Springfield building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Springfield, Colorado.
Last verified 2026-07-06 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 748 Main Street, PO Box 4, Springfield, CO 81073
- Phone
- 719-523-4528
- Office hours
- Town Hall main line (719) 523-4528; fax (719) 523-6956 (also seen as 523-6945 on a separate form). Springfield is a statutory town (not home-rule) and does not maintain a standalone 'Building Department' — building permit intake, zoning review, and issuance are handled directly by Town Hall staff (Town Clerk / Town Manager) with Board of Trustees oversight, per Springfield Municipal Code Chapter 16 (Zoning) and the Town's Master Fee Schedule.
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Springfield — 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.
- NONE CURRENTLY ADOPTED — verified by ordinance history, not assumed. The Town of Springfield originally adopted the International Building Code, 2006 edition, on July 10, 2008. Ordinance No. 355 (introduced Feb. 9, 2023; passed second reading March 9, 2023) repealed and re-adopted Sec. 18-1 of the Municipal Code, re-confirming the 2006 IBC with Town-specific geographic limits (Sec. 18-3). HOWEVER, Ordinance No. 356 (introduced June 8, 2023; passed and published July 13, 2023) subsequently REPEALED Chapter 18, Article I, Sec. 18-1 through 18-3 IN THEIR ENTIRETY, including the 2006 IBC adoption itself and all the geographic-limits provisions (frost depth, wind load, snow load, seismic category, etc.). No later ordinance (reviewed the Town's full ordinance archive through Ordinance No. 365, current as of this review) re-adopts any building code edition. As of 2026-07-06, Springfield therefore has NO adopted building code (no IBC/IRC/IMC/IPC/IECC edition) on its books.
- Despite the repealed building code, the Town continues to operate an active Building Permit process governed by Springfield Municipal Code Chapter 16 (Zoning) rather than Chapter 18 (Building Code) — the current Building Permit Application form (dated 03.25.2025) explicitly states the applicant 'agrees to comply with Springfield Municipal Code, Chapter 16 by which this permit is granted' and cites 'MUNICODE CHAPTER 16-ZONING' as the governing authority for the permit's underlying agreement. This is a zoning/land-use permit and property/setback review, not a code-compliance plan review against a specific model code edition.
- Electrical and plumbing work is NOT reviewed or inspected by the Town at all — Ordinance No. 355 (Sec. 13-158, as re-adopted, still in force) defines the 'electrical inspector' as 'the Colorado State Electrical Inspector assigned by the State of Colorado to perform electrical inspections for the Town of Springfield,' and the same ordinance's Sec. 18-3(10) (since repealed along with the rest of Sec. 18-3, but consistent with current practice) stated that electrical and plumbing issues are governed by 'the electrical and plumbing codes required by the State of Colorado.' The current Building Permit Application form itself lists only 'State electrical' and 'State plumbing' under its Inspections checklist — confirming Springfield defers both trades entirely to Colorado DORA/state inspection programs rather than running its own trade-permit or trade-inspection process.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
Required for construction of houses, additions, remodels, accessory structures (porches, carports, decks, sheds, storage, garages, fences), and placement of tiny homes, modular homes, or manufactured/mobile homes within Springfield town limits. Issued directly by Town Hall (Town Clerk/Town Manager) under Springfield Municipal Code Chapter 16 (Zoning) — the Town's building code (originally the 2006 IBC) was repealed in its entirety by Ordinance No. 356 (July 2023) and has not been re-adopted, so this permit functions as a zoning/setback/land-use review rather than a model-code plan review.
Electrical Permit (State-Administered)
Electrical work within Springfield town limits is not permitted or inspected by the Town itself. Per Ordinance No. 355 (Sec. 13-158, currently in force), the 'electrical inspector' for the Town of Springfield is defined as the Colorado State Electrical Inspector assigned by the State of Colorado. The Town's own Building Permit Application lists 'State electrical' as an inspection to be conducted, confirming the Town defers electrical inspection entirely to the Colorado Division of DORA/State Electrical Board rather than running its own trade-permit program. No separate Town electrical permit fee exists in the Master Fee Schedule.
Plumbing Permit (State-Administered)
Plumbing work within Springfield town limits is inspected by Colorado state plumbing inspectors rather than the Town itself. The Town's Building Permit Application lists 'State plumbing' as an inspection to be conducted, and the Town's now-repealed Sec. 18-3(10) (Ordinance No. 355) explicitly stated that plumbing issues are governed by 'the electrical and plumbing codes required by the State of Colorado' with 'Colorado State Electrical and Plumbing inspectors' used for those inspections — a policy the Town's current permit form confirms is still followed in practice even though that specific code section was later repealed along with the rest of Chapter 18.
