Larimer County Building Department | Permits, Inspections & Contact

Larimer County’s Building Division provides permits, plan review, inspections, and code enforcement for unincorporated Larimer County. The county’s larger municipalities, including Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park, may have separate building authorities for properties inside their city or town limits. Check the property’s jurisdiction before relying on the county’s permit forms or portal.

The county’s permit-requirement guide explains that construction regulated by adopted building, fire, or public-safety codes generally requires a permit. It lists common exemptions such as certain small non-habitable accessory structures, limited decks, ordinary painting and finish work, and some minor repairs, while emphasizing that zoning, setbacks, floodplain, and land-use rules can still apply to permit-exempt work. When uncertain, Larimer County recommends calling the Building Division before starting.

Larimer County’s online portal is an EnerGov self-service portal. The Building Division says the portal can be used to search building permits and public records, manage contractors, apply for certain miscellaneous, utility, and solar permits, and schedule or cancel inspections. Residential and commercial building permits are not all eligible for online application; the county says those applications may need to be submitted using the required hard-copy forms.

Most areas receive daily building inspections, while electrical inspections are generally within two days. To request an inspection, the county requires the permit and IVR numbers; requests confirmed before 11:59 p.m. can be handled the next working day. Final approval requires the applicable final inspections and conditions, which may include drainage, radon, health, fire-sprinkler, wildfire, and electrical approvals. Once final approvals are complete, the county says a certificate of occupancy is attached to the permit in the portal within 24 hours.

The Building Division lists its office at 200 W. Oak Street, Suite 3100, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, with mailing address PO Box 1190 and phone (970) 498-7700. The inspection request line is (970) 498-7697. Use the EnerGov portal for permit records and eligible online services, and contact Larimer Planning separately for zoning, land-use code, and setback questions.