Broomfield building permits

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 took effect July 23, 2026 and apply in addition to City building permit fees for qualifying projects — confirm current NMFRD fee amounts directly with the district.