Broomfield building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Broomfield, Colorado.
Last verified 2026-07-23 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- George Di Ciero City & County Building, One DesCombes Drive, Broomfield, CO 80020
- Phone
- 303-438-6370
- Office hours
- Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except holidays; payments accepted 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Over-the-counter Plans Analyst consultations available Tuesdays 9am-Noon and Thursdays 1-4pm. Chief Building Official: Tim Pate, tpate@broomfield.org. Permits cannot be submitted through the Online Portal — all permit application documents, revisions, and affidavits must be emailed to buildingpermits@broomfield.org.
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Broomfield — 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.
- Colorado is a home-rule state with NO single statewide building code — each municipality and county adopts and amends its own code edition(s). The only statewide floor requirements are energy-code related (HB22-1362, the Colorado Energy Code Board / Model Low Energy and Carbon Code process) and, for accessory dwelling units, HB24-1152 (statewide ADU standards for eligible jurisdictions). Applicants working in any other Colorado city or county must independently confirm that jurisdiction's own adopted code edition and amendments — do not assume Broomfield's editions apply elsewhere. Source: Colorado Energy Office, Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
- City and County of Broomfield Ordinance No. 2295, adopted by Broomfield City Council, effective April 15, 2026: adopts the 2024 International Building Code, 2024 International Residential Code, 2024 International Mechanical Code, 2024 International Plumbing Code, 2024 International Fuel Gas Code, 2024 International Existing Building Code, and 2024 International Fire Code (2024 ICC code series), plus the Colorado Low Energy and Carbon Code (state Model Low Energy Carbon Code / MLECC amendment package). Source: City and County of Broomfield Building Code Information page and Building Division page.
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — City and County of Broomfield began enforcement August 1, 2023, based on the State of Colorado's statewide NEC adoption (Colorado state law requires uniform statewide adoption of the NEC only, per the State Electrical Board). Broomfield will begin enforcement of the 2026 NEC on August 1, 2026, per the State Electrical Board's adoption schedule. Source: City and County of Broomfield Building Code Information page.
- Broomfield Municipal Code (BMC) Title 15 (Building and Construction) codifies the locally-amended code editions and permit-fee authority (BMC 15-03-100); BMC Title 17 (Zoning), Chapter 17-32, governs accessory uses including fences (17-32-140) and accessory dwelling units (17-32-160 / 17-04-089). Source: City and County of Broomfield Building Code Information page; Municode library.
- Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Code: a state-mandated model code (Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code Board) that all Colorado jurisdictions must adopt by March 1, 2026 and enforce by June 1, 2026 (both deadlines confirmed on the City's dedicated 'Broomfield Voice' WUI project page, itself last updated 2026-04-15). The City's Building Division page still carries unchanged 2025-vintage text (re-fetched live 2026-07-23, identical to the 2026-07-18 and 2026-07-03 captures) stating Broomfield had not yet held its adoption hearing and was not expected to consider adoption until early 2026. The dedicated Broomfield Voice WUI page (also re-fetched live 2026-07-23, unchanged since its 2026-04-15 update) is more current and explicit: as of its last update the Wildfire Resilience Code 'has not been adopted by Broomfield,' hearing dates are 'not yet set,' and adoption-ordinance readings 'are not anticipated to occur until the second half of 2026.' Both the March 1, 2026 statewide adoption deadline and the June 1, 2026 enforcement deadline have now passed with no adoption on record on either page — Broomfield's WUI code is not yet in effect as of today. Confirm current status directly with the Building Division before relying on it. Source: City and County of Broomfield Building Division page, 'Wildland Urban Interface Code' notice; City of Broomfield ('Broomfield Voice'), '2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code' project page and its 'Key Dates' tab.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Single-Family House)
Required for new single-family home construction in the City and County of Broomfield, reviewed against the 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) and Colorado Low Energy and Carbon Code as adopted by Ordinance No. 2295 (effective April 15, 2026). Applications and plans are submitted by email, not through the online portal.
Residential Addition / Basement Finish / Remodel Permit
Required for additions, basement finishes, and remodels affecting structural or life-safety elements of one- and two-family dwellings in Broomfield. Reviewed against the 2024 IRC as adopted by Ordinance No. 2295. Applications submitted by email.
Electrical Permit
Required for electrical installation, alteration, or repair work in the City and County of Broomfield, governed by the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) per the State of Colorado's statewide NEC adoption, enforced by Broomfield since August 1, 2023. Fees are valuation-based like all other trade permits.
Plumbing Permit
Required for plumbing installation, alteration, or repair work in the City and County of Broomfield, governed by the 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) as adopted by Ordinance No. 2295 (effective April 15, 2026).
