Northglenn passed the first drone delivery hub rules in the Denver area: 200-foot buffers, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and one-year permits

Northglenn City Council approved CB-2043 on second reading on October 26, FOX31 reported. The ordinance adds a new land use to the city's development code: the commercial drone delivery hub, where delivery drones take off, land, and wait between flights. A hub can be an add-on to a store or warehouse in commercial or industrial zones, or a standalone site in an industrial zone. Either way it needs a special use permit. Mayor Meredith Leighty sponsored the bill, and the planning commission backed it 4-0 on September 15. The rules below are from the bill as presented for the final vote.

No drone staging area can sit within 200 feet of a residential lot, a school or licensed child care center, or a police, fire, or utility site. The staging area is capped at 10 percent of the lot or 10,000 square feet, whichever is smaller. Rooftop pads are allowed. Ground-level sites need an ornamental fence or wall, and chain link is limited mostly to industrial zones. Ground equipment and operations must stay at or under 65 decibels at the property line, the city's existing noise standard. Hubs can operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and not outside the store's own hours.