As a regional transportation and air quality planning organization, NFRMPO has the statutory responsibility to prepare and adopt a regional plan. This plan, the North Front Range 2030 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), is the foundation of the regional council's long-range planning activities, containing policies and programs that address the need and demand for regional transportation facilities and services.

Before an urban area can spend federal transportation funds, federal law requires that an MPO be designated to plan and coordinate federal investments. NFRMPO is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the North Front Range area. The MPO process creates a partnership among state and local government, transit operators, as well as the private sector, in providing transportation improvements.

NFRMPO has developed both short-range and long-range plans and programs for implementing transportation projects. These plans represent the views of its 15 member governments, and coordinate with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).