The Incorporation Petition

Petition for Incorporation of the Municipality of Niwot, Colorado, Establishment of a Home Rule Charter Commission, and Authorization to Submit Questions Under Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution.

The incorporation petition is the document that begins this process. It was circulated by residents, signed, and filed with the Boulder County District Court. Acting on that petition, the court ordered an election and, on May 21, 2026, appointed this Commission to administer it.

The Commission publishes the petition here as a matter of public record. This page describes what the petition requested; it does not endorse or dispute the claims made in it.

Download the full petition (PDF, 3.1 MB)

What the Petition Requested

Incorporation. Organization of the territory described in the petition into a municipality under Colorado law (C.R.S. § 31-2-101).
A home rule charter commission. That the question of forming a nine-member charter commission be placed on the incorporation ballot, so that if voters approve incorporation they simultaneously elect commissioners to draft a home rule charter for voter approval.
Fiscal ballot questions. That the ballot include the TABOR-required questions authorizing the new municipality to levy taxes, issue debt, and retain revenue.

Key Facts

150

Signatures of registered electors required to qualify

4,306

Inhabitants of the proposed territory (2020 Census)

Town of Niwot

Name proposed in the petition

31 pages

Length of the complete filed document

Only registered electors residing within the proposed boundary were eligible to sign. Under Colorado law a statutory municipality with more than 2,000 residents is initially classified as a “city”; if voters approve a home rule charter, the official name and designation are set by that charter.

Exhibits

The complete petition includes:

Exhibit A — the legal description of the territory proposed for incorporation.
Exhibit B — the boundary map.
Exhibit C — proof of population.
Signature pages — the circulated petition sections as filed.

Exhibits A and B govern whether a given address lies within the proposed boundary, which determines both who may sign a candidate nomination petition and who may vote in this election.

The Fiscal Questions

The five TABOR questions requested by the petition are reproduced in full, with the legal text and a descriptive summary of each, on the Ballot Questions page. Certification of ballot content remains before the Commission, and the wording may change before it reaches the ballot.

Full Document

Download the full petition (PDF, 3.1 MB)

Questions about the petition or the election may be directed to the Commission — see The Commission.