Englewood building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Englewood, Colorado.
Last verified 2026-07-19 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 1000 Englewood Parkway, 3rd Floor, Englewood, CO 80110
- Phone
- 303-762-2357 (Building Department main line); 303-762-2356
- Office hours
- Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (holidays excepted) — per the City's general Contact Us / Business Hours page (englewoodco.gov/our-city/contact-us); no Building & Codes Division-specific hours are separately published, so this is City Hall's general business hours as of verification.
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Englewood's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Englewood — sequence, scheduling & re-inspection fees.
Codes adopted
Colorado has no statewide-mandated building code edition. Under the Colorado Constitution's home-rule provisions (art. XX, home rule for municipalities since 1902; home rule for counties since 1970), building codes and zoning are an enumerated home-rule charter power, so cities and counties adopt and amend their own construction codes independently — predominantly the I-Codes, with editions and local amendments varying by jurisdiction. The one statewide floor is for energy: HB22-1362 (2022) created the Energy Code Board (jointly appointed by the Colorado Energy Office and the Department of Local Affairs) and requires that, on or after July 1, 2023 and before July 1, 2026, any municipality or county that adopts or updates a building code must adopt and enforce an energy code achieving performance equivalent to or better than the 2021 IECC together with the board's Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code (which includes electric-ready, EV-ready, and solar-ready provisions); from July 1, 2026 onward the floor shifts to the board's Model Low Energy and Carbon Code or an equivalent. Electrical and plumbing permitting defaults to the Colorado State Electrical Board and State Plumbing Board (within DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations) — the state issues permits and inspects statewide except in counties/jurisdictions that operate their own certified Electrical or Plumbing Inspection Program, in which case the local program has authority instead. Always confirm the currently adopted code edition, local amendments, and inspection authority (state board vs. local program) with the specific jurisdiction before submitting plans.
- 2024 International Building Code (IBC)
- 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)
- 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC)
- 2024 International Fire Code (IFC)
- 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC)
- 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC)
- 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC)
- 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC)
- 2024 International Residential Code (IRC)
- 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC)
- ICC A117.1-2017 Standards for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC)
Per the City's Adopted Codes and Amendments page: 'All permits submitted after May 31, 2026 will be reviewed under the following codes' (the 2024-cycle codes listed above). Show full textShow less
Per the City's Adopted Codes and Amendments page: 'All permits submitted after May 31, 2026 will be reviewed under the following codes' (the 2024-cycle codes listed above). That effective date has passed as of the lastVerified date, so the 2024-cycle codes are the currently governing set — this supersedes the prior 2021-cycle codes (2021 IBC/IRC/IFC + 2023 NEC) that are still referenced in some older subsidiary documents (see tipsAndGotchas).
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
The City of Englewood's own Building & Codes Division reviews and issues building permits directly (self-administered, not routed through Arapahoe County) for BOTH residential AND commercial work — new construction, additions, alterations/remodels, tenant improvements, changes of occupancy, and general trade work (electrical, plumbing, mechanical, water heater, HVAC, etc.) — under the 2024-cycle International Codes and 2023 NEC. This is a single unified permit process: residential and commercial projects go through the same iMS portal and the same valuation-based fee bracket table; what differs is the plan-submittal checklist. The City publishes commercial-specific submittal checklists ('Plan Submittal Requirements for Commercial Plan Review' for new construction/additions, and 'Plan Submittal Requirements: Commercial Remodel, Addition, Tenant Improvement, or Change of Occupancy') on its Plan Submittal Requirements page — tenant improvement is a commercial submittal-checklist variant of this same permit, not a separate permit type with its own fee or timeline.
From$26.78Commercial Building Permit
Commercial new construction, additions, alterations, tenant improvements, and changes of occupancy in Englewood go through the same Building Permit the City issues for residential work — Englewood does not operate a second, commercial-only permit product. The City's own Building & Codes Division reviews and issues the permit directly, using the same ims.englewoodco.gov portal and the same valuation-based fee bracket table for every occupancy. What differs for a commercial project is the plan-submittal package (the City's dedicated commercial checklists, each plan discipline sealed by the matching Colorado-licensed professional), full payment of the 65% plan review fee (the waiver applies only to single-family, owner-occupied dwellings), and fire-protection plan review, which is handled separately by the City's own Fire Marshal's Office rather than by the Building Division or by Denver Fire.
