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Commercial Building Permit (New Construction / Shell) in Parker, Colorado

Required for construction of any new commercial building in the Town of Parker, whether the tenant is known (COMMERCIAL - NEW) or the building is core-and-shell only with tenants unknown (COMMERCIAL - SHELL). Reviewed by the Town's own Building Division (plus South Metro Fire Rescue for fire-related plan review) under the 2024 I-Code suite once it takes full effect June 30, 2026, using the same Building Permit Fee Valuation Schedule (Table 3.1) as residential new construction, but with a commercial-specific plan-check deposit and an excise tax not charged on residential permits.

Verified 2026-08-02 · Source

When you need this permit

  • A permit is required for any new commercial building, regardless of size
  • COMMERCIAL - NEW: the building's tenant is already known (e.g., a new grocery store, restaurant). COMMERCIAL - SHELL: core-and-shell only, tenant(s) not yet known — per the Town's own Building Permit Type & Sub-Type Definitions
  • All documents must be submitted electronically (PDF only), maximum 50MB per file, filenames with no special characters, and a Description field filled in or plan review will not proceed
  • One complete plan set stamped by required engineers: Site Plan, Architectural (floor/roof/schedules/sections, rated walls and floor assemblies, firestopping), Structural, and Mechanical/Plumbing/Electrical sheets stamped by engineer (see C.R.S. 12-4-101 on engineer stamping requirements)
  • A soils report and a calculations book, each complete and stamped by an engineer, are required, along with a project manual (if used) stamped by the architect
  • Elevator drawings, if applicable, must be uploaded as a separate permit application
  • An energy analysis (Com-Check) covering building envelope, electrical/lighting, and mechanical portions is required (free at energycodes.gov); fenestrations must carry an NFRC 100 label or use default values from the IECC or ASHRAE 90.1
  • Heating and cooling load calculations are required, using design temperatures of Winter -3°F / Summer 90°F outdoor dry bulb and Winter 70°F / Summer 75°F indoor dry bulb
  • Roof truss details/layouts, stamped by an engineer, are required; the structural engineer of record must review truss details before submittal and provide a signed letter confirming that review
  • A plan review deposit fee of 50% of the plan review fee is due at first submittal
  • Applicable codes are the Town's current adopted codes/design criteria/amendments (see the Town of Parker Building Codes page) — do not rely on a fixed code-year list, given the June 30, 2026 transition to the 2024 I-Codes described elsewhere in this file

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee — total valuation $1.00 to $500.00Same Table 3.1 valuation-based schedule as residential new construction — see the residential-building-permit entry in this file for the full tier breakdown. Valuation for new commercial buildings is determined by the Building Valuation Data Chart published in Building Safety magazine (2024 IBC chart, revised each June 1); for commercial remodels, change of occupancy, and other non-new-building commercial permits, valuation is the value of permitted work as stated by the applicant. Source: Town of Parker Commercial Permit Fees Excel worksheet
$23.50
Plan Review FeeTown of Parker Fee Valuation Schedule and Commercial Permit Fees worksheet
65% of the Building Permit Fee
Plan Check DepositConfirmed consistently across three current Town sources: the Building Permit Fees page ('Commercial: Half of the estimated plan check fee'), the Commercial New/Shell Plan Submittal Checklist (July 16, 2026), and the Commercial Permit Fees Excel worksheet's own worked calculation. Differs from the flat $200/model SFD Master Plan deposit. Applied toward the final building permit fee; forfeited as the plan-review fee if the permit is never picked up.
50% of the estimated plan review fee (i.e., 50% x 65% of the Building Permit Fee), due at first-time plan submittal
Use TaxSame formula as residential — confirmed applicable to commercial via the Commercial Permit Fees Excel worksheet's own Use Tax calculation fields
1/2 of project valuation x 4.0% (Parker Use Tax 3% + Douglas County Use Tax 1%, each on half of project cost)
Excise Tax — new commercial buildings onlyTown of Parker Commercial Permit Fees Excel worksheet, line 'Excise tax per square footage of All new commercial buildings $0.68='. The worksheet's own language limits this line to new commercial buildings — it is not shown as applicable to commercial remodels/change-of-occupancy/tenant-finish permits, which is why it is omitted from the commercial-tenant-improvement-permit entry in this file. A separate per-unit excise tax applies to new condo/townhome ($11,068/unit) and apartment ($9,724/unit) construction per the same worksheet, but multi-family is out of scope for this entry and is not reproduced here.
$0.68 per square foot
Re-inspection FeeTown of Parker Fee Valuation Schedule, effective June 15, 2020
$75.00
Additional Plan ReviewTown of Parker Fee Valuation Schedule, effective June 15, 2020
$75.00 per hour

