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Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit in Federal Heights, Colorado

Federal Heights does not publish a standalone 'change of use' or 'change of occupancy' application distinct from its general Commercial Alteration/Tenant Finish permit. A change of occupancy or use in an existing commercial building is filed through the standard Building Permit Application's 'Alteration or Tenant Finish' category — confirmed directly against the City's own December 2025 Monthly Building Permit Report (govoffice3.com), which internally codes this permit type 'TENFI' and lists a real issued permit (No. 20250346, issued 12/17/2025, 8868 Federal Blvd, valuation $15,163.31) described exactly as 'CHANGE OF OCCUPANCY/TI UPDATES TO...'. The technical review basis is the 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) as locally adopted via Ordinance 23-02 (this file's own verified codesAdopted entry); IEBC Chapter 10 governs Change of Occupancy classification requirements. Unlike some peer Denver-metro Colorado jurisdictions (e.g. Edgewater), Federal Heights does not charge for or require a general Business License for a new occupant — businesses instead register for a no-fee City of Federal Heights Sales Tax License through the Finance Department.

Verified 2026-08-13 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Technically governed by the 2021 IEBC as locally adopted via Ordinance 23-02; IEBC Chapter 10 (Change of Occupancy) sets the classification/compliance requirements that apply when a building or tenant space's occupancy or use changes
  • Filed under the same 'Alteration or Tenant Finish' category (Commercial classification) on the standard Building Permit Application used for the Commercial Alteration/Tenant Finish Permit in this file — the City's own December 2025 Monthly Building Permit Report confirms this by internally labeling a real change-of-occupancy permit 'TENFI' (the same type code used for ordinary tenant-finish buildouts) rather than a distinct permit type
  • The same multi-agency sign-off (Building, Public Works, Fire Dept., Storm Water, Engineering, Zoning) printed on the standard Building Permit Application applies
  • No general City of Federal Heights Business License is required to operate a business — new occupants instead register for a no-fee Sales Tax License with the City's Finance Department (303-412-3540, salestax@fedheights.org); this is a materially different posture from peer jurisdictions (e.g. Edgewater) that charge a paid Business License tied to the approved occupancy/use
  • No dedicated 'change of use'/'change of occupancy' checklist, standalone application form, or guidance document (of the kind Edgewater publishes as 'Commercial New Business Tenant Information') was found published by the City as of this review — checked the Building page, Building Guides page, Business page, and Economic Development page directly; confirm directly with the Building Department (303-412-3527) whether a specific zero-construction occupancy change still requires a permit, since that exact scenario is not independently documented for Federal Heights

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee (valuation-based, same schedule as Commercial Alteration/Tenant Finish)The City's own December 2025 permit report shows a real change-of-occupancy/TI permit valued at $15,163.31 (Permit No. 20250346); no separate valuation-independent 'change of use' fee exists
$23.50 minimum, scaling per the valuation tiers in the City's Building Fees schedule
Plan Review FeeSame rule as this file's commercial-tenant-improvement entry
65% of Permit Fee; collected at application submission for projects valued over $25,000
Building Use TaxApplies only where construction/tenant-improvement work with a materials valuation accompanies the change of occupancy
4% of estimated materials cost (~2% of total valuation)
Sales Tax LicenseCity of Federal Heights Finance Department; confirmed directly — 'There is no fee for a Sales Tax License'
No fee

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit permit actually take in Federal Heights?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Rough Frame/MEP (where accompanying construction occurs)

    Framing and trade rough-ins before concealment, where the change of occupancy is accompanied by alteration or tenant-finish work

  2. 2

    Final Inspection

    All work complete per approved plans; Certificate of Occupancy issued reflecting the new occupancy classification if checked on the application

See the full Federal Heights inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • Federal Heights has no standalone 'change of occupancy' permit type — the City's own December 2025 Monthly Building Permit Report confirms a real issued change-of-occupancy permit ('CHANGE OF OCCUPANCY/TI UPDATES,' 8868 Federal Blvd, $15,163.31) was filed and internally coded 'TENFI,' the same type code used for ordinary commercial tenant-finish buildouts — apply through this file's commercial-tenant-improvement pathway rather than searching for a separate change-of-use form.
  • Unlike Edgewater and some other peer Denver-metro Colorado cities, Federal Heights does not charge for or require a general Business License — new occupants register for a no-fee Sales Tax License with the Finance Department instead, a separate process from the building permit itself.
  • No City-published guidance addresses whether a change of occupancy with zero accompanying construction still requires a permit in Federal Heights (unlike Edgewater's explicit 'regardless of whether there will be any construction or remodeling' guidance) — confirm this specific scenario directly with the Building Department (303-412-3527) before assuming either way.