From$26.78Residential Re-Roof Permit
Required for residential re-roofing where the repaired/replaced area is 100 sq. ft. or more (roofing repairs under 100 sq. ft. are permit-exempt per the City's 'To Permit or Not To Permit' page). Fee is based on a per-square asphalt-roofing valuation fed into the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee Schedule table. Since July 1, 2024, a Mid-Roof Compliance Form is required for all one- and two-family residential re-roofs.
From$226.60Fence Permit
Required for replacing or adding fencing within Englewood, per the City's 'To Permit or Not To Permit' page. Fee is based on a per-linear-foot wood-fencing valuation fed into the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee Schedule table.
$28.33Demolition Permit
Required before any structure within the City may be demolished; issued by the City's own Building & Codes Division under Englewood Municipal Code (EMC) Title 8, Chapter 6. A separate demolition permit is required for each structure demolished. Fees are flat amounts set by structure type rather than the valuation table used for general building permits.
From$50.00Solar PV Permit (Rooftop)
Covers rooftop solar photovoltaic installations. The City publishes an explicit customer-service commitment to process small rooftop solar PV permit applications within 5 business days, uses a dedicated online solar-specific permit application, and offers inspection appointment times (rather than windows) for solar projects on request.
See fee scheduleEV Charger / EVSE Permit (Billed as General Building Permit)
Required for installation of a Level 2 (or higher) electric vehicle charger/EVSE in the City of Englewood. Englewood self-administers a single, unified Building Permit covering all trade work — including 'adding or altering electrical systems,' per the City's own 'To Permit or Not To Permit' page — rather than issuing a separate standalone electrical permit type. An EV charger circuit is billed under the same valuation-based Building Permit fee bracket table used for other electrical work, reviewed under the 2024-cycle International Codes and 2023 NEC (Article 625, Electric Vehicle Power Transfer System) as adopted. Englewood's population (approx. 34,000) exceeds the 10,000-resident 'covered municipality' threshold under Colorado HB24-1173 (Electric Vehicle Charging System Permits Act), which required a compliance action (adopting the Colorado Energy Office's EV Charging Model Land Use Code, an equivalent local ordinance, or an opt-out resolution) by Dec. 31, 2025 for LAND USE permitting of EV charging stations — but no separate ordinance, land-use standard, or building/electrical-permit fee change specific to EV chargers was found published by the City as of the last verification; the Model Code itself exempts ordinary Level 1/Level 2 charging from land-use permitting due to minimal public impact, leaving the building/electrical permit as the operative mechanism for a typical residential charger install.
From$26.78Sign Permit
Required to erect, alter, reconstruct, or replace most permanent and temporary signs within Englewood, per Englewood Municipal Code (EMC) Title 16 (Unified Development Code, adopted September 2023), Chapter 9 — Signs. Under Chapter 9, sign standards are administered by Community Development (zoning compliance) rather than a separate 'sign office,' though a sign requiring structural or electrical work additionally needs the corresponding Building Permit/electrical scope documented in the building-permit entry. No dedicated sign-permit fee line item exists in either the City's 2026 Building Permit Fee Schedule or its 2026 Zoning/Community Development Application Fees schedule — consistent with the pattern for other permit types without a dedicated line (Fence, EV Charger), a sign requiring structural/electrical work is billed under the general valuation-based Building Permit Fee Schedule.
See fee scheduleFire Sprinkler and Fire Alarm System Permit
Required for installation, modification, or repair of any fire sprinkler system (NFPA 13/13D/13R), fire alarm or detection system, fire pump, standpipe, private fire hydrant, smoke control system, or related fire-protection life-safety system in Englewood. Fire code plan review, permitting, and inspection are handled by the City's own Fire Marshal's Office — housed under the Police Department's Special Operations and Code Division at 3615 S. Elati St., Englewood, CO 80110 — not by a fire protection district, even though the City disbanded its uniformed Fire/Rescue Department in 2015 and contracts fire suppression and EMS response to the Denver Fire Department. The Fire Marshal's Office enforces the City's locally amended 2024 International Fire Code (IFC), effective May 6, 2026; plans submitted May 6-31, 2026 may use either the 2021 or the 2024 IFC, and the 2024 IFC is mandatory for all new submittals from June 1, 2026. Operational and construction permits, including sprinkler and alarm permits, are applied for through the same ims.englewoodco.gov portal used for general building permits — but on a separate application and review track, so budget time for both.