Review timeline

Plan reviewParker’s published plan-review target
14–28 business days

How long did your Commercial Building Permit (New Construction / Shell) permit actually take in Parker?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Foundation/Footing

    Before concrete pour. Parker also offers a distinct Foundation-Only/early-start permit sub-type allowing foundation work to begin while the rest of the building plans are still in review, for an additional 25% of the Building Permit fee — per the Town's Building Permit Type & Sub-Type Definitions (PDF, 2017, still the current document linked from the Town's live Permit Information page as of this extraction)

  2. 2

    Framing

    Structural framing per approved plans

  3. 3

    MEP Rough-In

    Mechanical, electrical, plumbing rough-in per the stamped MEP plan sheets required at submittal

  4. 4

    Final

    All work complete per approved plans; Certificate of Occupancy issued once final inspection and any required Fire Department sign-off are complete

See the full Parker inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • Parker's EZ Commercial Permits track (referenced on the Town's Building Division page) covers small, non-structural commercial projects under 1,200 sq ft — worth asking about for minor scopes before going through the full commercial plan-review process.
  • The Town updated its Commercial New/Shell and Tenant Finish/Remodel plan submittal checklists on July 16, 2026 (per PDF metadata) — noticeably more current than the 2023 combined Commercial/Multi-Family/SFD checklist and the 2016-2018 'Site Key' documents still linked from the Town's Permit Information page, which cite stale 2015-2017 code editions. Where sources conflicted, this entry uses the July 2026 checklists as authoritative.
  • A new commercial building carries an excise tax ($0.68/sq ft) that a tenant-finish or remodel permit does not — factor this into budgeting for ground-up construction versus finishing out an existing shell.
  • The Commercial Permit Fees worksheet also lists a 'Cherry Creek fee' line item whose rate is not populated in the workbook's visible cells — this appears to be a drainage-basin-dependent charge; confirm applicability and amount directly with the Building Division for a specific site.

Frequently asked questions

Parker requires a commercial building permit (new construction / shell) for: A permit is required for any new commercial building, regardless of size; COMMERCIAL - NEW: the building's tenant is already known (e.g., a new grocery store, restaurant). COMMERCIAL - SHELL: core-and-shell only, tenant(s) not yet known — per the Town's own Building Permit Type & Sub-Type Definitions; All documents must be submitted electronically (PDF only), maximum 50MB per file, filenames with no special characters, and a Description field filled in or plan review will not proceed; One complete plan set stamped by required engineers: Site Plan, Architectural (floor/roof/schedules/sections, rated walls and floor assemblies, firestopping), Structural, and Mechanical/Plumbing/Electrical sheets stamped by engineer (see C.R.S. 12-4-101 on engineer stamping requirements); A soils report and a calculations book, each complete and stamped by an engineer, are required, along with a project manual (if used) stamped by the architect; Elevator drawings, if applicable, must be uploaded as a separate permit application; An energy analysis (Com-Check) covering building envelope, electrical/lighting, and mechanical portions is required (free at energycodes.gov); fenestrations must carry an NFRC 100 label or use default values from the IECC or ASHRAE 90.1; Heating and cooling load calculations are required, using design temperatures of Winter -3°F / Summer 90°F outdoor dry bulb and Winter 70°F / Summer 75°F indoor dry bulb; Roof truss details/layouts, stamped by an engineer, are required; the structural engineer of record must review truss details before submittal and provide a signed letter confirming that review; A plan review deposit fee of 50% of the plan review fee is due at first submittal; Applicable codes are the Town's current adopted codes/design criteria/amendments (see the Town of Parker Building Codes page) — do not rely on a fixed code-year list, given the June 30, 2026 transition to the 2024 I-Codes described elsewhere in this file. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Parker Building Division (Community Development Department) at 303-841-1970 before starting work.

