Lone Tree building permits

Building department

Address

9220 Kimmer Dr., Suite 100, Lone Tree, CO 80124

Phone

720-390-5211

Email

building@cityoflonetree.com

Office hours

7:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Monday-Friday, excluding holidays/weekends. Chief Building Official: Matt Archer. Community Development Director: Kelly First (kelly.first@cityoflonetree.com, 720-509-1274). General city line: 303-708-1818.

Website

Official site

Permit portal

Apply online at Lone Tree's portal

Inspection guide

See how inspections work in Lone Tree — 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.

• 2021 International Building Code (IBC), as amended — City of Lone Tree Design Criteria & Codes page
• 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), as amended
• 2021 International Fire Code (IFC)
• 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC)
• 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC)
• 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC)
• 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)
• 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC)
• 2017 ICC A117.1 Accessibility Code
• Note on Chapter 18 (Building Regulations), Lone Tree Municipal Code: search-indexed content confirms the City has adopted the International Building Code, 2021 Edition, as amended, with a certified copy on file with the City Clerk; a local amendment adds Section 105.3.8 'Soils Test,' requiring a soils test prepared by a Colorado-registered professional engineer at building permit application, with an engineering geologist additionally required for hillside/geological-hazard/steep-slope sites at the Building Official's discretion. Full text of Chapter 18 could not be independently re-verified beyond this indexed excerpt because library.municode.com/co/lone_tree serves an Angular single-page app shell (empty of code text without JS rendering) and returned HTTP 403 to both a standard fetch and a full-browser-header curl retry — this is a partial-confidence caveat on the amendment-detail level only, not on the base code-edition list, which is independently confirmed on the City's own actively-maintained Design Criteria & Codes page.
• HB22-1362 statewide energy floor (Colorado): as of 2026-07-06 (this review date), HB22-1362 requires that municipalities/counties updating their building code adopt an energy code achieving equivalent-or-better performance than the 2021 IECC + Model Electric and Solar Ready Code (effective window 7/1/2023-6/30/2026), stepping up to the Colorado Energy Code Board's Model Low Energy and Carbon Code (published 9/2/2025) as the new statewide minimum for any code update on or after 7/1/2026. Lone Tree's currently-published adopted energy code is the 2021 IECC (per its own Design Criteria & Codes page, most recent update not dated on-page) — this predates the 7/1/2026 Model Low Energy and Carbon Code trigger point and does not itself violate HB22-1362, since that stricter floor applies only when a jurisdiction next updates its code. Flagged honestly rather than assumed; confirm current status with the Building Division (720-390-5211) before relying on this for a 2026-cycle project, since Lone Tree could adopt updated codes at any time.

Permit types & fees

• Residential Building Permit (New Construction)

  Required for new construction of single-family homes and duplexes in the City of Lone Tree. Reviewed under the 2021 IRC/IBC as locally adopted (Chapter 18 of the Lone Tree Municipal Code), plus the City's published Design Criteria (30 psf ground snow load, 115 mph ULT wind/Exposure C, 36-inch frost depth, Seismic Design Category B). Issued by the Community Development Department, Building Division.

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• Residential Addition / Remodel Permit (including Basement Finish)

  Required for additions, basement finishes, and interior remodels to existing residential structures in Lone Tree. Reviewed under the 2021 IRC as locally adopted. The City's own guidance explicitly names 'basement finish' and 'additions' as permit-triggering work.

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• Electrical Permit

  Required for installation, alteration, or repair of electrical systems in Lone Tree. Issued directly by the City's Building Division as part of its combined Building/Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing permit program (not deferred to the Colorado State Electrical Board). Governed by the 2023 NEC as adopted. Contractors must hold current Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA) licensure as a matter of state law, in addition to the City permit.

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• Plumbing Permit

  Required for installation, alteration, or repair of plumbing systems in Lone Tree, issued directly by the City's Building Division as part of its combined permit program. Governed by the 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC) as adopted. Contractors must hold current Colorado State Plumbing Board (DORA) licensure as a matter of state law, in addition to the City permit.

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• Mechanical / HVAC Permit

  Required for heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment installation or replacement in Lone Tree, including air conditioners, furnaces, and water heaters. Governed by the 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC) and 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) as adopted. Douglas County Use Tax is explicitly waived on mechanical-only permits.

