Colorado building permits

Where to get a building permit in Colorado

Apply to the building department of the city, town or county where the property is (the steps).

Our Colorado city guides, with each department's contacts, fees, inspections and project rules:

• Denver
• Colorado Springs
• Aurora

Colorado state agencies

These offices set statewide codes or license the trades. They do not issue permits for most home projects.

Building code in Colorado

Every code family, edition and effective date is on Colorado building codes.

State rules on which work needs a permit

C.R.S. §§ 30-28-201(1), 30-28-205(1), 12-115-116(6), 12-155-118(6); 3 CCR 720-1 Rules 1.2 D.9, 1.6 A.1

• Agricultural buildings may be excepted from a county code. Buildings or structures used for the sole purpose of providing shelter for agricultural implements, farm products, livestock, or poultry may be excepted.¹
• County permit required once a code is adopted, except agricultural shelters. After the adoption of the building code, it shall be unlawful to erect, construct, reconstruct, alter, or remodel any structure, dwelling, or building in the designated area, except buildings or structures used for the sole purpose of providing shelter for agricultural implements, farm products, livestock, or poultry without first obtaining a building permit from the county building inspector.¹
• Maintenance and repair of existing electrical facilities on own property. Nothing in this article 115 shall be construed to require an individual to hold a license before doing any maintenance or repair of existing facilities on his or her own property or residence, nor to require inspection by the board or its inspectors, nor to pay any fees connected therewith.²
• Definition of maintenance or repair. For the purposes of this subsection (6), "maintenance or repair of existing facilities" means to preserve or keep in good repair lawfully installed facilities by repairing or replacing components with new components that serve the same purpose.²
• Work outside the state plumbing license and permit requirement. Nothing in this article 155 requires a plumbing license, registration, or permit to perform…²
• Domestic appliances equipped with backflow preventers; the State Plumbing Board says water heaters supplying domestic hot water are not covered. The installation, extension, alteration, or maintenance, including the related water piping and the indirect waste piping, of domestic appliances equipped with backflow preventers, including lawn sprinkling systems; residential ice makers, humidifiers, electrostatic filter washers, or water heating appliances; building heating appliances and systems; fire protection systems except for multipurpose residential fire sprinkler systems in one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses that are part of the potable water supply; air conditioning installations; process and industrial equipment and piping systems; or indirect drainage systems not a part of a sanitary sewer system…²
• Fixture repair and replacement. The repair and replacement of garbage disposal units and dishwashers directly connected to the sanitary sewer system, including the necessary replacement of all tail pipes and traps, or the repair, maintenance, and replacement of sinks, faucets, drains, showers, tubs, and toilets.²
• Water heaters supplying domestic hot water are not in the § 12-155-118(6)(a)(I) exemption. Therefore, they do not fall under the exemption in section 12- 155-118(6)(a)(l), C.R.S.³
• Shower valves and tub and shower valves are not "faucets" under § 12-155-118(6)(a)(II). Shower valves and tub and shower valves referenced in 2021 IPC sections 412.3 to 412.8 and 2021 IRC section P2708.4 shall not be considered “faucets”.³
• Permit and inspections required for plumbing and fuel gas work, through the Board or the local authority. A permit and inspections shall be required for all plumbing, fuel gas piping work, water conditioning equipment installation or manufactured home hookup as described in the Title 12, Article 155, C.R.S. and/or the Colorado Plumbing Code or Colorado Fuel Gas Code, either through the Board or the Local Authority Having Jurisdiction.³

Homeowners doing their own work

C.R.S. §§ 12-115-116(2), 12-115-120(11), 12-155-118(2), 12-155-120(11); 3 CCR 710-1 Rule 1.9

