Denver Building Department | Permits, Inspections & Contact

Denver’s Community Planning and Development (CPD) reviews, permits, and inspects private construction within the City and County of Denver. Because Denver is a consolidated city and county, this is the primary building and zoning authority for properties inside Denver’s municipal boundary. A project elsewhere in the metro area is handled by its own city or county, even when it uses a Denver mailing address.

Most construction, alteration, or repair work on private property requires a permit. Start by identifying the project type and assembling the site information, plans, valuation, contractor information, and any zoning or landmark materials that CPD requests. Denver’s official permit instructions direct applicants to the E-Permits system, where users can submit applications, upload documents, pay fees, download issued permits, and check application status.

Denver adopted its 2025 Building and Fire Codes on June 13, 2025. The city states that the 2025 codes incorporate the 2024 International Codes except for the energy code, which incorporates the 2021 IECC, and became effective December 31, 2025. The city also maintains local zoning requirements, building-code policies, green-building requirements, and landmark review rules that can affect a project before or alongside building permit review.

Inspections include construction, zoning, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and roofing inspections. Use Denver’s construction-inspection page for the current scheduling instructions and keep the permit, approved plans, and inspection card available at the job site. For commercial work, Denver’s official permit guide explains that all required rough and final approvals, including deferred submittals and agency signoffs, must be complete before a certificate of occupancy can be issued.

CPD lists its contact address as 201 W. Colfax Avenue, Department 205, Denver, Colorado 80202, with the main phone number (720) 865-2700. Use the official E-Permits portal for applications and permit records, and use Denver’s permit-status page when you need to check an application without navigating the full CPD site.