Pitkin County REMP and Energy Code Basics
Pitkin County REMP is the fee or on-site renewable offset owed for exterior energy uses like snowmelt ($52.62 per sq ft), pools and spas, under a 200,000,000 Btu yearly cap per parcel.
Written by the Upvalley Heat desk from manuals and official pages · how figures are sourced · Rechecked
First tracks
- Pitkin County's REMP calculator (version 2025.1) charges $52.62 per sq ft of residential snowmelt, $210.48 per sq ft of outdoor pool and $272.38 per sq ft of outdoor spa.
- All exterior energy on a Pitkin County parcel is capped at 200,000,000 Btu a year, and the county's Title 11 (effective May 2, 2026) says there are no exemptions to that budget.
- Heat tape costs $3.39 per watt in Pitkin County and $3.26 per watt inside the City of Aspen.
- Pitkin bans idling residential snowmelt slabs and requires heaters for snowmelt, pools and spas to reach at least 95% AFUE.
- Snowmass Village uses its own 2011 program: offset 50% of the energy with on-site renewables or pay a fee, starting from $34 per sq ft of snowmelt divided by boiler efficiency.
- Aspen and Glenwood Springs both say replacing a furnace or boiler needs a mechanical permit.
The Renewable Energy Mitigation Program (REMP) is the reason a heated driveway in Aspen or Woody Creek can carry a five-figure fee at permit time. It is a building-code rule, not a rebate, and it applies only where Pitkin County or the City of Aspen issues the permit.
What is Pitkin County REMP?
Pitkin County REMP is a section of the county's amended energy code that makes outdoor energy uses pay their own way. Section R409 of Title 11 lists seven residential "exterior energy uses": in-slab snowmelt, outdoor electric heat mats, outdoor spas, outdoor pools, heat tape, outdoor electric heaters, and outdoor gas fireplaces and fire pits. For each, the owner either installs on-site renewables or efficient equipment that earns credits (solar electric, solar hot water, ground-source or air-source heat pumps) or pays the fee set by the county's REMP calculation sheet.
The money goes to a separate county fund that the Board of County Commissioners spends to cut fossil-fuel energy use, administer the energy code, run education and pursue climate action goals. Pitkin's code does not name any nonprofit as the recipient. Two details help owners of older homes: replacing a system gets a pro-rated credit for an earlier REMP payment over 20 years, and upgrading mechanical equipment such as a boiler or heat pump does not by itself trigger a new REMP submittal.
What does REMP charge for snowmelt, pools and spas?
REMP charges by area for slabs, pools and spas and by watt for electric items. The county's calculator, version 2025.1 (file dated April 30, 2025 and still posted in October 2026), sets these residential rates; the City of Aspen's calculator, version 1.9 (April 15, 2025), matches them except for heat tape.
REMP residential fees, Pitkin County calculator 2025.1
- $52.62Per sq ft of residential in-slab snowmeltPitkin County REMP calculator
- $210.48Per sq ft of outdoor poolPitkin County REMP calculator
- $272.38Per sq ft of outdoor spaPitkin County REMP calculator
- 200,000,000Btu per year, cap on all exterior energy per parcelPitkin County Title 11, R409.4
The snowmelt rate is a county planning figure built on 82,863 Btu per sq ft a year (a 125 Btu per sq ft per hour load over 560 melting and 260 clean-up hours); electric heat mats cost $5.47 per watt. So 1,000 sq ft of new residential snowmelt works out to about $52,620 before credits. The snowmelt systems page explains how slabs, boilers and sensors work.
Design rules sit beside the fee. Pitkin requires at least R-15 insulation under snowmelt, controls that run it only when moisture is present and the outdoor air is between 20°F and 40°F with slab temperature sensing, no idling of residential slabs, and heaters of at least 95% AFUE (electric resistance and heat pumps are allowed); condensing boilers must supply 130°F or less. Pool covers need at least R-2 and spa covers R-12, and heat tape must shut off above 40°F or when moisture is absent. All-electric homes that install no REMP uses get an exemption for 5,000 watts of heat tape and one pre-packaged electric spa.
How does the City of Aspen REMP compare?
Aspen's REMP uses the same per-square-foot fees but different scope, controls and credits. Appendix RD of the 2021 Aspen Energy Code also covers interior gas fireplaces and portable spas, and exempts one portable spa of 64 sq ft or less, the first 1,000 watts of heat tape, and building-official-approved access routes up to 48 inches wide. The fee is paid when the building permit is issued and goes to a separate fund spent under a joint resolution of the Aspen City Council and Pitkin County commissioners.
| Rule | Pitkin County | City of Aspen | Snowmass Village |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential snowmelt fee | $52.62 per sq ft | $52.62 per sq ft | $34 per sq ft ÷ boiler efficiency (2011) |
| Heat tape | $3.39 per watt | $3.26 per watt after the first 1,000 W | Not listed in the 2011 schedule |
| Insulation under snowmelt | R-15 | R-10 | Not stated in sources read |
| Snowmelt controls | Moisture present, 20–40°F outdoor air, slab sensing, no idling | Off when the surface is above 40°F and nothing is falling | Not stated in sources read |
| Minimum heater efficiency | 95% AFUE | Condensing boilers at 130°F maximum supply | 90% AFUE for exterior-use boilers |
| Exterior energy cap | 200,000,000 Btu a year per parcel | 200,000,000 Btu a year | Not stated in sources read |
Aspen's own summary of code changes translates the 200,000,000 Btu cap into 2,414 sq ft of snowmelt, or 603 sq ft of pool, or 466 sq ft of spa, or 3,125 linear feet of heat tape.
