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Plumbing Permit in Federal Heights, Colorado

Required for installation, alteration, or repair of plumbing systems in Federal Heights, including water heaters ('Plumbing (i.e. Water Heaters)' category on the City's Building Permit Application). Issued locally by the City under the 2021 IPC as adopted by Ordinance 23-02, but subject to contemporaneous State Plumbing Board (DORA) license verification at application and inspection.

Verified 2026-07-06 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Classification of Work category '7. Plumbing (i.e. Water Heaters)' on the City's Building Permit Application
  • Governed by the 2021 IPC as adopted and amended by the City via Ordinance 23-02
  • A Plumbing Contractor (PC) and a full-time current State Licensed Master Plumber (MP) must be listed on the permit application; the City verifies both directly against the Colorado DORA licensing database Contractor
  • Inspectors may fail an inspection at their discretion, pending license verification, and report violations to the State Plumbing Board, per the City's Contemporaneous Review of Plumbing Work policy

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Plumbing Permit Fee (same valuation-based schedule as Building)Plan review fee is waived for water heaters per the City's Building Fees page
$23.50 minimum, scaling per the valuation tiers in the City's Building Fees schedule
Plan Review FeeWaived for water heater replacements specifically, per the City's published fee-waiver list
65% of Permit Fee
Building Use Tax
4% of estimated materials cost (~2% of total valuation)

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Plumbing 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 Plumbing

    Pipe, drain, waste, and vent installation before concealment; State Plumbing Board license verification checked at this stage

  2. 2

    Final Inspection

    Fixtures connected, no leaks, proper venting verified

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

Tips

  • Unlike electrical, plumbing permits ARE issued and inspected by the City of Federal Heights itself — but the City contemporaneously checks the Plumbing Contractor's and Master Plumber's Colorado DORA license status, and can fail an inspection pending verification. Make sure both license numbers are current and correctly listed on the permit before scheduling.
  • Plan review fees are explicitly waived for water heater replacements — don't expect to pay the standard 65% plan-review surcharge on a straightforward water heater swap.

Frequently asked questions

Federal Heights requires a plumbing permit for: Classification of Work category '7. Plumbing (i.e. Water Heaters)' on the City's Building Permit Application; Governed by the 2021 IPC as adopted and amended by the City via Ordinance 23-02; A Plumbing Contractor (PC) and a full-time current State Licensed Master Plumber (MP) must be listed on the permit application; the City verifies both directly against the Colorado DORA licensing database; Inspectors may fail an inspection at their discretion, pending license verification, and report violations to the State Plumbing Board, per the City's Contemporaneous Review of Plumbing Work policy. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Federal Heights Building Department at 303-412-3526 before starting work.

In Federal Heights, the published Plumbing Permit Fee (same valuation-based schedule as Building) 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; Building Use Tax — 4% of estimated materials cost (~2% of total valuation). 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 — Plumbing scope. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Federal Heights requires 2 inspection(s) for a plumbing permit, in order: Rough Plumbing, 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.

The City of Federal Heights issues the plumbing permit itself (unlike electrical, which is entirely state-administered), but performs contemporaneous verification of the Plumbing Contractor's and Master Plumber's Colorado State Plumbing Board (DORA) license status at application and inspection, per the City's Contemporaneous Review of Plumbing Work policy.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-06.

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.