I. Purpose 

This procedure document accompanies the Building Access Control Policy in order to support the university’s goal of creating and maintaining safety on campus for students, faculty, staff, and guests. 

II. Procedure 

The following outlines where to find current information on building access procedures. 

  1. Access Procedures 
    1. After Hours 
    • Academic and Administrative Buildings - Card access outside of business hours for academic and administrative buildings must follow the standard procedure set by the campus. For more information, please see the Access Services website section for Card Readers. 
    • Student Affairs controlled buildings including Housing and Dining, UMC, and Recreation Centers follow procedures set by Student Affairs with Buff OneCard access. 
    1. Secure Buildings 
    • Access to restricted buildings or areas within buildings, must follow the campus procedures for Restricted Access. Please see the Access Services Website section for Restricted Access.  
    1. Campus Housing  
    • Buff OneCard access or a physical key is required for all living spaces (residence halls, Bear Creek apartments, and Graduate and Family residences) 
    • Hours and building public access are determined by Residence Life or CU Conference Services, depending on the time of year. These departments work with the Integrated Security (Student Affairs) to implement the hours and public access. 
    • Additional information regarding students living in campus housing can be found here. 
    1. Lost or missing Buff OneCard 
    • If an employee or student is missing their Buff OneCard and needs access to a secure area, the following procedures should be followed: 
    • All Buff OneCard holders who lose their Buff OneCard or have it stolen, need to call Access Services at 303-492-6609 and report it to the Buff OneCard office at https://www.colorado.edu/buffonecard  
    • Students locked out of housing need to contact their residence hall front desk or the appropriate on-call Residence Life.  Residence Life staff will verify identification to allow access. 
    • Conference guests locked out of housing need to contact their hall’s front desk or call the posted on-call number.  CU Conference Services (CUCS) staff or the Residential Services Manager on-call will verify identification to allow access.  Guests who are minors also need to notify a chaperone from their program.  If a program chaperone is not available, the CU Conferences Services staff will be notified. 

3. Special Use Facilities 

  • Special Use Facilities set their own hours and access requirements. Special Use Facilities are designated according to the Campus Use of University Facilities (CUUF) policy. Campus Use of University Facilities Procedures can be found here. 
  1. Emergency Access 

  • In the case of an emergency, first responders (police, fire, hazmat) are responsible for initiating building evacuation or restricting access as needed. 

  1. The responsibility for ensuring that buildings are locked during such emergencies will fall to facilities management for buildings they control and to student affairs for buildings they control, such as housing and dining.  

  • In an emergency, persons of authority may direct people to move to secured areas of a building, but they may not order the lockdown of a building unless a campuswide lockdown or individual building emergency procedures have been initiated by first responders as described above. 

  • If emergency procedures are in conflict with the policy at any time, the policy will supersede any procedures. 

  • More information regarding campus emergency operations can be found here. 

  • More information regarding emergency alerts can be found here. 

  1. Physical Keys  

  • Physical keys are managed by Access Services or by Student Affairs and are issued according to campus policy to those with Chair or Director AND Dean or Associate Vice Chancellor approval.  

  • The campus work management system shall maintain a current list of key holders.  Student Affairs shall maintain a current list of key holders for facilities. 

  • Employees and students are required to return keys to their department key liaison.  The key liaison is responsible for keeping track of all keys and who has possession of them within their department and reporting any concerns or anomalies to Access Services or Student Affairs Integrated Security. 

  • All CU employees, faculty, staff, and students who learn of the loss, theft or misuse of a key or key card are required to report it to facilities management or their key liaison.  The key liaison must then report the lost or stolen key to Access Services or Student Affairs Integrated Security. 

  • Broken or worn-out keys must be returned to Facilities Management via their key liaison and a replacement will be issued.  

  • In cases where physical key access is required to enter a building, office, lab or other space, but the person does not have the key on them, the following procedures should be followed: 

    1. Access to buildings - Individuals who do not have keys with them or have not been issued a key yet for the building are expected to contact the building proctor for access to the building during office hours. 

    2. Access to offices, labs, and other campus spaces - Individuals who are locked out of their offices, labs, or other campus spaces, during office hours must contact their department office or building proctor for access.  

  1. Buff OneCards  

  • Buff OneCards should be carried by all students, faculty, and staff at all times while on campus as they are often needed for access to buildings or areas within buildings.  For additional information about the CU Buff OneCard, please visit https://www.colorado.edu/buffonecard/.  

III. Definitions 

  • Buff OneCard – University ID and access card given to Students, Faculty, and Staff 

  • CUUF – Campus Use of University Facilities policy and procedures 

  • Key Liaisons – Individuals chosen by their department who are responsible for the physical keys and access within their department 

  • University Safety Working Group – Group is charged with making decisions about what buildings will have public access and will determine open hours for those buildings. 

  • Key Liaisons – Individuals chosen by their department who are authorized following the standard campus procedures with Chair or Director and Dean or Associate Vice Chancellor approval. 

Effective Date

January 1, 2024

Approved By

Philip P. DiStefano, Chancellor

Policy Owner

Associate Vice Chancellor for Public Safety