How does Snowmass Village handle exterior energy?
Snowmass Village runs its own Renewable Energy Offset Program (REOP) instead of REMP. The Town's REOP page says projects with pools, hot tubs and snowmelt must offset 50% of that energy with on-site renewables, under Ordinance No. 2, Series of 2011. The ordinance's mitigation factors are $34 per sq ft of snowmelt, $136 per sq ft of pool and $176 per sq ft of spa, and the fee in lieu is 100% of the obligation; its worked example divides the snowmelt factor by boiler efficiency, so 1,200 sq ft of snowmelt with a 92%-efficient boiler comes to $44,347.83. Single-family garage aprons are exempt up to 200 sq ft.
Treat those 2011 figures as a starting point only. The Town's building code page lists Chapter 18 updates "as of May 2026", which may have changed them, so ask the Snowmass Village building department before budgeting. Aspen and Pitkin fees never apply inside Snowmass Village.
Which energy code applies to a remodel?
The 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, with local amendments, applies in every valley jurisdiction that publishes its edition. Pitkin County's code adoption page shows the 2021 International codes with its exterior energy budget and Electric Ready rules from April 28, 2024, HERS-index tiers by home size from April 27, 2025, and the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code from May 2, 2026. Pitkin's Electric Ready Code asks plans with combustion equipment to show space, circuits and service capacity for future electric equipment of the same heating capacity, and Pitkin requires all condensate from fuel-burning appliances to be neutralized.
The City of Aspen applies the 2021 codes and its 2021 Aspen Energy Code to permits submitted after March 31, 2023; its summary lists R-60 roofs, R-40 walls, 1.5 ACH50, required ERV or HRV ventilation and "AC units must be heat pumps". Snowmass Village uses the 2021 IRC, IMC, IFGC and IECC plus Colorado's Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code, and Glenwood Springs has required the 2021 codes since June 6, 2022. From July 1, 2026, the Colorado Energy Office says any jurisdiction that updates a building code must adopt the Model Low Energy and Carbon Code or stricter; no source read shows a valley jurisdiction has adopted it yet.
When does heating work need a permit?
Expect a permit for any heating replacement, and ask the building department before work starts. Aspen's permit triggers list new or altered heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment, snowmelt systems, appliance vents and gas appliances, with portable heaters and minor part swaps exempt. Glenwood Springs' permit FAQ says replacing a water heater, furnace or boiler needs a permit, and in an emergency the unit can go in first with the application the next business day.
Pitkin County takes mechanical permit applications online and requires mechanical contractors to hold a City of Aspen contractor license. Carbondale wants heating and cooling load calculations with every replacement or new unit, and Basalt posts a mechanical permit application. A permit also helps with money: CORE pays rebates on permitted projects only for scope beyond code, as the utility heating rebates page explains, and the heat loss and sizing notes cover the load calculations Carbondale asks for.
Avalanche report: how this page was checked
This page is based on Pitkin County's Title 11 (effective May 2, 2026), its code adoption page and REMP calculator version 2025.1 (reopened October 27, 2026), the 2021 Aspen Energy Code, Aspen's summary of code changes, permit trigger list and REMP calculator version 1.9, Snowmass Village's REOP page, Ordinance No. 2 of 2011 and building code page, and building pages from Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Basalt and the Colorado Energy Office, all read in October 2026. Left out: any estimate of a specific project's REMP bill after credits, Snowmass Village's May 2026 Chapter 18 text (not reviewed), and code rules for commercial buildings.
Lift-line questions
Does replacing an old snowmelt boiler trigger a new Pitkin REMP fee?
Pitkin's Title 11 says upgrading mechanical equipment such as boilers or heat pumps does not by itself require a new REMP submittal. Adding snowmelt area is a different matter, and a replaced system gets a pro-rated credit for an earlier payment over 20 years.
Does REMP apply to a hot tub on a deck in Aspen?
Aspen's REMP covers outdoor permanent and portable spas but exempts one portable spa of 64 sq ft or less per property. A larger or permanent spa is charged at $272.38 per sq ft.
Is the 200,000,000 Btu cap the same as a fee limit?
No. It caps the energy all exterior uses on a parcel may use in a year, whatever you pay. Pitkin's chief building official can waive the payment for a life-safety use but not the budget itself.
Can a Pitkin County snowmelt system idle to keep the slab warm?
Not on a residential property. Pitkin allows idling only on commercial projects where public safety is a factor, and residential controls must run the system only with moisture present and outdoor air between 20°F and 40°F.
Does Basalt charge a REMP fee?
No REMP-type program was found on the Town of Basalt's site. Basalt posts a mechanical permit application, so check with its building department about any outdoor heating.
Does a heat pump swap in Aspen need a permit?
Yes. Aspen's permit trigger list includes new or altered heating and cooling equipment, and its energy code requires split-system cooling on a forced-air system to be a heat pump sized to provide primary heat.
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