See fee scheduleChange of Use / Change of Occupancy
Englewood does not publish a standalone 'change of use' or 'change of occupancy' application, checklist, or fee separate from the unified Building Permit already documented in the building-permit entry. The City's own 'Plan Submittal Requirements: Commercial Remodel, Addition, Tenant Improvement, or Change of Occupancy' checklist explicitly folds a change of occupancy into that same commercial submittal process: 'If the project is a change of occupancy, make note on the plans. A new certificate of occupancy will be issued.' Community Development additionally confirms zoning use permissibility as a required early step (per the City's own 'Opening a Business in Englewood' checklist), and — because every business operating in Englewood must hold a City of Englewood Business License (EMC Chapter 4, Article 4, administered through the GovOS/MUNIRevs online system, $25 application fee, valid two years) — a use change tied to a new or different business operator also requires a new or updated Business License, independent of the Building Permit itself. Where the changed use affects fire/life-safety requirements, the City's own Fire Marshal's Office (documented in the fire-sprinkler-alarm-permit entry, not an outside fire district) separately reviews the project as part of its normal fire-permit process.
From$26.78valuation-based
Englewood's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Englewood yet is the record of permits actually issued — the history you'd search by street address. That is a gap in our coverage, not a statement about any particular property.
Your email, and the place — never an address. We only use it to tell you when Englewood lands. Privacy.
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-07)
- 2units
2 buildings · $1.1M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 78units
10 of 12 months reported · #38 in Colorado coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-07)
- 16units
14 buildings · $5.7M valuation
7 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 84units
40 buildings · $23.8M valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-07 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Colorado building activity
Tips & gotchas
- Englewood's Building & Codes Division (1000 Englewood Parkway, 3rd Floor) is a self-administered City department under the Community Development Department — it is NOT routed through Arapahoe County or a joint city-county authority. Arapahoe County's own building department has no jurisdiction inside Englewood city limits.
- There is a real, sourced tension between code-edition references across the City's own documents: the dedicated Adopted Codes and Amendments page states the 2024-cycle International Codes govern all permits submitted after May 31, 2026 (a date that has passed as of the verification), while the 2026 Building Permit Fee Schedule PDF header and the Solar PV plan-submittal checklist (revised 07/2023) both still reference the older 2021-cycle codes. This record treats the Adopted Codes page as authoritative for code-edition questions since it is the most specific and most recently dated source on that exact question; the fee amounts themselves (from the 2026 fee schedule) are still current and unaffected by this code-citation staleness.
- The Building Permit fee table is valuation-based (a standard ICC-style bracket schedule), and several permit types feed a computed per-unit valuation into that same table rather than charging a flat dollar fee — e.g., Asphalt Roofing at $226.60/square and Wood Fencing at $28.33/linear foot (both minimums), per the 2026 Building Permit Fee Schedule.
- Demolition Permits are a genuine exception to the valuation-table pattern — they carry flat fees ($50 single-family/duplex/accessory; $200 multi-family/non-residential) set under EMC § 8-6-1, confirmed current via the City's 2025 Schedule of Service, License and Permit Fees and Utility Rates even though the flat dollar figures were removed from the ordinance text itself by a 2023 amendment (Ord. 2023-67) and now live only in the standalone fee-schedule resolution.
- The 65% plan review fee (charged as a percentage of the building permit fee) is waived entirely for single-family, owner-occupied dwellings — verify eligibility before budgeting a project, since rental and multi-family properties do not qualify for the waiver.
- The Solar PV Permit is the only permit type in this record with a verified, City-published numeric review-timeline commitment (5 business days for small rooftop solar PV applications) — every other permit type here carries reviewTimelineDays: null with an honest note, since no comparable turnaround figure is published for general building, re-roof, fence, or demolition permits.
- All permit submittals citywide go through the iMS online portal (ims.englewoodco.gov); the City enforces strict electronic-file standards (unlocked PDFs only, black-and-white, no image formats, upright orientation, 1/4"=1'-0" minimum scale) and will reject non-conforming submittals outright, per the Electronic File Submittal Requirements guide bundled with the Solar PV checklist.
- Englewood issues NO separate commercial building permit or tenant-improvement permit — the single unified Building Permit entry covers residential AND commercial work alike, per the City's Plan Submittal Requirements page and both commercial checklists. Commercial projects differ only in the submittal package (commercial-specific checklists requiring discipline-matched Colorado professional seals, COMcheck, Industrial Wastewater Survey, etc.) and in paying the 65% plan review fee in full; the fee brackets, portal, and process are identical to residential.