Demolition (via Building Permit)
The Town of Springfield does not publish a standalone demolition permit application or fee separate from its general Building Permit process. No distinct 'demolition permit' document, fee line, or ordinance provision was found in the Town's Master Fee Schedule, ordinance archive, or Building Permit Application after a full chase of the Town's document, ordinance, and resolution folders.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
Required for installing a rooftop or ground-mount photovoltaic system within Town of Springfield limits. No dedicated solar/PV permit or fee line exists — a solar installation is permitted through the Town's existing general Building Permit (structural/roof-mount, flat + valuation-based Town fee) plus a separate State of Colorado electrical inspection, since the Town's own Ordinance No. 355 (Sec. 13-158) defines the 'electrical inspector' for Springfield as the Colorado State Electrical Inspector assigned by the State, not a Town employee.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Permit
Installing an EV charging station (EVSE) within Town of Springfield limits follows the same two-track pattern documented for solar in this file: a Town Building Permit for any structural component plus a separate State of Colorado electrical inspection, since Ordinance No. 355 (Sec. 13-158) defines the Town's 'electrical inspector' as the Colorado State Electrical Inspector, not a Town employee. No dedicated EV-charger permit, fee line, or process is published by the Town. Colorado's HB24-1173 (EV charging system permitting model code / streamlined-review mandate) does NOT apply here — that law only binds counties with population 20,000+ and municipalities with population 10,000+; Springfield (population ~1,300) is well under both thresholds, so the Town is not required to adopt the state's model EV-permitting code or a specific review procedure. The State's own Electrical Permit Application/Fee Schedule (DORA, State Electrical Board, effective 5/15/2019 — the most recent version located, with no update found in the Board's most recent 1/28/2026 rule revisions) bills a standalone EV charger circuit under Table B ('Commercial and other fees,' installations not based on square footage) at a $90.00 base fee for job valuation of $2,000 or less, plus $8.00 per additional $1,000 of valuation (rounded up), payable to the State of Colorado.
Tips & gotchas
- Springfield is the county seat and largest town in Baca County, and — unlike Baca County itself (which has no county building department and appears on the Colorado Division of Housing's 'Jurisdictions Without Building Departments' list) — DOES run its own distinct, citable Building Permit process, verified via a live 3-page Building Permit Application form (dated 03.25.2025) and a current Master Fee Schedule (Resolution No. 25-07, adopted 8-14-2025).
- Springfield's building code was repealed in its ENTIRETY by Ordinance No. 356 (passed July 13, 2023), after having briefly re-confirmed the 2006 IBC via Ordinance No. 355 just months earlier (Feb/Mar 2023). No later ordinance (checked through Ordinance No. 365) re-adopts any building code. The Town's permit process now runs under Municipal Code Chapter 16 (Zoning) rather than a model building code — treat this as a zoning/setback/land-use permit, not a code-compliance plan review, when advising clients.
- Electrical and plumbing inspections in Springfield are performed entirely by Colorado state inspectors (State Electrical Inspector, state plumbing inspectors), not Town staff — per Ordinance No. 355 Sec. 13-158 and the Building Permit Application's own Inspections checklist. There is no standalone Town electrical or plumbing permit fee.
- HB22-1362 (Colorado's Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code) does not exempt Springfield via any population threshold — its trigger mechanism is tied to a jurisdiction updating/adopting a building code. Since Springfield has no adopted building code at all as of this review, the HB22-1362 trigger has simply never been activated here; this is a byproduct of Springfield's 2023 building-code repeal, not a statutory population carve-out (no such flat carve-out exists in HB22-1362 — that premise, sometimes conflated with the never-enacted SB25-141, was independently verified to be false and is not used anywhere in this file).
- No numeric plan-review or permit-issuance turnaround is published anywhere by the Town (Master Fee Schedule, Building Permit Application, ordinances, or resolutions) — every permitType in this file carries reviewTimelineDays: null / reviewTimelineVerified: false rather than an invented figure.
- A separate Right-of-Way Construction/Obstruction Permit ($250.00 flat per the Master Fee Schedule's 'Street Right of Way Permitting' line) governs utility/underground installations and crossroad cuts within Town right-of-way — this is distinct from the Building Permit and is not modeled as one of this file's permitTypes.
- No standalone demolition permit process, fee, or ordinance provision was found after a full chase of the Town's documents, ordinances (through No. 365), and resolutions (2023-2025) — flagged as confidence: partial in the demolition-permit entry rather than invented.
- The Town's website (springfieldco.gov) is a JavaScript-rendered Apptegy/Thrillshare CMS site that returns an essentially empty shell to a basic HTML fetch; its actual document content (permit forms, ordinances, fee schedules) lives on files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com and was recovered by pulling the site's sitemap.xml and following the underlying document-storage URLs directly, per this corpus's WAF/JS-rendered-site recovery method.
- Baca County's other incorporated towns were briefly checked for the same question: Walsh (the county's second-largest town, its own townofwalsh.colorado.gov site) has a genuine but much thinner process — its 'Permits' page states any structure (buildings, carports, fences, etc.) requires Board of Trustees approval at a regularly scheduled monthly meeting, a completed application submitted to the Town Clerk or Town Superintendent, and a flat $15.00 filing fee; no code apparatus, zoning department, or plan-review process beyond Board approval was found. Campo, Pritchett, Two Buttes, and Vilas showed no evidence of any independent web presence, permit form, or fee schedule beyond a Baca County directory listing (address/phone only) — consistent with genuine nulls at the building-permit level for those four towns, though this was a brief check only and not a full recovery-avenue chase like Springfield received.