Mechanical / HVAC Permit
Required for furnace, air conditioning, heat pump, boiler, and other mechanical equipment installation or replacement in the City and County of Broomfield, governed by the 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) and International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) as adopted by Ordinance No. 2295 (effective April 15, 2026).
Re-Roofing Permit
Required for residential and commercial re-roofing in the City and County of Broomfield. Governed by the 2024 IRC/IBC roofing provisions and the Building Division's Roof Inspection Process Checklist (revised March 2026); reviewed for shingle classification, flashing, and slope-specific underlayment requirements.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System Permit
Required for all photovoltaic (PV) system installations in the City and County of Broomfield. Governed by the City's Photovoltaic Solar Systems requirements (2023 NEC & 2024 IRC, revised April 2026), which specify structural, electrical diagram, and licensing requirements distinct from a standard electrical permit.
EV Charging Station Permit
Required for installation of Level 1, Level 2, or DC Fast electric vehicle charging equipment (EVSE) at residential and non-residential properties in the City and County of Broomfield. Broomfield publishes a dedicated 'EV Charging Stations Installation and Permitting' guidance page, but the permit itself is filed as a standard building permit (with an accompanying electrical plan), not a separate EV-specific permit type or fee category.
Demolition Permit
Required for demolition of buildings within the City and County of Broomfield, assessed a flat permit fee distinct from the valuation-based trade fee schedule. A state demolition permit approval is also required as part of the local submittal.
Fence and Retaining Wall Permit
Fences in Broomfield are administered by the Planning Division (not the Building Division) and require a permit above a 30-inch height threshold. Retaining walls over 3 feet in height are administered by the Building Division and require an engineer-stamped design.
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Permit
Required for construction of an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on a single-unit-zoned property in the City and County of Broomfield. Governed by Ordinance No. 2265 (adopted September 9, 2025, effective September 16, 2025; BMC §17-04-089 / §17-32-160), aligning Broomfield's local ADU rules with the statewide ADU law (HB24-1152). Reviewed by the Planning Division for zoning/design and the Building Division for construction.
Commercial Building Permit (New Commercial Construction & Commercial Additions)
Required for new commercial buildings and commercial additions in the City and County of Broomfield. Reviewed against the 2024 I-Codes (including the Colorado Low Energy and Carbon Code) and the 2026 NEC per the Building Division's New Commercial and Commercial Addition Permit Submittal Document Requirements (Revised July 2026). Uses a dedicated New Commercial Building Permit Application with five trade valuations (General, Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing, Fire Sprinkler) and requires separate parallel submittals to North Metro Fire Rescue District and the City Engineering Division.
Tenant Finish / Commercial Remodel Permit
Required for tenant finish and commercial remodel work in existing commercial buildings in the City and County of Broomfield. A genuinely distinct process from new commercial construction: it has its own Tenant Finish / Commercial Remodel Permit Application, its own New Commercial Tenant Finish Permit Submittal Requirements document (Revised July 2026), an all-electronic submittal (no hard-copy plans, no soils report), a shorter published review timeline (5-6 weeks vs 6-7 weeks), and fewer required parallel agency submittals.
Sign Permit
Required for most permanent signage in the City and County of Broomfield, including freestanding, monument, wall, and ground-level directional signs. Filed on a dedicated Sign Permit Application requiring both Building Division and Planning Division sign-off, and reviewed against the City's sign code (BMC Chapter 17-44) for placement, area, setback, and illumination limits.
Fire Sprinkler and Fire Alarm Permit
Required for installation, alteration, or repair of fire sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems within the City and County of Broomfield. Broomfield does not have its own in-house fire marshal — the North Metro Fire Rescue District (NMFRD), an independent special fire protection district headquartered in Broomfield, is confirmed as 'the fire department serving the City and County of Broomfield' and performs fire-system plan review, permitting, and inspection. A Fire Sprinkler trade valuation line also exists on Broomfield's own General Permit Application, so most fire-suppression work is billed twice: once by the City under the standard valuation-based fee schedule, and separately by NMFRD's own Fire Prevention Division.
Change of Use Permit
Required in the City and County of Broomfield whenever an existing building or tenant space changes to a different use or occupancy classification, even absent major construction. Broomfield does not publish a dedicated change-of-use application or fee category — the change is filed on the same General Permit Application used for alterations and remodels, reviewed by the Building Division under the 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) as adopted by Ordinance No. 2295, and is typically paired with a Planning Division zoning/land-use compliance check and, for a new business, a Certificate of Occupancy.
