A town with a soul deserves a voice of its own.
Niwot is a special place — a small town with a soul, a sense of community, and a way of life worth protecting.
But more and more decisions about our roads, businesses, and land use are being made by people who don't live here. Every major decision that affects Niwot is made by County Commissioners elected elsewhere — not by Niwotians.
Niwot's spirit is strong — but our authority is weak. Incorporation aligns the two.
Incorporation lets us take responsibility for our future — not politics, but stewardship.
Here's what incorporation makes possible:
"If we won't govern ourselves, others will — and not in our interest."
— Nick Little, Niwot Resident
Incorporation means Niwot becomes a Home Rule municipality with a locally elected government responsible for decisions that currently fall to Boulder County. As a Home Rule town, Niwot gains the authority to make decisions in key areas of daily life, including:
These are the areas where Niwot currently has no independent authority and relies entirely on decisions made by the County Commissioners — officials Niwot cannot elect.
Some services will continue to be provided by Boulder County:
Incorporation doesn't replace the county — it simply gives Niwot control over the local decisions that shape our daily life, our infrastructure, and our future.
For more information about municipal incorporation in Colorado, see the Colorado Local Government Handbook published by the Colorado General Assembly.
Counties and municipalities serve different roles under Colorado law. Counties are designed to provide regional services — like courts, public health, and major transportation planning — across large geographic areas.
Towns and cities provide local services tailored to their communities — roads, land use, local policing priorities, and creating conditions that enable businesses to thrive. The state's structure assumes most communities will eventually incorporate as they grow, which is why almost every community of Niwot's size in Colorado is already incorporated.
Niwot is an outlier — not because we're too small or too rural, but because we haven't yet done what the state and county structure expects communities to do. Remaining unincorporated puts us at a structural disadvantage, competing with neighboring towns that have full local control while we depend entirely on county decisions made elsewhere.
Incorporation doesn't mean we're rejecting the county — it means we're filling the local governance role the system was designed for.
Incorporation puts Niwot's future in the hands of Niwot voters. The process works in three steps:
1. Voters elect a Charter Commission.
This group is made up of Niwot residents chosen directly by voters. Their job is to study options and draft a proposed Town Charter — essentially Niwot's local constitution.
2. Voters approve the charter — through a two-vote process.
Once the Charter Commission completes its work, the proposed charter goes to an election.
No town is created unless a majority of Niwot voters approve the charter.
3. Voters elect the first town leadership.
If the charter passes, voters elect the town officials defined in the charter — typically a mayor and council. The council then hires a professional town manager to run day-to-day operations.
Once elected, these officials are directly accountable to Niwot voters and responsible for decisions that currently fall to Boulder County.
From that point forward, key local decisions are made by the people who live here and answer to Niwot voters — not to voters in Boulder, Longmont, or other cities.
Yes. Today, Niwot has almost no influence over the County Commissioners who make decisions about our roads, our land use, and our daily life. With only 4,100 residents, our votes are drowned out by Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette, Erie, and Superior.
Incorporation changes that.
As a town, we elect our own leaders — people who live here, know this place, and answer directly to Niwotians, not to voters in other cities.
Your vote would finally shape Niwot's future.
Your voice would finally matter.
If Niwot incorporates, we can finally take responsibility for our own roads instead of waiting on Boulder County. As a town, we will be able to:
Our current plan is to dedicate about $2 million per year to roads. The approach is straightforward:
Across Colorado, small towns rely on grants to repave streets, improve drainage, and upgrade sidewalks. Incorporation allows Niwot to do the same and significantly reduce the burden on local taxpayers.
Bottom line: incorporation gives Niwot the authority and funding tools to fix our roads properly — and keep them that way.
Yes. Incorporation gives Niwot direct control over law-enforcement priorities for the first time. Today, Niwot is simply one small part of the county's jurisdiction, and we have no say in staffing levels, patrol patterns, or response expectations.
As a town, we will contract directly with the Boulder County Sheriff through a service-level agreement — just like other municipalities do. This allows Niwot to:
The Sheriff's Office will still provide the personnel — incorporation simply lets Niwot define the level of service, focus, and presence we expect.
Bottom line:
A direct contract means Niwot finally has a say in its own safety, leading to faster response times and a more consistent presence in the community.
Under Home Rule, Niwot sets its own land-use rules — shaped by residents and adopted by a locally elected town government. This means decisions about zoning, building size, remodel requirements, downtown renewal, and future growth are made here, not by officials in Boulder who Niwot cannot elect.
Have you ever met a Niwotian who doesn't love our semi-rural character, the open spaces that surround us, and our small, walkable downtown? Incorporation allows us to preserve this identity while still supporting thoughtful, community-guided renewal of older homes and businesses.
As a town, Niwot will be able to:
In short: land-use decisions will finally be made by the people who know and love Niwot best — Niwotians.
We are still finalizing our plan, but here's what we expect today:
For most homeowners, we expect a net decrease.
Once Niwot can renegotiate its fire and emergency service costs, property taxes should go down — this is the largest source of savings. There will be a modest increase in sales tax, but for most homeowners the property-tax reduction should outweigh it.
For renters, the outcome depends on your landlord.
If your landlord passes along the property-tax savings, you should also see a net decrease. If not, your main change will be the modest sales-tax increase, which may result in a small net increase depending on your local/online spending.
During the transition period — before fire and EMS contracts are renegotiated — there will be a temporary increase.
We are still evaluating the precise structure and timing of this phase.
Our goal is simple:
Keep taxes low, fix what's broken, and give Niwot control over its own costs. We want Niwot to remain competitive for businesses, maintain a noticeably lower sales tax than neighboring municipalities, and keep property taxes aligned with the region.
Niwot pays more than its fair share today because the Mountain View Fire Rescue District is funded through a mill levy based on property values, not on call volume, the number of homes, or the size of the area served. Since Niwot has some of the highest property values in the district — and very low call volume — we end up paying a disproportionately large share of the total cost.
The district model works well for fast-growing, lower-value towns, but it causes built-out, higher-value communities like Niwot to overpay.
If Niwot incorporates, this changes. A newly incorporated town has the ability to negotiate a direct service contract for fire and EMS. Colorado law allows municipalities to establish their own agreements, and fire districts cannot continue taxing inside municipal boundaries without the town's consent.
Contract pricing is typically based on actual service needs — households, square miles, staffing, and call volume — rather than property values. Renegotiation is standard for new towns, and many communities achieve meaningful savings through this process.
Bottom line: incorporation gives Niwot the leverage to pay a fair, service-based rate instead of an inflated property-value-based rate.
Incorporation protects Niwot's identity — it doesn't replace it.
Today, Niwot competes with surrounding towns that have full control over their roads, business environment, land use, and local investment. Remaining unincorporated leaves us increasingly vulnerable to decisions made in Boulder, Longmont, and other cities that do not share our priorities. Incorporation gives Niwot the ability to stay competitive, protect property values, and preserve the unique character people move here for.
Niwot also has a deep culture of volunteerism — our concerts, festivals, parades, markets, and traditions are run by local champions who pour their hearts into this town. That will not change. Incorporation will not mean the town government "runs" our events. The spirit of Niwot comes from Niwotians, and it always will.
What incorporation does allow is continuity and stability:
In short:
Incorporation gives Niwot control over land use, safety, and infrastructure — the things that protect our charm and competitiveness — while preserving what makes Niwot Niwot: a strong community, a volunteer spirit, and events run by the people who love this place.
Sign up to receive updates as we evaluate incorporation.