• Own property or residence, electrical, with inspection. Nothing in this article 115 shall be construed to require any individual to hold a license before doing electrical work on his or her own property or residence if all such electrical work, except for maintenance or repair of existing facilities, is inspected as provided in this article 115; if, however, the property or residence is intended for sale or resale by a person engaged in the business of constructing or remodeling the facilities or structures or is rental property that is occupied or is to be occupied by tenants for lodging, either transient or permanent, or is generally open to the public, the owner shall be responsible for, and the property shall be subject to, all of the provisions of this article 115 pertaining to inspection and licensing, unless specifically exempted therein.²
• Homeowner may apply for an electrical permit. The qualified applicant is defined as a homeowner performing work in accordance with statutory requirements.³
• Contractor may not work under a homeowner permit. A contractor or photovoltaic installer shall not perform any electrical or photovoltaic work under a homeowner’s permit or prior electrical contractor’s or photovoltaic installer’s permit but shall secure a new electrical permit in the name of the contractor performing the work.³
• Own property or residence, plumbing. Nothing in this article 155 requires an individual to hold a license to perform plumbing work on the individual's own property or residence or prevents a person from employing an individual on either a full- or a part-time basis to do routine repair, maintenance, and replacement of sinks, faucets, drains, showers, tubs, toilets, and domestic appliances and equipment equipped with backflow preventers; except that, if such property or residence is intended for sale or resale by a person engaged in the business of constructing or remodeling the facilities or structures or is rental property that is occupied or is to be occupied by tenants for lodging, either transient or permanent, or is a commercial or industrial building, the owner is [...] responsible for and the property is subject to the provisions of this article 155 pertaining to licensing, unless specifically exempted therein.²
• Homeowner may apply for a plumbing permit. (c) A homeowner performing work on the homeowner's home.²

Contractor licensing

C.R.S. §§ 12-115-109, 12-155-108, 12-155-121, 30-11-125

• State electrician license. No person shall engage in or work at the business, trade, or calling of a journeyman electrician, master electrician, or residential wireman in this state until the person has received a license from the division upon written notice from the board or the program director, acting as the agent thereof, or a temporary permit from the board, the program director, or agent of the director.²
• State plumber license. A person shall not engage in or work at the business, trade, or calling of a residential, journeyworker, or master plumber in this state until the person has received a license from the division, upon written notice from the board or its authorized agent, or a temporary permit from the board or its authorized agent…²
• Local plumbing contractor licensing allowed. Any city, town, county, or city and county of this state may provide for the licensing of plumbing contractors or water conditioning contractors.²
• Counties may license building contractors. Subject to the requirements of this section, any county that has adopted a building code may establish a licensing program to require a person who engages in the business of being a building contractor within the unincorporated areas of the county to obtain a license from the county prior to engaging in the business.¹
• Electricians and plumbers excluded from county building contractor program. "Building contractor" shall not include an electrician required to be licensed by the state pursuant to article 115 of title 12 or a plumber required to be licensed by the state pursuant to article 155 of title 12.¹

Handyman limits

• Routine fixture repair by an employed individual. Nothing in this article 155 requires an individual to hold a license to perform plumbing work on the individual's own property or residence or prevents a person from employing an individual on either a full- or a part-time basis to do routine repair, maintenance, and replacement of sinks, faucets, drains, showers, tubs, toilets, and domestic appliances and equipment equipped with backflow preventers…²

Deadlines for permit decisions and inspections

C.R.S. §§ 12-115-120(2)(b), 12-155-120(1)(b), 30-28-213(7), 31-23-316

• 3 business days. A state electrical inspector shall inspect any new construction, remodeling, or repair subject to this subsection (2) within three working days after the receipt of the application for inspection.²
• 3 business days. A state plumbing inspector shall inspect any new construction, remodeling, or repair subject to this subsection (1) within three working days after the receipt of the application for inspection.²
• 3 business days. Regardless of the ordinance or resolution adopted by a board of county commissioners in accordance with subsection (2)(a) of this section, a county permitting agency shall, within three business days after the date the county permitting agency makes the determination to approve, conditionally approve, or deny an application, send notice to an applicant for an EV charger permit that states the county permitting agency's determination on the applicant's EV charger permit application.¹