50% of the estimated plan review fee, due at first-time plan submittal. This is confirmed across the Town's Building Permit Fees page, its July 2026 Commercial New/Shell Plan Submittal Checklist, and its Commercial Permit Fees Excel worksheet.

Parker's published plan-review target for a commercial building permit (new construction / shell) is 14–28 business days.

You'll need: Building Permit Application (eTRAKiT); Commercial New/Shell Plan Submittal Checklist. Depending on your project, Parker may also ask for: Commercial Permit Fees Estimator (Excel worksheet, fillable). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Parker requires 4 inspection(s) for a commercial building permit (new construction / shell), in order: Foundation/Footing, Framing, MEP Rough-In, Final. Schedule each through Town of Parker Building Division (Community Development Department) (303-841-1970).

Apply through Town of Parker Building Division (Community Development Department) at 20120 E. Mainstreet, Parker, CO 80138. Phone: 303-841-1970, email: building@parkerco.gov. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Inspection requests called in prior to 4 p.m. are performed the following business day; roofing inspections occur 8 a.m.-12 p.m., no same-day requests.. Official information: https://www.parkerco.gov/114/Building-Division.

Parker, Colorado has adopted: Town of Parker is in transition: full enforcement of the 2024 International Codes begins June 30, 2026, in conjunction with the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code. Source: Town of Parker Building Codes page, https://www.parkerco.gov/445/Building-Codes; 2024 International Building Code (IBC) — effective June 30, 2026; 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) — effective June 30, 2026; 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — effective June 30, 2026 (note: Parker uses the IPC, not the Uniform Plumbing Code); 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — effective June 30, 2026; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — effective June 30, 2026; 2024 International Fire Code — effective June 30, 2026; 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — effective June 30, 2026; 2024 International Existing Building Code — effective June 30, 2026; 2024 Non-Residential Property Maintenance Code — effective June 30, 2026; 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code — effective June 30, 2026; Parker Administrative Code (2024 edition, local amendments to the above) — effective June 30, 2026; 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (CWRC) — adopted per Town of Parker Building Codes page; 2025 Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code — adopted alongside the 2024 I-Codes; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) remains in effect through December 31, 2026; the 2026 NEC takes effect January 1, 2027. Source: Town of Parker Building Codes page, https://www.parkerco.gov/445/Building-Codes; Roofing-specific current code reference (per the Town's own Re-Roofing Requirements handout, revised 3/14/2025, which predates the 2024 I-Code transition): 2021 IRC (Residential) and 2021 IBC (Commercial and Multi-Family). Source: https://www.parkerco.gov/DocumentCenter/View/738; Colorado has no statewide mandatory building code for most jurisdictions (home-rule authority). Parker's own adopted codes, amendments, and effective dates as listed above are the governing figures; always confirm current status directly with the Building Division given the June 30, 2026 code-transition date. Source: Colorado Energy Office, Building Energy Codes Toolkit, https://energyoffice.colorado.gov/building-energy-codes-toolkit. Local amendments apply — see the Parker overview page for the full list.

Yes. Parker's Building Division runs a distinct COMMERCIAL permit type with NEW and SHELL sub-types, its own plan submittal checklist, its own commercial-specific plan check deposit (50% of the plan review fee, versus a flat $200/model for new single-family homes), and an excise tax on new commercial square footage that residential permits don't carry.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-02.

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Parker building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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