Fire Sprinkler and Fire Alarm System Permit in Commerce City, Colorado

Commerce City requires a fire sprinkler and fire alarm system permit for: Fire sprinkler (new, modification, scope-of-work), fire alarm (new, modification, scope-of-work), fire pump, standpipe, clean agent system, commercial-kitchen hood suppression, and spray/paint booth suppression installations require a separate plan review and construction permit issued directly by South Adams County Fire Department's (SACFD) Fire Prevention Bureau (6050 Syracuse St., Commerce City, CO 80022; 303-288-0835; planreview@sacfd.org) -- not the Commerce City Building Safety Division; Applicants submit SACFD's own Plan Review and Construction Permit Application (Revised 7/25), selecting the project type: New Building, Building Addition, Tenant Finish, Water Plan, Fire Alarm, Sprinkler, Clean Agent System, Kitchen Hood, Radio Amplification (BDA), High Pile Storage/Racking, Temporary Structure (Tent), Paint Booth, City Referral, County Referral, Operational Permit/Conditional Use, or Other; the form requires the Commerce City Building Department Permit # of the associated base building permit; SACFD's own current Plan Review and Construction Permit Application (Revised 7/25) states: "All plan submittals will be a Minimum of a Thirty (30) business day review process." SACFD's separate live Plan Review webpage (sacfd.org/plan-review) instead states plan review "will be a minimum of sixty (60) business days after the plans meet our submittal requirements and the minimum fee is paid" -- a genuine, unreconciled discrepancy between two of the department's own current published sources as of this review; All sprinkler submittals must include a General Information Sign to be accepted, per sacfd.org/plan-review; The minimum plan review fee is due at time of submittal; SACFD accepts check or credit card, with a 3.5% credit card transaction fee applied to all fees (per the 2024 fee schedule, effective January 1, 2024; the July 2025-revised application form separately notes the 3.5% card fee starts February 1st); For permits submitted after April 16, 2026, SACFD uses its updated SizeUp FirstDue portal rather than its prior contractor Permit Portal, per sacfd.org/plan-review; Performing sprinkler or alarm work without a permit or approval results in a fee of double the original permit fee; SACFD's finaled fire sprinkler/alarm permit approval must be logged and closed out before Commerce City will finalize a building's Certificate of Occupancy -- consistent with this file's Commercial Building Permit and Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit entries, which already document that "South Adams County Fire Department...conduct their own inspections; all applicable agency finals must be approved before a CO"; SACFD separately administers an annual/recurring Operational Permit program (launched January 1, 2024, confirmed to cover Commerce City) for high-pile storage/racking, spray/dipping operations, hazardous materials use/storage, hot work, mobile food preparation vehicles, fireworks, and marijuana establishments -- a distinct permit type from the one-time sprinkler/alarm construction permit documented here; IMPORTANT: per this file's own residential-building-permit entry and localAmendments, not all Commerce City parcels are served by SACFD -- some require fire review through Brighton Fire Rescue District instead, depending on location; confirm the correct district before submitting a fire sprinkler/alarm plan review. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Commerce City Building Safety Division (Community Development Department) at 303-289-3790 before starting work.

$0.05 per square foot of system coverage for a new installation of any size, per South Adams County Fire Department's Plan Review, Inspection, and Permit Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2024). A flat $350.00 applies instead for residential NFPA 13D/P2904 systems in one- and two-family dwellings and manufactured homes.

SACFD's own sources conflict: its July 2025-revised Plan Review and Construction Permit Application states a minimum of 30 business days, while its live sacfd.org/plan-review webpage states a minimum of 60 business days. Neither source publishes a maximum. Confirm the current figure directly with SACFD (303-288-0835) before relying on either.