Private plan review and inspections

C.R.S. §§ 24-33.5-1212.5, 24-32-3304(1)(e); 8 CCR 1507-101

• Health facilities: third-party inspectors. (b) (I) A health facility may hire and compensate third-party inspectors under contract with the division or hire and compensate other third-party inspectors who are certified in accordance with section 24-33.5-1213.5 to perform inspections.⁴
• Factory-built: private inspection entities. To promulgate rules establishing specific standards for the use of private inspection and certification entities to perform the division's certification and inspection functions with respect to in-state and out-of-state inspections of factory-built structures.⁴
• Division certifies third-party inspectors. “Third-Party Inspector” means building inspectors that have been certified by the Division to perform third party inspection services in accordance with Article 4.1 of this rule.³
• Wildfire code enforcement by agreement. The act allows a governing body to enter into a cooperative agreement with another entity, such as a third-party contractor or another governing body, in order to enforce wildfire codes and standards.⁵

Limits on permit fees

C.R.S. §§ 12-115-121(2)(a), 30-28-205(2)

• Local electrical inspection fee cap, adjusted annually. The maximum fee, established annually, chargeable for electrical inspections by any city, town, county, city and county, or qualified state institution of higher education shall not be more than one hundred twenty dollars, as adjusted annually, starting January 1, 2021, based on the annual percentage change in the United States department of labor's bureau of labor statistics consumer price index for Denver-Aurora-Lakewood for all items paid by all urban consumers, or its applicable predecessor or successor index.²
• Tiered charge. Additionally, a local government described in this subsection (2) or a qualified state institution of higher education may adjust the fee by imposing an additional tiered charge based on size or valuation of the improvement and a multiplier of eight percent of the fee.²
• County fee only when inspected. No permit fee provided for pursuant to the provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall be charged unless an inspection is actually made by such inspector who is fully qualified to perform the required type of inspection.¹

Selling a home with unpermitted work

C.R.S. § 12-10-404(3)(a); 4 CCR 725-1, Rule 7.1

• Seller's broker discloses known adverse material facts. The adverse material facts may include but shall not be limited to adverse material facts pertaining to the title and the physical condition of the property, any material defects in the property, and any environmental hazards affecting the property that are required by law to be disclosed.²
• Brokers must use Commission-approved forms. A Broker must use a Commission-Approved Form when such form exists and is appropriate for the transaction.³
• Statute refers to a seller's property disclosure. …seller's property disclosure for residential real property…⁶

Solar permitting

C.R.S. §§ 30-28-113(1)(b)(II), 31-15-602(4)(b); 3 CCR 710-1 Rule 1.9.A.2

• County cap: lesser of actual cost or $500 residential, $1,000 nonresidential. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the aggregate of all charges or other related or associated fees a county shall impose or assess to install an active solar energy system or geothermal energy system shall not exceed the lesser of the county's actual costs in issuing the permit or five hundred dollars for a residential application or one thousand dollars for a nonresidential application if the device or system produces fewer than two megawatts of direct current electricity or an equivalent-sized thermal energy system, or that exceed the county's actual costs in issuing the permit if the device or system produces at least two megawatts of direct current electricity or an equivalent-sized thermal energy system.¹
• Effective December 31, 2029. This subsection (1)(b)(II) is repealed, effective December 31, 2029.¹
• Municipal cap: lesser of actual cost or $500 residential, $1,000 nonresidential. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the aggregate of all charges or other related or associated fees a municipality shall impose or assess to install an active solar [...] electric or solar thermal device or system or a geothermal energy system shall not exceed the lesser of the municipality's actual costs in issuing the permit or five hundred dollars for a residential application or one thousand dollars for a nonresidential application if the device or system produces fewer than two megawatts of direct current electricity or an equivalent-sized thermal energy system, or that exceed the municipality's actual costs in issuing the permit if the device or system produces at least two megawatts of direct current electricity or an equivalent- sized thermal energy system.⁷
• Effective December 31, 2029. This subsection (4)(b) is repealed, effective December 31, 2029.⁷
• Electrical permit required for solar and other generated sources. A permit shall be required for all systems supplying power that may normally be supplied by an electrical utility, such as, but not limited to, solar, wind, hydroelectric and other generated sources.³

EV charger permitting

C.R.S. §§ 30-28-213, 31-23-316 · in effect August 7, 2024¹

• County may deny or condition only for health or safety. A county permitting agency shall not deny or place conditions on an EV charger permit application unless the denial or conditions are for the purpose of reasonably protecting public health or safety.¹
• Checklist required. The county permitting agency must make available to prospective applicants for EV charger permits a checklist of all requirements that must be included in an application for an EV charger permit.¹
• Municipal parallel exists. 31-23-316. Electric motor vehicle charging systems - municipal permitting…⁷