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 (2026-05)
- 6units
6 buildings · $2.1M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 125units
12 of 12 months reported · #28 in Colorado coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-05)
- 85units
52 buildings · $29.2M valuation
5 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 970units
88 buildings · $227M valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-05 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Colorado building activity
Tips & gotchas
- Colorado is a home-rule state with no single statewide building code — Broomfield's own 2024 ICC code series and 2023 NEC adoptions (via Ordinance No. 2295 and the statewide NEC schedule) apply only within the City and County of Broomfield. Always confirm the specific adopted edition for any other Colorado city or county rather than assuming Broomfield's editions carry over.
- The City and County of Broomfield is a consolidated city-county — it is its own Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) for the entire territory; there is no separate 'Broomfield County' government or building department distinct from the City.
- Permits cannot be submitted through the Online Portal in Broomfield — all permit application documents, revisions, affidavits, and general questions must be emailed to buildingpermits@broomfield.org. The Online Portal is used only after issuance, for tracking status, inspection results, and scheduling (contractors) or viewing documents (homeowners).
- Fences are administered by the Planning Division (planning@broomfield.org / PlanningApps@broomfield.org, 303-438-6284) — a completely separate department, form, and email address from the Building Division that handles every other permit type in this file.
- As of November 1, 2025, Improvement Location Certificates (ILCs) are no longer accepted as base plans for any permit review — use an improvement survey plat, plot plan, plat, site plan, or a licensed-surveyor-stamped/signed plan or aerial photo instead.
- Broomfield charges use tax (not sales tax) on building materials at permit issuance: 4.15% on 50% of the total project valuation, per BMC §3-08-060/§3-08-020. A parallel 4.15% use tax applies separately to 50% of site-work valuation (landscaping, parking, patios, sidewalks, private utilities), collected by the Engineering Division.
- Separate permit fees are calculated independently for each trade (general/building, electrical, mechanical/HVAC, plumbing) on the same General Permit Application, using the shared valuation-based fee table — a single project often generates multiple trade-fee line items rather than one combined fee.
- Plan Review Fee (65% of the combined trade permit fees) applies specifically to commercial projects, new single/multi-family construction, and solar PV installations — not to typical remodel/repair permits.
- Re-inspection/late-cancellation fee is a flat $150, triggered either by a disapproved inspection with penalty or by canceling a scheduled inspection after 8:30 a.m. on the day of the inspection.
- Broomfield explicitly does NOT require ice-and-water shield at the eaves (no local history of ice damming) — a notable local deviation worth flagging since many other Colorado Front Range jurisdictions do require it.
- Solar PV permits require an Electrician's Affidavit/Grounding & Bonding/Roof Letter signed by a Colorado Master Electrician, which substitutes for a physical midpoint/grounding roof inspection — plan documentation accordingly.
- Accessory Dwelling Units are explicitly published and permitted (Ordinance No. 2265, effective September 16, 2025, aligning with statewide HB24-1152): one ADU per single-unit-zoned property, up to 500 sq ft by right (or 50%/800 sq ft cap for larger units), no owner-occupancy requirement, and no separate water/sewer tap needed.
- The Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Code is a separate, still-pending state-mandated adoption as of this review (City had not yet held its adoption hearing per the Building Division page) — check current status before relying on any WUI-specific requirement for Broomfield.
- Water and sewer license fees (separate from building permit fees) rose sharply effective January 1, 2026: $39,350 per three-quarter-inch equivalent water tap and $15,500 per equivalent sewer tap (Ordinance 2286/2287) — these may be applied for with the building permit but are not issued before the building permit itself.
- North Metro Fire Rescue District (NMFRD) impact fees are now in effect (live re-fetch 2026-07-23) and apply in addition to City building permit fees for qualifying projects: $1.06/sq ft residential, $1.50/sq ft commercial & retail, $2.04/sq ft office (full schedule on NMFRD's Fire Impact Fees page). The City's Fees page states the fee began July 23, 2026 (today), while NMFRD's own page states its district-wide schedule took effect April 22, 2026 — the two sources disagree by about three months; confirm current status directly with NMFRD (303-452-9910).
- 2026-07-23 tier-3 audit: every sourceUrl and cited document re-fetched live. Corrected two ungrounded 'eagle' review-timeline figures (New House/Demolition/ADU family was showing 35-40 days for a source that says '7 to 8 weeks' — a business-day conversion inconsistent with the calendar-day (×7) convention used everywhere else in this file; corrected to 49-56 days). Corrected a stale future-tense NMFRD impact-fee claim to present tense and grounded it with NMFRD's own published per-square-foot schedule. Corrected a false 'fee table not published above $18,000' claim across 9 fee entries — BMC 15-03-100, Table 1-A is fully codified on Municode through $500,000+ and was pulled and cited directly. Confirmed Ordinance No. 2295 (not 2205, a typo on the city's own Building Code Information page) via three independent sources. All other figures (codes, fees, timelines, department contact, PDFs) re-verified unchanged.