Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit in Westcliffe, Colorado

Westcliffe requires a change of use / change of occupancy permit for: IBC Section 3401.3, as locally amended (Ord. 7-2016, eff. 6/2/2016), requires that alterations, repairs, additions, and changes of occupancy to existing structures comply with the alteration/repair/change-of-occupancy provisions of the International Fire Code, International Mechanical Code, International Existing Buildings Code (IEBC), and International Residential Code as adopted by the Town; No standalone 'Change of Use Permit' or 'Change of Occupancy Permit' application, fee line, or dedicated form was found published separately from the Town's general Building Permit Application and its valuation-based Fee Schedule -- checked the Building Department page, the standalone Fee Schedule (searched directly for 'occupanc' and 'change of use', no matches), and the codified Title 3, Chapter 2 ordinance text directly; A change of occupancy affecting fire-code classification would also fall within Wet Mountain Fire Protection District's role as the Town's designated Department of Fire Prevention (IFC Sec. 103.1 amendment) -- but see this file's fire-sprinkler-alarm-permit entry: WMFPD's own website publishes no permit or review process of any kind beyond open burning; A separate 'Use By Special Review' application exists on the Town's Applications & Forms page for zoning/land-use matters that may be implicated by certain use changes, but this is a Planning Commission/zoning-level process outside this file's Building Department permitTypes scope (consistent with this file's existing treatment of Fence, Sign, and Excavation permits as separate categories) and is not modeled as this permitType; If work is started before a permit is obtained, the Town's Fee Schedule states the permit fee will double, the same across-the-board penalty documented for the Town's other Building and Zoning permit types. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Westcliffe Building and Zoning Department (Building and Zoning Official / Town Manager) at 719-783-2282, ext. 12 (Building Department); ext. 10 or 11 (other permit/application forms) before starting work.

In Westcliffe, the published Building Permit Fee (same valuation-based schedule as new construction/remodels) is: $100.00 minimum, scaling per the valuation tiers in the Town's standalone Fee Schedule. Additional published fees: Penalty for starting work before permit issuance — Permit fee doubles. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Westcliffe does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Town of Westcliffe Building and Zoning Department (Building and Zoning Official / Town Manager) at 719-783-2282, ext. 12 (Building Department); ext. 10 or 11 (other permit/application forms) for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application. Depending on your project, Westcliffe may also ask for: Use By Special Review Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Westcliffe requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / change of occupancy permit, in order: Compliance Inspection. Schedule each through Town of Westcliffe Building and Zoning Department (Building and Zoning Official / Town Manager) (719-783-2282, ext. 12 (Building Department); ext. 10 or 11 (other permit/application forms)).

Apply through Town of Westcliffe Building and Zoning Department (Building and Zoning Official / Town Manager) at 1000 Main Street, P.O. Box 406, Westcliffe, CO 81252. Phone: 719-783-2282, ext. 12 (Building Department); ext. 10 or 11 (other permit/application forms), email: deputyclerk@townofwestcliffe.com. Office hours: Building and Zoning office hours: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Town Hall general hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).. Official information: https://townofwestcliffe.colorado.gov/departments/building-department.

Westcliffe, Colorado has adopted: 2006 International Building Code (IBC), excluding all appendices unless specifically adopted — Westcliffe Municipal Code Title 3, Chapter 2, Section 3-2-1 (Ord. 7-2016, eff. 6/2/2016, repealing and replacing the section originally adopted by Ord. 3-1991, amended by Ord. 3-1996, Ord. 1-2000, Ord. 2-2008); 2006 International Residential Code (IRC), with Appendix E (Manufactured Housing Used as Dwellings) adopted in its entirety; 2006 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2006 International Fire Code (IFC), with Wet Mountain Fire Protection District named as the Department of Fire Prevention for the Town (Section 103.1 amendment); 2006 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — locally amended to replace all references to the International Property Maintenance Code; 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC); No local International Plumbing Code (IPC) or National Electrical Code (NEC) edition is separately adopted by the Town — electrical and plumbing permitting/inspection authority is assigned entirely to the State of Colorado (see localAmendments and the electrical-permit/plumbing-permit entries below).; Currency note: the Town's own codified Municipal Code (Title 3, Chapter 2, most recently amended by Ord. 7-2016, eff. 6/2/2016) still specifies the 2006 ICC code family with no more recent edition-adoption ordinance found after a full chase (Municode library, Town press-release archive, and direct site search for a 2018/2021/2024-edition adoption ordinance all came up empty as of this review). Colorado is home-rule with no statewide-mandated code edition for a town this size, so the 2006 suite is treated as the current, governing adopted code for this file rather than assumed to have been silently upgraded.. Local amendments apply — see the Westcliffe overview page for the full list.

Yes. The Town's own Municipal Code amends IBC Section 3401.3 to require that changes of occupancy to existing structures comply with the alteration/change-of-occupancy provisions of the adopted International Fire Code, International Mechanical Code, International Existing Buildings Code, and International Residential Code. This is processed through the Town's general Building Permit -- there is no separate standalone change-of-use permit or fee.