Wildfire areas

C.R.S. § 24-33.5-1237; 8 CCR 1507-39; 8 CCR 1507-61

• Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code adopted. The Board hereby adopts and incorporates by reference the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, published by the Division of Fire Prevention and Control on June 01, 2025, and its referenced standards for the construction and maintenance of all property, buildings, and structures subject to the provisions of Section 24-33.5-1236, C.R.S. and these rules.³
• Based on 2024 IWUIC. The Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code is an adaptation of Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 5 of the 2024 International Wildland Urban Interface Code by the International Code Council (ICC), © 2023 by International Code Council, Inc. and based on other identified best practices for structure hardening and reducing fire risk in the defensible space surrounding structures.³
• Low or greater fire intensity. The Board hereby declares that, in accordance with the provisions of Section 24- 33.5-1236, C.R.S., the Code adopted in Article 3.1 of these rules and its referenced standards shall apply to the construction and maintenance of property, buildings, and structures subject to these rules that are within the wildland-urban interface as defined by these rules and that are subject to a Fire Intensity Classification of Low or greater.³
• 9-month adoption window. The act extends the time frame within which a governing body of a city, town, or city and county with jurisdiction in an area within the wildland-urban interface is required to adopt wildfire codes and standards that meet or exceed the wildfire resiliency code board's wildfire codes and standards from 3 to 9 months after the board's adoption of wildfire codes and standards.⁵
• State support where no local enforcement exists. Section 24-33.5-1237(2)(d), C.R.S. establishes the authority and duty of the Division to conduct or oversee the necessary plan reviews, issue building permits, cause the necessary inspections to be performed, and take enforcement action pursuant to the Division’s procedures set forth in Section 24-33.5-1213, C.R.S. as required when support to do so is requested by an Adopting Governing Body that does not have rules and regulations in place for the enforcement of the model codes adopted by the Wildfire Resiliency Code Board.³

Applies to

Wildland-urban interface³

Can local rules be stricter?

Yes³

Accessory dwelling units (ADUs)

C.R.S. §§ 29-35-402 to 29-35-404 (HB 24-1152) · in effect May 13, 2024⁸

• On or after June 30, 2025, a subject jurisdiction shall allow, subject to an administrative approval process, one accessory dwelling unit as an accessory use to a single-unit detached dwelling in any part of the subject jurisdiction where the jurisdiction allows single-unit detached dwellings.⁸
• No new off-street parking, with exceptions. Require the construction of a new off-street parking space in connection with the construction or conversion of an accessory dwelling unit, except as described in subsections (3)(a) and (3)(b) of this section…⁸
• No owner-occupancy requirement, with limited residency proof. Require an accessory dwelling unit, or any other dwelling on the same lot as an accessory dwelling unit, to be owner-occupied; except that a subject jurisdiction may require a property owner to demonstrate that the property owner resides on the parcel when an application is submitted…⁸
• No restrictive design or dimension standard. Apply a restrictive design or dimension standard to an accessory dwelling unit.⁸
• Sizes 500 to 750 sq ft must be allowed. Does not allow for accessory dwelling unit sizes between five hundred and seven hundred fifty square feet…⁸
• Side setback limit. Requires side setbacks for an accessory dwelling unit that are larger than the side setbacks required for a primary dwelling unit in the same zoning district…⁸
• Life safety codes still apply. Applying and enforcing a locally adopted life safety code, including but not limited to, a building, fire, utility, or stormwater code…⁸
• Impact fees allowed. The payment of an impact fee or other similar development charge, pursuant to section 29-20-104.5…⁸
• Accessory dwelling unit definition. "Accessory dwelling unit" means an internal, attached, or detached dwelling unit that…⁸
• Exempt parcels. (c) In a floodway or in a one hundred year floodplain, as identified by the federal emergency management agency.⁸

Applies to

Subject jurisdictions⁸

Can local rules be stricter?

Local may allow more⁸