Denver building permit requirements

Tips & gotchas

• Denver publishes its OWN amended building code (the Denver Building/Residential/Commercial/Fire/Mechanical/Plumbing/Fuel Gas/Energy Codes) rather than adopting ICC codes verbatim — always cite the Denver-specific code edition, not a generic I-Code year.
• As of December 31, 2025, the 2025 Denver code family (based on 2024 I-Codes, except 2021 IECC for energy) is mandatory for all new submittals — no exceptions. The 2022 Denver Building and Fire Code (2021 I-Code base) still governs projects permitted under it, but is no longer accepted for new applications.
• Denver's Energy Code stayed on the 2021 IECC base (not 2024 IECC) even in the 2025 code cycle — this is a deliberate divergence from the rest of the 2025 DBC family, which otherwise moved to the 2024 I-Codes.
• Denver adopted the 2023 NEC (NFPA 70) unamended — matching the State of Colorado's electrical code, unlike most of Denver's other codes which carry Denver-specific amendments.
• Denver is a consolidated city-county (its own county-equivalent, same pattern as Carson City, NV) — Community Planning & Development (CPD) is the single, city-wide building-permit authority; there is no separate county layer.
• Denver runs its OWN electrical and plumbing permitting/plan-review program (Electrical.Review@denvergov.org, MechPlumb.Review@denvergov.org) rather than routing permit issuance through the statewide Colorado DORA Electrical/Plumbing Board — but contractors must still hold the underlying State of Colorado Electrical or Plumbing Contractor card as a prerequisite to obtaining the required Denver contractor license.
• Denver's fee structure is unusual: nearly ALL trade permit types (building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing, demolition) share the SAME valuation-based Table 1 fee schedule (ADMIN 125/138) rather than each trade having its own flat-fee table — the major published exception is the $50 flat fee (with $0 plan review) for solar PV/renewable energy projects.
• Quick permits in Denver skip plan review (and its associated fee) but still use the Table 1 valuation-based PERMIT fee — 'quick' refers to review speed, not necessarily a flat low dollar amount.
• Beginning May 22, 2025, trade quick permits (electrical, mechanical, plumbing, boiler/AC) tied to NEW BUILDINGS or ADDITIONS on single-family/duplex/IRC-townhome projects require an already-issued Residential Construction Permit (RESCON, format YYYY-RESCON-XXXXXXX) before they can be filed — alteration/tenant-finish and repair/replace scopes are unaffected.
• ADUs cannot be self-permitted by homeowners in Denver (must use a licensed contractor), even though a new single-family home CAN be homeowner-permitted under Admin Policy 131.4 — this is a notable asymmetry.
• Demolition in Denver requires CDPHE (state) asbestos approval and a Landmark Preservation review as prerequisite steps before the city demolition permit itself is issued — budget significant lead time.
• All permit applications and fee payments in Denver are handled online via e-permits (denvergov.org/epermits, an Accela-based system) — there is no walk-in paper submission path for building permits, though in-person cashiering is available at 201 W. Colfax Ave., 2nd floor.
• Denver's 2025 code cycle changed how snow loads are determined: rather than a single static table value, applicants now use the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) Hazard Tool for site-specific ground snow load and seismic design criteria; wind load remains a direct Denver Building Code amendment (not from the ASCE tool).