Littleton council to consider 25-mph default speed limit
The proposal would lower the residential speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph and set a 15-mph limit for alleys.
Littleton City Council is scheduled to consider an ordinance Aug. 18 that would make 25 mph the default speed limit on city streets unless a different limit is posted, while setting a 15-mph limit for alleys.
Ordinance 17-2026 is listed for first reading during the council’s 6:30 p.m. regular meeting at the Littleton Center. It would lower the current 30-mph maximum lawful speed in residence districts to 25 mph and retain a 25-mph limit in business districts, the city’s meeting packet says.
Existing posted speed limits would continue to control, so the proposal would not automatically change streets with different signs. The packet does not include a map, a street-by-street posting plan or a list of roads that would receive new signs.
City staff’s rationale is that lower vehicle speeds can reduce the frequency and severity of crashes. The packet does not include crash totals, injury data or a quantitative analysis of how the proposed default would affect collisions. Staff says implementation would require limited resources that could be handled within the existing budget, but provides no dollar estimate or line-item fiscal analysis.
The proposal is part of a broader citywide speed-limit review being developed through Littleton’s Transportation Master Plan. The packet says that work could support additional changes, including a further reduction in the default speed limit, in 2027.
The council is scheduled to consider a second reading and public hearing Sept. 1. The Aug. 18 meeting had not occurred as of Aug. 13, so no council action or vote had been recorded. The official agenda lists the ordinance as a first-reading item.