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Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit in Boulder, Colorado

Required for interior remodels, additions, and tenant improvements in commercial, multifamily, and mixed-use buildings in the City of Boulder. Governed by the 2024 IBC family and the 2024 City of Boulder Energy Conservation Code (CoBECC), with the CoBECC Mandatory Measures Checklist now required to be integrated directly into the plan set.

Verified 2026-06-30 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Use the 'Multi-family and Non-residential Building Permit Checklist' / Multi-family, Commercial, or Mixed-Use Tenant Finish Guide to prepare the application package
  • Incomplete applications or plans not meeting submittal requirements will not be accepted for review
  • Required core documents: Scope of Work Form, Building Owner Authorization Form, Plumbing Fixture Count and Irrigation Form, Energy Modeling Summary Report
  • 2024 CoBECC Mandatory Measures Checklist must be integrated into the construction plan set
  • Conditional requirements depending on scope/location: asbestos inspection reports (commercial trigger: 160 sq ft disturbed surfaces / 260 linear ft disturbed pipe), stormwater fee calculations, Historic Preservation approvals, floodplain/wetland permits, Wildland-Urban Interface compliance documentation
  • Plan Check Fee for nonresidential/multifamily initial application = 65% of the building permit fee

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee — valuation-based (Table applies; Tenant Finish scope = 50% of Table valuation)2026 Schedule of Fees, City of Boulder Valuation Table — Scope percentages apply to the ICC August 2025 square-foot construction cost table by occupancy group and construction type
Per the City of Boulder Valuation Table – Scope: Tenant Finish = 50%, Core and Shell = 75%, New = 100%
Plan Check Fee — Nonresidential, initial application2026 Schedule of Fees, Plan Check Fee (Section 4-20-4(f)7)
65% of the Building Permit Fee
Energy Code Fee — Commercial2026 Schedule of Fees, Energy Code Fee (Section 4-20-4(f)8)
$104.05

Review timeline

Plan reviewTypical estimate — confirm current times with the Boulder building department
~1–1 business days

How long did your Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit permit actually take in Boulder?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Framing / Structural

    After framing complete, before walls covered

  2. 2

    MEP Rough-In

    Mechanical, electrical, plumbing rough-in before walls closed

  3. 3

    Final

    All work complete, life safety systems functional, ready for Certificate of Occupancy

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

Tips

  • Boulder's Tenant Finish valuation scope is 50% of the applicable ICC construction-cost-table value (vs. 100% for new construction and 75% for core-and-shell) under the City of Boulder Valuation Table — factor this into fee estimates.
  • The 2024 CoBECC Mandatory Measures Checklist must now be built directly into the plan set for commercial/multifamily tenant finish projects — this is a Boulder-specific requirement distinct from a generic IECC compliance path.
  • Incomplete submittals (missing any of the four core forms) will be rejected outright rather than routed to review — assemble the full package before submitting.

Frequently asked questions

Boulder requires a commercial tenant improvement permit for: Use the 'Multi-family and Non-residential Building Permit Checklist' / Multi-family, Commercial, or Mixed-Use Tenant Finish Guide to prepare the application package; Incomplete applications or plans not meeting submittal requirements will not be accepted for review; Required core documents: Scope of Work Form, Building Owner Authorization Form, Plumbing Fixture Count and Irrigation Form, Energy Modeling Summary Report; 2024 CoBECC Mandatory Measures Checklist must be integrated into the construction plan set; Conditional requirements depending on scope/location: asbestos inspection reports (commercial trigger: 160 sq ft disturbed surfaces / 260 linear ft disturbed pipe), stormwater fee calculations, Historic Preservation approvals, floodplain/wetland permits, Wildland-Urban Interface compliance documentation; Plan Check Fee for nonresidential/multifamily initial application = 65% of the building permit fee. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Boulder Planning & Development Services at 303-441-1880 before starting work.

In Boulder, the published Building Permit Fee — valuation-based (Table applies; Tenant Finish scope = 50% of Table valuation) is: Per the City of Boulder Valuation Table – Scope: Tenant Finish = 50%, Core and Shell = 75%, New = 100%. Additional published fees: Plan Check Fee — Nonresidential, initial application — 65% of the Building Permit Fee; Energy Code Fee — Commercial — $104.05. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Plan review for a commercial tenant improvement permit in Boulder typically runs 1–1 business days. This is an estimate, not a published figure — confirm current review times with City of Boulder Planning & Development Services at 303-441-1880.

You'll need: Multi-family and Non-residential Building Permit Checklist; Scope of Work Form; Building Owner Authorization Form; Plumbing Fixture Count and Irrigation Form; Energy Modeling Summary Report; 2024 CoBECC Mandatory Measures Checklist. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Boulder requires 3 inspection(s) for a commercial tenant improvement permit, in order: Framing / Structural, MEP Rough-In, Final. Schedule each through City of Boulder Planning & Development Services (303-441-1880).

Apply through City of Boulder Planning & Development Services at 1101 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, CO 80302. Phone: 303-441-1880, email: PDSpermitadmin@bouldercolorado.gov. Office hours: Tuesday–Friday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.. Official information: https://bouldercolorado.gov/services/building-permits-and-inspections.

Boulder, Colorado has adopted: 2024 International Building Code (IBC) family — City Council adopted the 2024 International Code Council (ICC) suite of codes with local amendments on March 20, 2025 (Ordinance 8684); effective August 1, 2025; local amendments codified in Title 10 of the Boulder Revised Code; 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) — part of the 2024 ICC suite adopted March 20, 2025, effective August 1, 2025, with Boulder amendments in BRC Title 10; 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — part of the 2024 ICC suite, effective August 1, 2025; 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — part of the 2024 ICC suite, effective August 1, 2025; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — part of the 2024 ICC suite, effective August 1, 2025; 2024 International Fire Code (IFC) — part of the 2024 ICC suite, effective August 1, 2025; 2024 City of Boulder Energy Conservation Code (CoBECC) — Boulder's own locally-amended energy code (not a straight IECC adoption), effective December 1, 2024; published on ICC Digital Codes as COBECC2024P1; mandatory-measures checklist now required to be integrated into commercial/multifamily plan sets; 2023 NFPA 70 National Electrical Code (NEC), as amended by the City of Boulder — effective August 1, 2023; amendments in BRC Title 10; 2021 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) — applies to properties in Boulder's designated wildland urban interface zone per the city's Structure Protection Plan / Wildland Fire program (edition as referenced in Boulder's Zoning and Permitting FAQ, Oct. 2020; confirm current edition at time of application). Local amendments apply — see the Boulder overview page for the full list.

A commercial/multi-family building permit reviewed against the 2024 IBC family and the 2024 City of Boulder Energy Conservation Code (CoBECC), submitted with the Multi-family and Non-residential Building Permit Checklist package (Scope of Work Form, Building Owner Authorization, Plumbing Fixture Count and Irrigation Form, Energy Modeling Summary Report, and the CoBECC Mandatory Measures Checklist integrated into the plan set).

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-06-30.

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 Boulder building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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