, electric transmission lines, pipelines, ditches and roadways. In Fruita, right-of-ways are utilized by the City or on behalf of the city for public use. The City holds these rights in fee and maintains authority to regulate how and when it may be used by members of the public, and public or private entities. Before work in the right-of-way starts, a company must obtain a permit from the City. The permit does not cover or allow work by those companies outside of the right-of-way.

Easements

An easement is the right to use the property of another for some defined purpose. The purpose and terms of an easement are usually described in the document conveying the property interest. Simply put, easements allow one party the right to use another’s property for a specific purpose. Many easements are for utility maintenance or emergency access. Easements do not transfer ownership of the land; ownership stays with its original owner. 

Utility easements exist on most property within the City and are for use by public utility service providers. These easements permit utility companies to access private property to construct, install, maintain, protect, and repair their facilities. The facilities may include such things as overhead electric lines, hand holes, underground water and sewer lines, or junction boxes. The rights in any easement are generally superior to the rights held by the landowner. The location of underground utilities on a property can be determined through calling 811.

If the building is less than 80 square feet and has no utilities (such as water or electric), no permit is needed, but the building must meet the building setback for the zone in which your property is located.  The city’s zoning map can be found on the city’s website. If the building is larger than 80 square feet or has utilities, a permit from the city of Fruita is required, and any building 200 square feet or larger or involving utilities (regardless of size) also requires a Building Permit.  Applications can be submitted on Cloudpermit. 

Be sure to apply for a Cloudpermit account.

You will need to create a Cloudpermit account and submit an application for a Short-term rental. 

All Short-Term Rentals are required to apply for and receive a Short-Term Rental permit from the Community Development Department. A separate permit is required for each Short-Term Rental. Permits are valid for a single calendar year regardless of when it was originally approved.

All life-safety provisions must be in place at the time of inspection.

Submit your application for a Colorado State Sales Tax License with the Colorado Department of Revenue and an application for a Business License with the City of Fruita. The Business License application can be submitted concurrently with the Short-Term Rental paperwork.

Upon compliance with all applicable City regulations, the Community Development Department will issue a Short-Term Rental Permit to the property owner and the City will issue a Business License.

• Create a Cloudpermit Account
• Submit a Short-term Rental Application
• Submit a floor plan that includes a sketch or drawing of the Dwelling Unit that depicts all rooms, doors and windows, including dimensions, and shows on-site areas available for guest parking.
• If the Short-term Rental is accessed by a shared driveway, provide the City with a copy of a written instrument authorizing use of the driveway for Short-term Rental purposes by the neighboring property owner.
• Submit contact information for a Local Point of Contact on Cloudpermit (address of this contact must be within 25 miles of the subject property). Contact information must be completed on the Permit Application Form. Any change in contact information must be submitted to the City within 10 days.
• Request an inspections; through the inspection, the property owner must demonstrate the following:
  • Smoke detector in good working order in all rooms.
  • Carbon monoxide detector in good working order in all rooms.
  • Adequate and functional building egress from each sleeping room.
• Attest that the dwelling unit contains a posted notice providing in detail the following information in a highly visible location:
  • Location of building exits and fire extinguishers.
  • Contact information for the Local Point of Contact.
  • Short-Term Rental permit application number (permit # issued by the City).
  • Noise restrictions and quiet hours (Section 9.02 Fruita Municipal Code).
  • Parking Restrictions.
  • Trash disposal, storage, and collection schedule.
  • Relevant water restrictions.
• One application for a Business License for each Short-Term Rental location ($30.00 annually).

While many people reuse bags, many do not, which is why the fee was put into place. Small trash bags are available at retailers or disposable bags can be purchased at the checkout to be used for trash. The fee does not apply to produce bags, newspaper bags, etc., so if you produce very little trash those bags could be used for that purpose.

All defendants will appear before the judge. The defendant will be advised of his/her rights, the elements of the offense/charges and the possible penalties. After the defendant is advised he/she will be given an opportunity to make a plea. If a person pleads not guilty a trial will be scheduled for a future date. All cases are called in citation number order NOT by name. All juvenile defendants must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. (This is the link to the General Advisement Form) 

Regular meetings of the Fruita City Council are held on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Fruita Civic Center, 325 E. Aspen Ave., upstairs in the Council Chambers. Public Participation is held towards the beginning of the meeting, where anyone can address the City Council on any issues they may have. The Council will listen to comments from the public, but generally will not take any official action under this section of the agenda. You may also contact the Clerk’s Office regarding an item that you would like placed on the agenda. A City Council workshop is also scheduled for the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.; however, public input is not accepted at the workshop meeting. All meetings are open to the public.