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• Furnace / Water Heater Replacement Permit

  A narrower permit scope for like-for-like replacement of a residential furnace or water heater, explicitly named by the City as requiring a permit (distinct from the broader mechanical/HVAC permit type, which also covers new installations such as air conditioners). Billed under the same shared valuation-based Building/Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing fee table; exempt from Douglas County Use Tax.

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• Roofing Permit (Re-Roof)

  Required when replacing more than 1 square (100 sq ft) of roofing in Lone Tree. Governed by the 2021 IRC/IBC as adopted; notably, ice and water (ice barrier) underlayment is explicitly NOT required by the City, unlike many mountain-corridor Colorado jurisdictions.

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• Solar Electric / Solar Thermal Device Permit

  Required for solar photovoltaic and solar thermal device installations in Lone Tree. Billed as a flat fee under the 2026 Building Division fee schedule, distinct from the valuation-based Building/Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing table. Douglas County Use Tax is explicitly waived on photovoltaic systems.

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• Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Permit

  The City of Lone Tree does not publish a dedicated ADU ordinance, zoning allowance summary, or standalone ADU permit page. RE-CHASED 2026-07-23 directly against the live, current (May 22, 2026 codified version) Lone Tree Municipal Code on Municode: Chapter 16 (Zoning), Article VII (SR Suburban Residential District, which governs virtually all single-family residential zoning) lists 'Principal Uses' (Sec. 16-7-20, limited to one single-family dwelling per lot), 'Accessory Uses' (Sec. 16-7-30), and 'Accessory Buildings and Uses in SR-E, SR-L and SR-M Subzoning Districts' (Sec. 16-7-300) in full, and none of these lists include 'accessory dwelling unit,' 'ADU,' or a second dwelling unit as a permitted use — accessory uses are limited to private garages, home occupations, satellite dishes, small water/wastewater facilities, and swimming pools; accessory buildings in the SR-E/L/M subzones are limited to detached garages, home occupations, maintenance buildings, private pools/greenhouses, storm shelters, and tennis courts/BBQ pits/water features. Separately, Sec. 6-6-40(b) of the Municipal Code ('Short-term rental of non-primary residences and accessory dwelling units prohibited') confirms the City's code does recognize 'accessory dwelling unit' as a term, but only in the context of banning its short-term rental — not as an established zoned use. An ADU project (where the parcel's zone district happens to allow a second dwelling, e.g. via a Planned Development zoning overlay under Article XV, or via a variance/rezoning) would be processed as a standard Residential Addition/New Construction building permit through the Accela portal, subject to the same Design Criteria, soils-test amendment, and shared valuation-based fee table as other residential work — but the standard SR-district zoning does not permit a second dwelling unit by right.

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• Demolition Permit

  Required to demolish, or otherwise change/remove, any building or structure in Lone Tree. Billed as a flat fee under the 2026 Building Division fee schedule.

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• Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit

  The City of Lone Tree does not publish a dedicated Tenant Improvement (TI) permit page or process summary distinct from its general commercial Building Permit. A commercial TI project would be filed as a standard Building Permit application through the Accela portal, subject to the 2021 IBC as adopted and the same shared valuation-based fee table used for all occupancies. RE-CHASED and RE-CONFIRMED live on 2026-07-23 (direct re-fetch of the Permits and Applications page and a sitewide search of cityoflonetree.com for 'tenant improvement'/'submittal checklist', both returning no dedicated TI page, form, or checklist) — this is a confirmed absence on a live primary source, not an unresolved gap.

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• Deck / Patio Cover Permit

  Required for decks and patio covers in Lone Tree, explicitly named by the City as permit-triggering work (distinct from exempt concrete patios and driveways at grade). Governed by the 2021 IRC as adopted and the City's Design Criteria for structural loading.

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• EV Charger / Electric Vehicle Charging Station Permit

  The City of Lone Tree's 2026 Building Fees schedule has no dedicated EV-charger or EVSE line item -- unlike Solar Electric or Solar Thermal Devices, which have their own flat $480.00 line. Installing a Level 2 (240V) home EV charger requires a City of Lone Tree Electrical Permit, billed under the same valuation-based 'Building, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Permit Fees for All Occupancies' table used for any electrical installation, issued directly by the City's Building Division under the 2023 NEC as adopted.

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