Operations
We help create and maintain a physical environment for campus through high-quality, competitive services that have earned us recognition as a national leader in the stewardship of physical facilities.
The Facilities Operations Service Center is committed to providing excellent customer service for building proctors, faculty, staff, and students. If you have a building or grounds issue, and need to request service, please submit a service request.
Access Services provides new keys and key replacements to university staff and faculty.
Campus Building Services provides Custodial, Recycling, Solid Waste and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) services to all general fund facilities on campus. The Recycling, Solid Waste and IPM departments also provide services to housing and several auxiliary funded facilities as well.
Custodial Services - Facilities Management provides custodial services to general fund and to several auxiliary funded facilities. Facilities are cleaned on a set schedule. These schedules can be obtained from the building proctor or directly from the custodial supervisor of the facility.
Custodians are responsible for hand snow shoveling on campus. This additional duty takes them away from their interior duties. During inclement weather our staff performs the following duties in the following order: Snow shoveling, restroom cleaning, classroom cleaning, public area cleaning, and if time allows then they start on laboratories and finally offices. This may mean that these latter space types are skipped for the week.
Recycling - CU Recycling operates as a partnership between administration (Facilities Management) and the students (UCSU). Facilities Management collects from and provides recycling containers in campus buildings. Collections are based on a set schedule. For more information on what is recyclable and where to recycling please go to our partner's link: .
Solid Waste - Facilities Management collects waste from trash dumpsters strategically located throughout campus on a set schedule and disposes of the material at local transfer station.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) - Environmental Services is charged with implementing and enforcing the campus wide pest control and pesticide use policy, signed on March 12, 2002 . ES staff is on hand to handle all pest control needs from traditional pests (ants, roaches, rodents, and stinging insects) to wildlife management. Staff is also responsible for mosquito control and work closely with public health officials to monitor risks such as bird flu, rabies, and hanta virus.
Campus pest control staff is highly trained in integrated pest management (IPM) techniques. IPM is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of commonsense practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interactions with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. IPM programs take advantage of all pest management options possibly including, but not limited to, the judicious use of pesticides.
Sustainability Initiative - Facilities Operations is currently engaged in an effort to 'green' our operations. Recent commitments have primarily focused these efforts in the areas of Carbon Neutrality and Zero Waste. Staff is working with individual maintenance shops to determine opportunities for achieving more sustainable operations such as using low VOC adhesives and paints, reducing fleet fuel use, conserving energy, and recovering potentially hazardous wastes. Our immediate goal is to establish a set of measurement criteria that can be duplicated yearly. This will allow the campus to gauge its progress, especially as it relates to other institutions of higher education.
See a comprehensive list of our services at Campus Building Services Provided.
Find out about billing at Who Pays for What?
Facilities Operations maintains and operates building maintenance systems, structural and architectural components, and grounds areas for all of the university's academic and research facilities.
Facilities Management provides Outdoor (grounds) Services to general fund areas and to several auxiliary funded facilities. Facilities Management Outdoor Services (FMOS) is responsible for grounds maintenance (mowing, trash and litter collection, snow removal, bed maintenance, tree and shrub care) and irrigation system operation and maintenance for the general fund areas on campus.
Landscaping - The grounds crew is primarily focused on maintenance activities. New project installations must be approved by the campus landscape architect. Due to a limited budget, some requested projects may require requestor funding.
Grounds Maintenance -Our largest role is to provide day to day grounds maintenance activities. View our Integrated Turf Management Plan.
Exterior Trash Removal -The grounds crew conducts daily litter pick up and services exterior trash and recycle receptacles on a scheduled basis. These services may be delayed due to snow removal situations.
Snow Removal - Facilities Management has primary responsibility for campus snow removal. Like the City of Boulder, we use magnesium chloride (in granular and liquid forms) for ice abatement. The majority of our resources are applied in order to open campus by 8 a.m. on snow days. Please call the Facilities Management Operations Control Center at 303-492-5522 to report problem spots on a snow day.
Irrigation - About 90% of the main campus is irrigated using non-potable water from the New Anderson Ditch. The university has owned these ditch rights since 1880. Irrigation is conducted at night and is based on information gathered from an on-campus weather stations. Sometimes day time watering occurs, usually due to new sod or system testing.
Organic Waste Recycling -The grounds division diverts its salvageable organic wastes into Eco-Cycle's recycling stream.
See a more comprehensive list on our outdoor services page and on our Outdoor Services Provided page. Find out about billing at Who Pays for What?
Contact Facilities Management Operations Control Center (OCC)
The OCC is staffed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
- Call us at 303-492-5522
- Email us at sdesk@colorado.edu
Submit a Service Request
If you are a building proctor/manager or other campus customer and need assistance from Facilities Management or have questions about a request in progress please call 303-492-5522 or submit a service request: