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Change of Use / Change of Occupancy in Alamosa, Colorado

The City of Alamosa does not publish a standalone 'change of use' or 'change of occupancy' permit application or fee. RESEARCHED 2026-08-05 via the City's live 'New Business Guidance & Information' page (alamosa.gov/new-business-guide): a change in a building's use/occupancy classification is handled through a direct walkthrough meeting with the Building Official and, where compliance work is needed, the standard Building Permit & Certificate of Occupancy process already documented in this file's commercial-building-permit and commercial-tenant-improvement-permit entries -- not a distinct permit product. Zoning eligibility for a proposed use is confirmed separately, against the Unified Development Code (Chapter 21) and the City's zoning map, before any building-level occupancy-change review begins. The City's own guidance also flags that a prior business's use may be only a grandfathered nonconformity rather than a right that transfers automatically to a new, different use.

Verified 2026-08-05 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Confirm the proposed use is allowed in the property's zoning district before proceeding -- the City's guidance states most requirements for a new or changing business 'are set out in Uniform Development Code and the International Building Code,' and directs applicants to City Planning/Building staff to determine what's needed; the City's interactive zoning map (cityofalamosa.maps.arcgis.com) is also available
  • Set up a meeting with the Building Official for a walkthrough inspection -- per the New Business Guidance page's own instruction, verbatim: 'Set up a meeting with the Building Official for a walkthrough inspection. If the building is changing occupancy class, you may have to perform work on the building to meet safety requirements.'
  • A non-conformity -- defined on the same page as 'something that was lawfully established under a previous use code but does not meet the current code' -- may be grandfathered for the PRIOR use, but the guidance warns against assuming a new, different intended use is automatically permitted just because a similar or prior business operated there
  • A Certificate of Occupancy is issued once the applicant has, per the guidance page's own wording, either '(a) changed occupancy class and meet the building safety requirements or (b) pulled a building permit and performed all work to building code standards'
  • If the Building Official's walkthrough finds that compliance work is needed, that work is processed under this file's commercial-building-permit or commercial-tenant-improvement-permit entries (same valuation-based Fee Schedule 'A', plus the 25% Plan Review Fee under Schedule 'B')
  • All retailers with a physical presence in the City of Alamosa are required to obtain a City business license -- per the guidance page: 'All retailers, with a physical presence in the City of Alamosa, are required to have a business license' -- a separate requirement from any building/occupancy process, renewable annually online
  • Occupying a space before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued triggers a 200% fine of the original permit fee, per Fee Schedule 'B' (documented in this file's commercial-building-permit entry); a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy ($200, max 90 days, 50% refunded after CO issuance) is available if construction/compliance work is still incomplete

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Change of use/occupancy feeNo standalone change-of-use fee is published. If the change of occupancy triggers a building permit, the standard valuation-based Building Permit Fee Schedule 'A' plus the 25% Plan Review Fee (Schedule 'B') applies -- see this file's commercial-building-permit and commercial-tenant-improvement-permit entries for the full fee table.
Not published — contact the department
Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (max 90 days)Fee Schedule 'B'; 50% refunded after the Certificate of Occupancy is issued -- same fee documented in this file's commercial-building-permit entry
$200.00
FINE: Occupancy without a Certificate of OccupancyFee Schedule 'B'
200% of original permit fee

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use / Change of Occupancy permit actually take in Alamosa?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Building Official Walkthrough Inspection

    Scheduled directly with the Building Official (not through a formal application) to assess whether a proposed occupancy-class change requires compliance/safety work, per the New Business Guidance page

  2. 2

    Final Inspection / Certificate of Occupancy

    Only applicable if the walkthrough triggers a building permit for compliance work; same Final Inspection step documented in this file's commercial-building-permit entry, must be scheduled within 10 working days of job completion

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

Tips

  • Verify zoning eligibility for your intended use BEFORE signing a lease or closing on a property -- the City's own guidance warns that a prior business's use may only have been a grandfathered non-conformity, not a right that automatically transfers to a new, different use.
  • There is no dedicated change-of-use permit or fee in Alamosa -- the real cost exposure is whatever the Building Official's walkthrough determines is needed to meet current safety requirements for the new occupancy class, which could mean a full commercial-building-permit or tenant-improvement-permit process (see those entries in this file for the valuation-based fee table).
  • A new retail business needs its own City business license (via the Sales Tax License process) in addition to, and independent of, any building/occupancy determination -- don't conflate the two requirements.
  • Occupying a space before your Certificate of Occupancy is issued is expensive: a 200% fine of the original permit fee, per Fee Schedule 'B'. If work isn't finished yet, a $200 Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (max 90 days, 50% refunded once the real CO issues) is the documented alternative.

Frequently asked questions

Alamosa requires a change of use / change of occupancy permit for: Confirm the proposed use is allowed in the property's zoning district before proceeding -- the City's guidance states most requirements for a new or changing business 'are set out in Uniform Development Code and the International Building Code,' and directs applicants to City Planning/Building staff to determine what's needed; the City's interactive zoning map (cityofalamosa.maps.arcgis.com) is also available; Set up a meeting with the Building Official for a walkthrough inspection -- per the New Business Guidance page's own instruction, verbatim: 'Set up a meeting with the Building Official for a walkthrough inspection. If the building is changing occupancy class, you may have to perform work on the building to meet safety requirements.'; A non-conformity -- defined on the same page as 'something that was lawfully established under a previous use code but does not meet the current code' -- may be grandfathered for the PRIOR use, but the guidance warns against assuming a new, different intended use is automatically permitted just because a similar or prior business operated there; A Certificate of Occupancy is issued once the applicant has, per the guidance page's own wording, either '(a) changed occupancy class and meet the building safety requirements or (b) pulled a building permit and performed all work to building code standards'; If the Building Official's walkthrough finds that compliance work is needed, that work is processed under this file's commercial-building-permit or commercial-tenant-improvement-permit entries (same valuation-based Fee Schedule 'A', plus the 25% Plan Review Fee under Schedule 'B'); All retailers with a physical presence in the City of Alamosa are required to obtain a City business license -- per the guidance page: 'All retailers, with a physical presence in the City of Alamosa, are required to have a business license' -- a separate requirement from any building/occupancy process, renewable annually online; Occupying a space before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued triggers a 200% fine of the original permit fee, per Fee Schedule 'B' (documented in this file's commercial-building-permit entry); a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy ($200, max 90 days, 50% refunded after CO issuance) is available if construction/compliance work is still incomplete. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Alamosa Building Department (Development Services) at (719) 589-6631 before starting work.

Alamosa does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Alamosa Building Department (Development Services) at (719) 589-6631 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Sales Tax License / Business License Application. Depending on your project, Alamosa may also ask for: Building Permit & Certificate of Occupancy Application; None published specifically as a 'Change of Use' or 'Change of Occupancy' application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Alamosa requires 2 inspection(s) for a change of use / change of occupancy permit, in order: Building Official Walkthrough Inspection, Final Inspection / Certificate of Occupancy. Schedule each through City of Alamosa Building Department (Development Services) ((719) 589-6631).

Apply through City of Alamosa Building Department (Development Services) at 300 Hunt Ave, Alamosa, CO 81101. Phone: (719) 589-6631, email: Not published as a direct department email on the current alamosa.gov Building Department or Development Services pages as of this review; general inquiries route through (719) 589-6631 (Building Department / Development Services Director Rachel James) or the main City line (719) 589-2593. Office hours: Standard office hours are not published on the current Building Department page; inspections must be scheduled at least one day in advance and occur between 10am and 4pm, by calling (719) 589-6631. Official information: https://www.alamosa.gov/building-department.

Alamosa, Colorado has adopted: 2018 International Building Code (IBC) — City of Alamosa Building Department page (alamosa.gov/building-department); 2018 International Residential Code (IRC); 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC); 2018 International Fire Code (IFC); 2018 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC); 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC); 2009 ICC/ANSI A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities (ICCA 2009); 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — State of Colorado adopted edition, enforced by the state (not the City) per the City's own Building Department page; 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — State of Colorado adopted edition, enforced by the state (not the City); 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — State of Colorado adopted edition, enforced by the state (not the City); Local design criteria published alongside the adopted codes: Ground Snow Load 30 psf; Wind Design Speed 115/89 mph; Frost Line Depth 36 inches (ice) / 32 inches (damage); Seismic Design Category C; Winter Design Temperature -16°F; Air Freezing Index 3000; Mean Annual Temperature 45°F; Ice Barrier Underlayment required. Local amendments apply — see the Alamosa overview page for the full list.

No. RESEARCHED 2026-08-05: no standalone change-of-use or change-of-occupancy application, checklist, or fee is published anywhere in the City's permitting materials, and the Building Department's own full list of permit application forms does not include one. Instead, the City's New Business Guidance page directs applicants to set up a walkthrough meeting with the Building Official, who determines whether compliance work (and therefore a standard Building Permit) is needed before a Certificate of Occupancy can be issued for the new use.

Not necessarily. The City's own guidance defines a non-conformity as 'something that was lawfully established under a previous use code but does not meet the current code' and explicitly cautions applicants not to assume a prior use is automatically permitted for a new, different intended use -- confirm zoning eligibility with Development Services/Planning first.

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Change of Use / Change of Occupancy in other cities

Akron, ColoradoArvada, ColoradoAlamogordo, New MexicoAlpine, UtahAmerican Fork, UtahAnaconda-Deer Lodge, MontanaApache Junction, ArizonaAztec, New Mexico

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