Frequently asked questions

No general Business License is required. Instead, register for a no-fee City of Federal Heights Sales Tax License through the Finance Department (303-412-3540) — this is separate from, and in addition to, the building permit process for any accompanying construction.

In Federal Heights, the published Building Permit Fee (valuation-based, same schedule as Commercial Alteration/Tenant Finish) is: $23.50 minimum, scaling per the valuation tiers in the City's Building Fees schedule. Additional published fees: Plan Review Fee — 65% of Permit Fee; collected at application submission for projects valued over $25,000; Building Use Tax — 4% of estimated materials cost (~2% of total valuation); Sales Tax License — No fee. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Federal Heights does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Federal Heights Building Department at 303-412-3526 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application — Commercial, Alteration or Tenant Finish scope; Sales Tax License Application. Depending on your project, Federal Heights may also ask for: Construction Plans (Architect/Engineer-sealed where required). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Federal Heights requires 2 inspection(s) for a change of use / change of occupancy permit, in order: Rough Frame/MEP (where accompanying construction occurs), Final Inspection. Schedule each through City of Federal Heights Building Department (303-412-3526).

Apply through City of Federal Heights Building Department at 2380 W. 90th Ave., Federal Heights, CO 80260. Phone: 303-412-3526, email: building@fedheights.org. Office hours: 7:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Tuesday-Friday, excluding holidays (closed Mondays). After-hours non-emergency line: 303-428-8833. Fax: 303-412-3598. Key staff: Director Tim Williams (303-412-3558); Building Official Drew Leckman (303-412-3562); Permit Technician Karen Jackson (303-412-3527, also the inspection-scheduling line at 303-412-3534).. Official information: https://www.fedheights.org/building.

Federal Heights, Colorado has adopted: 2021 International Building Code (IBC), amended — adopted by City Council via Ordinance 23-02 (March 7, 2023), effective April 15, 2023 based on permit application date; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), amended — Ordinance 23-02; 2021 International Fire Code (IFC), amended — Ordinance 23-02; 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — Ordinance 23-02; 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC), amended — Ordinance 23-02; 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), including appendices A, B and C — DRIFT FIX 2026-07-23: prior entry incorrectly said '2021 IFGC'; the actual text of Ordinance 23-02 §1(6) (verified directly against the ordinance PDF via Municode) and the current Municode codification (Sec. 10-16(6), Supp. 42, online content updated May 28, 2026) both read 'International Fuel Gas Code, 2018 Edition' — Federal Heights retained the 2018 IFGC alongside the 2018 IECC rather than elevating it to 2021 with the rest of the 2021-cycle codes in Ordinance 23-02; 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — Ordinance 23-02; 2021 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) — Ordinance 23-02; 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — Ordinance 23-02; 2021 International Green Construction Code (IgCC) — Ordinance 23-02; 2021 ICC Performance Code (ICCPC) — Ordinance 23-02; 2021 NFPA 101 Life Safety Code — Ordinance 23-02; 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), amended — City's Adopted Technical Codes page states explicitly this edition 'will remain adopted as the 2018 edition' rather than upgrading to 2021 alongside the other 2021-cycle codes in Ordinance 23-02; Prior code cycle for reference: 2018 ICC Codes were adopted January 19, 2021 via Ordinance 21-01, effective February 1, 2021 (superseded by Ordinance 23-02 for all codes except IECC); NEC (National Electrical Code) edition not separately confirmed on the City's own pages: electrical permitting and inspection in Federal Heights is administered entirely by the State of Colorado (DORA State Electrical Board), not adopted/enforced locally as a city code — see localAmendments for detail. Local amendments apply — see the Federal Heights overview page for the full list.

No. Change-of-occupancy work is filed under the same 'Alteration or Tenant Finish' category as an ordinary commercial buildout — confirmed by the City's own December 2025 permit report, which internally codes a real change-of-occupancy permit ('CHANGE OF OCCUPANCY/TI UPDATES') as type 'TENFI,' the identical code used for standard tenant-finish permits.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-13.

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Federal Heights building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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