You'll need: SACFD Plan Review and Construction Permit Application (Revised 7/25); Fire Sprinkler/Alarm Shop Drawings and Specifications; General Information Sign; City of Commerce City Building Permit Application (eTRAKiT). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Commerce City requires 3 inspection(s) for a fire sprinkler and fire alarm system permit, in order: Rough and Hydrostatic Inspection (fire sprinkler), Rough Inspection (fire alarm), Final Inspection and Test. Schedule each through Commerce City Building Safety Division (Community Development Department) (303-289-3790).

Apply through Commerce City Building Safety Division (Community Development Department) at South Platte Crossing Building, 7190 Colorado Blvd. Ste 600 (6th Floor), Commerce City, CO 80022. Phone: 303-289-3790, email: cdpermits@c3gov.com. Office hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.. Official information: https://www.c3gov.com/Business-Development/Building-Permits-Inspections.

Commerce City, Colorado has adopted: City of Commerce City Building Code (C3BC), also known as the 2021 edition of the C3BC — incorporates by reference: 2021 International Building Code (IBC), 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC), 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), 2021 International Private Sewage Disposal Code (IPSDC), 2021 International Green Construction Code (IgCC), 2023 NFPA 70 National Electrical Code (NEC), 2021 International Fire Code, and 2021 International Property Maintenance Code. Source: Commerce City Municipal Code Chapter 5, Sec. 5-1 and 5-2, https://www.c3gov.com/Business-Development/Building-Permits-Inspections/Step-1-Project-Design/Building-Code-Provisions-in-the-Municipal-Code; City of Commerce City Construction Code — the 2021 IBC as adopted, including Appendix Chapters C, E, F, G, H, I, J, K and N. Source: c3gov.com 2021 International Building Code page, https://www.c3gov.com/Business-Development/Building-Permits-Inspections/Step-1-Project-Design/2021-International-Building-Code; City of Commerce City Residential Code — the 2021 IRC as adopted, including Appendix Chapters AH, AI, AJ, AK, AM, AQ, AR, AS, AT, AU and AW. Source: c3gov.com 2021 International Residential Code page, https://www.c3gov.com/Business-Development/Building-Permits-Inspections/Step-1-Project-Design/2021-International-Residential-Code; City of Commerce City Commercial Energy Conservation Code and City of Commerce City Residential Energy Conservation Code — the 2021 IECC as locally amended (Sections C101.1/R101.1 renamed; C103/R103 construction-document amendments; C104/R104 fees deleted and replaced to reference Article VI, Chapter 5 fee schedule; C109/R109 stop-work order and C110/R110 board-of-appeals sections replaced to reference Commerce City Municipal Code Sec. 5-5007 and Sec. 5-21). For permit applications submitted prior to July 1, 2026, applicants may choose to comply with the 2018 IECC as amended by the city instead. Source: c3gov.com 2021 IECC page, https://www.c3gov.com/Business-Development/Building-Permits-Inspections/Step-1-Project-Design/2021-International-Energy-Conservation-Code; 2023 NFPA 70 National Electrical Code (NEC), adopted by reference per Municipal Code Sec. 5-2. Source: Commerce City Municipal Code Chapter 5, Sec. 5-2; Construction for which a permit application is submitted six months after the effective date of the 2021 C3BC must comply with the 2021 C3BC; applicants during that six-month transition window could choose either the 2021 C3BC or the prior edition; IBC-designed permit applicants were permitted one year after the effective date to comply. Source: Commerce City Municipal Code Chapter 5, Sec. 5-4. Local amendments apply — see the Commerce City overview page for the full list.

No. South Adams County Fire Department (SACFD), an independent fire protection district headquartered in Commerce City, conducts this plan review and issues the permit directly -- confirmed by SACFD's own Plan Review and Construction Permit Application, which includes a checkbox for whether the project's building department is Adams County or the City of Commerce City. A base building permit is still filed with the City via eTRAKiT, but the fire protection system plans are submitted separately to SACFD. Some Commerce City parcels are instead served by Brighton Fire Rescue District depending on location.