Laramie building department

The City of Laramie Code Administration Division is the building department for property inside Laramie city limits. It issues building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and sign permits, reviews plans, performs inspections and licenses contractors. The division sits within Community and Economic Development. It works out of 320 E Grand Avenue, not City Hall at 406 Ivinson Avenue. Its directory listing gives counter hours of Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. You can reach it at (307) 721-5271 or [email protected].

What needs a permit in Laramie

The city says permits are needed for most residential and commercial projects and repairs. Its “Getting a Building Permit” bulletin gives examples: new construction, roof repair, additions, interior remodeling, finishing a basement, siding, garages, decks and changes of use. Plumbing, mechanical, electrical, sign and fire sprinkler work each need a separate permit.

The city publishes a short list of residential exceptions:

Work	Exempt from a building permit when…
Detached accessory building (shed, playhouse)	One story, under 200 sq ft, and meets all required setbacks
Fence	Not over 7 ft high, back and side yards only
Retaining wall	Not over 4 ft from bottom of footing to top of wall
Deck	Not more than 30 in. above grade, not attached to the house, not over 200 sq ft, and not serving the front door
Finish work	Painting, papering and similar work

Zoning limits still apply to exempt work. The fence bulletin caps fences at 4 ft between the front lot line and the front of the house. No fence may be taller than 6 ft within 45 ft of the front lot line. Beyond 45 ft, walls and fences are capped at 8 ft. Fences may not enclose gas, electric or water meters, shut-off valves or transformers. The bulletin recommends a 42-inch post depth for frost protection. See the fence permit guide for general background.

Applying through Civic Access

All building and trade permit applications go through the city’s Civic Access portal, which runs on Tyler EnerGov Self Service. New contractor licenses and renewals go through the same portal. Since October 8, 2024, Planning Division applications and their supporting materials have also been submitted there. The city posts a video tutorial for the portal. For help setting up an account, call (307) 721-5271.

The “Getting a Building Permit” bulletin lists what a residential submittal needs: complete plans and specifications, a site plan, and an energy model such as REScheck (commercial projects use COMcheck). The site plan shows the entire lot, with dimensions, the building footprint, decks and projections, off-street parking, utilities, topography and landscaping. The plan set also includes:

• the foundation plan, with a soils report where required
• geotechnical and drainage reports where required
• a framing plan
• floor plans
• elevations
• wall sections

The following must be professionally prepared:

• commercial buildings over 4,000 sq ft
• buildings over three stories
• residential buildings with five or more units
• foundations on poor soils

The city also publishes numbered bulletins on related topics, including plan standards, site plans, stock-plan submittals, decks, demolition, roofing, egress windows and private energy systems such as solar.

Review time: the permit page estimates three weeks of plan review from submittal. The bulletin describes 15 business days as standard, with complex projects taking longer.

Fees

Fees are based on the valuation of the work. The posted Building Permit and Plan Review Fee Schedule is marked “Effective: January 1, 2006.” Here are some sample figures from it:

Valuation	Building permit fee	Plan review fee
$1 to $500	$23.50	$0.00
$4,001 to $5,000	$111.25	$0.00
$9,001 to $10,000	$181.25	$117.81
$24,001 to $25,000	$391.25	$254.31
$49,001 to $50,000	$643.75	$418.44

A plan review fee is charged when the valuation exceeds $5,000, and it is due at submittal. The building permit fee is paid once the application is approved, and the permit is issued on payment. Separate schedules cover electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, and water meter and plant investment fees. All are linked from the permit page.

Codes and design criteria

Laramie adopted the 2024 ICC code cycle as of September 1, 2024. That includes the IRC, IBC, IEBC, IMC, IPC, IFGC and IECC, plus the 2023 National Electrical Code. Local amendments are in Laramie Municipal Code Chapter 15.24. In December 2025 the division held a contractor meeting and ran a survey on possible further local amendments. Bulletin #2 lists the local design values:

• 30 psf ground and roof snow load
• 115 mph wind speed (3-second gust), Exposure C
• Seismic Site Class B
• 42-inch frost depth
• severe weathering
• ice-shield underlayment required

Inspections and certificate of occupancy

The bulletin lists these mandatory inspections:

• foundation
• concrete or under-floor
• framing
• plumbing, mechanical and electrical
• wall coverings
• insulation
• final

Request an inspection at least one working day ahead by calling (307) 721-5271. Post the inspection record card where it is clearly visible on the job site. A Certificate of Occupancy is required before anyone occupies a building. It is issued at no extra cost after the final inspection passes.

Contractor licensing and homeowner work

General contractors working in Laramie must hold a City of Laramie license. So must trade contractors in these fields:

• electrical, mechanical and plumbing
• lawn sprinkler
• fire protection
• gas service
• water and sewer
• refrigeration
• petroleum piping
• water softeners

All licenses expire December 31, and the renewal window opens November 15. The city’s general contractor licensing sheet lists Class A, B, R and C licenses. Each requires a qualified supervisor, a certificate of insurance and Wyoming workers’ compensation proof. Working without a license can bring a stop-work order. After a 72-hour grace period, the fine is $750 per day.

Homeowners may do their own electrical work from the panel downstream, but only in a single-family home they both own and live in. Work on service equipment requires an electrical contractor licensed by both the city and the State of Wyoming. That includes the service hookup for manufactured or modular homes.

Related offices

The Planning Division handles zoning, site plans, variances, subdivisions and annexation. Its review deadlines and fee schedule are on the Application Information page. Engineering handles right-of-way, grading and street-closure permits through Civic Access. Before any excavation, the city directs you to call 811 (One-Call of Wyoming) at least two full business days ahead. These Code Administration rules apply only inside city limits.