Boulder County building department

Boulder County Building Safety and Inspection Services, part of Community Planning and Permitting (CPP), reviews plans, issues building and trade permits, and inspects construction in unincorporated Boulder County. Under an arrangement noted on the county’s permit page, it also reviews plans and inspects work in the Town of Jamestown. The county has no building or land-use jurisdiction inside Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette, Erie, Lyons, Nederland, Superior, Ward, or Broomfield; those addresses go to the municipality (the county keeps a municipality contacts page with links to each building division).

When a permit is required

The county requires a permit for new buildings (including manufactured homes, pole barns, carports, and sheds over 120 sq ft), additions (including pools, decks, retaining walls over 48 inches, and fences over 6 feet), non-cosmetic alterations (garage conversions, kitchen and bath remodels, drywall, insulation, basement finishes, re-roofing, window replacement, re-siding), any structural repair, and installation of wood stoves, hot tubs, and solar collectors. Any structure with utilities needs a permit regardless of size.

Common exemptions (publication B05)

Work	Exempt if
Detached accessory structure	120 sq ft or less (200 sq ft for agricultural loafing sheds), 12 ft tall or less, no utilities
Fence	Not over 6 ft high
Retaining wall	Not over 4 ft, measured from bottom of footing to top
Residential deck	200 sq ft or less, no more than 30 in. above grade, not attached, not serving a required exit
Roof repair	100 sq ft or less of single-layer covering per structure
Water tank	5,000 gal or less on grade, height-to-diameter ratio no more than 2:1
Prefabricated pool	Above ground, under 24 in. deep, 5,000 gal or less
Interior finishes (1- and 2-family)	Paint, wallpaper, tile, carpet, cabinets, countertops (not when plumbing or electrical work is involved)

The number of exempt accessory structures depends on parcel size: one on parcels of 0.5 acre or less, two on parcels over 0.5 and under 10 acres, and three on 10 acres or more. Exempt work still has to meet zoning, wildfire, and floodplain rules.

EZ BP (Easy Building Permit)

EZ BP permits are residential permits that need no plans. Qualifying work: air conditioning, electrical-only, furnaces, gas lines, heat pumps, mini-splits, mobile home park setups, re-roofs, siding, stoves, water heaters, boilers, evaporative coolers, and windows (windows also need the B22 Window and Door Replacement Submittal Form). Questions go to [email protected] or 303-441-3926.

Applying for a standard permit

The county recommends filing an Ask a Planner form before applying, to find out whether a separate Land Use Code review is needed. Applications are submitted online through the county’s Accela Citizen Access system.

• Upload a site plan (not needed for interior-only work) and a full set of plans, one PDF per permit. A house and a detached garage each need their own application.
• Construction plans, HERS rating, soils report, and water and sewer documents go in separate PDFs.
• Plans must be drawn at 1/4 in. = 1 ft or larger. Incomplete plans are returned without review.
• New homes need a soils report if the site is on the plains east of U.S. 36, plus a recorded warranty deed, proof of water (tap, water-provider letter, or a well permit from the Colorado State Engineer’s Office), and proof of sanitation (sewer tap, district letter, or a septic approval from the Boulder County Health Department). Adding bedrooms or changing sanitation facilities requires Health Department approval.
• Projects that add or change conditioned floor area must show compliance with the BuildSmart energy regulations. In a Wildfire Zone, label all exterior materials on the plans.

Codes in effect

For permit applications submitted on or after July 1, 2026, the county uses the 2021 IBC, IRC, IEBC, IMC, IPC, IFGC, IECC, IgCC, ICC Performance Code, and ISPSC, along with the NEC edition currently adopted by the Colorado State Electrical Board, the 2023 Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code, and the county’s July 1, 2026 amendments. The local amendments add energy-efficiency, sustainability, and ignition-resistant construction requirements.

Wildfire requirements

The county has three Wildfire Zones. In Zones 1 (west) and 2 (east), new homes, additions over 200 sq ft, and larger accessory structures require defensible space. A Wildfire Mitigation Specialist does an assessment before the permit is issued and inspects the defensible space before any above-ground rough inspection. A noncombustible perimeter is required for all new and rebuilt decks countywide, and new homes in Zone 1 need an emergency water supply (Fire Cistern Approval Form W07).

Fees

Publication B33 adds five parts together: a valuation-based building permit fee (for example, $38.95 up to $800 of valuation, and $1,245.08 for the first $100,000 plus $13.34 per additional $1,000), a plan check fee of 65% of the permit fee, county use taxes, a zoning and public health review fee (not charged on EZ BP permits), and a technology fee ($8 for EZ BP, $10 under $25,000 valuation, $50 at $25,000 or more). Use-tax rates effective Jan. 1, 2026 are each charged on half of the project valuation and add up to 1.335% of that half. A residential renewable energy permit is $400 plus tax on materials, figured at $3.50 per watt. Additional plan review is $77 per hour. Mountain-area permits add a defensible space fee of $200–$350. The county’s online Fee Estimator Calculator gives a project-specific estimate.

Contractor licensing

Anyone paid to do work that requires a county building permit needs a Boulder County contractor license. Property owners working on their own property and laborers supervised by a licensed contractor are exempt. Plumbers and electricians are licensed by the State of Colorado instead. To get a license you need a passed ICC exam (or a license from another Colorado jurisdiction that uses ICC exams), proof of lawful presence, and liability and workers’ compensation insurance. Licenses last three years. Fees: Class A $350, Class B $300, Class C (one- and two-family residential) $250, Commercial Mechanical $200, Residential Mechanical $175, Roofing $150, Class M $150. The Chief Building Official reviews online applications within 7 days.

Inspections

• Online: Accela Citizen Access.
• IVR: 303-441-3925 (1 English, 2 Spanish), to schedule, check times, cancel, or get results.
• Text: send SCHEDULE, RESCHEDULE, CANCEL, or RESULTS to 877-558-7966.

To be eligible for next-business-day scheduling, requests must come in before 3:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Next-day service is not guaranteed. Inspection windows are posted at 9 a.m. on the day of the inspection. Re-roof and temporary electric meter release inspections are done by photo, and photos are reviewed within 24 hours. State-licensed engineers may perform caisson, footing, foundation-wall, and structural-framing inspections, but their sealed reports must be emailed to [email protected] at least 24 hours before scheduling. Access and engineering finals (code #82) must be requested by noon Thursday for the following week.

Office hours and help

The public counter at the Courthouse Annex is open 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Tuesday. Virtual service runs until 4:30 p.m. and includes Fridays. Building code questions can go through the Ask a Building Official form or 720-564-2640. The CPP front desk is 303-441-3930.