Florence building permits
Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Florence, Colorado.
Last verified 2026-07-06 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- Florence Municipal Center, 600 West 3rd Street, Florence, CO 81226
- Phone
- (719) 784-4848
- Office hours
- Main City Hall line (719) 784-4848 (option 6 reaches the Building Inspector directly); Fax (719) 784-0228. Building Inspector: David Wales, David.Wales@florencecolorado.org. Permit applications and supporting documents may also be submitted to john.vernetti@florencecolorado.org per the Building Permits page.
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Florence — 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.
- 2006 International Building Code (IBC) — City of Florence Building Department page states plainly: 'The City of Florence follows the 2006 International Building Code'
- 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — per the Building Permit Application Submittal Checklist (PDF): 'Energy Code – City of Florence adopts the 2006 Edition of the International Energy Conservation Code'
Florence Municipal Code Title 15 (Buildings and Construction), Section 15.04.040: 'The requirement for obtaining building permits relative to the construction, alteration, moving, demolition, repair, maintenance, and use… Show full textShow less
Florence Municipal Code Title 15 (Buildings and Construction), Section 15.04.040: 'The requirement for obtaining building permits relative to the construction, alteration, moving, demolition, repair, maintenance, and use of any building or structure within the City of Florence shall be governed by the most recent adopted edition of the appropriate adopted codes and building standards, including amendments thereto.' Per Municode search indexing of Title 15, Chapter 15.08 (amendments) is where local amendments to the 2006 IBC are set forth (Section 15.08.010).
- Electrical: 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — administered by the State of Colorado, NOT the City (see localAmendments). Source: City of Florence Building Department page, linking to the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA) Electrical Board page, which states the current adopted edition as the 2023 NEC.
- Plumbing: 2021 (Colorado) Plumbing Code — administered by the State of Colorado, NOT the City. Source: City of Florence Building Department page, linking to the DORA Plumbing Board page, which lists the 2021 edition.
No separate local IRC, IMC, IFGC or IFC edition is published by the City on its Building Department or Building Permits pages, or in the Building Permit Application Submittal Checklist — only the 2006 IBC and 2006 IECC are explicitly named by the City itself. Show full textShow less
No separate local IRC, IMC, IFGC or IFC edition is published by the City on its Building Department or Building Permits pages, or in the Building Permit Application Submittal Checklist — only the 2006 IBC and 2006 IECC are explicitly named by the City itself. No edition is inferred here for the unlisted codes; treat this as a gap and confirm with the City which editions apply rather than assuming a matching 2006 cycle.
HB22-1362 (Colorado's statewide energy code floor, effective for jurisdictions adopting or updating codes on specified triggers starting July 2023 for larger jurisdictions and July 2026 for smaller ones) is not reflected… Show full textShow less
HB22-1362 (Colorado's statewide energy code floor, effective for jurisdictions adopting or updating codes on specified triggers starting July 2023 for larger jurisdictions and July 2026 for smaller ones) is not reflected on the City's Building Department page or Submittal Checklist, both of which are actively maintained and still affirmatively state the 2006 IECC as current. Florence's population under the HB22-1362 tiered compliance triggers and its home-rule status both bear on whether and when the floor applies, but the City has published no code update reflecting it. Confirm the governing energy code with the Building Department before designing to the 2006 IECC.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction)
Required for new construction of single-family homes and other residential structures within Florence city limits, per Florence Municipal Code 15.04.040. Reviewed under the City's adopted 2006 IBC and 2006 IECC. Electrical and plumbing scopes of the project are permitted separately and directly through the State of Colorado (DORA), not the City.
From$75.00Residential Addition / Remodel Permit
Required for additions, alterations, and repairs to existing residential structures in Florence, per Florence Municipal Code 15.04.040. Reviewed under the same 2006 IBC/IECC standard and Submittal Checklist requirements as new construction, though the required document set scales with project scope.
See fee scheduleElectrical Permit
Electrical permits within Florence city limits are issued and scheduled entirely by the State of Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) Electrical Board, NOT by the City of Florence. The City's Building Department page directs applicants to the state DORA Electrical page and confirms the currently adopted electrical code edition as the 2023 NEC.
See fee schedulePlumbing Permit
Plumbing permits within Florence city limits are issued and scheduled entirely by the State of Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) Plumbing Board, NOT by the City of Florence. The City's Building Department page directs applicants to the state DORA Plumbing page and confirms the currently adopted plumbing code edition as the 2021 Plumbing Code.
See fee scheduleMechanical / HVAC Permit
Required for mechanical (HVAC, gas-fired equipment) work as part of the City's building permit process under the 2006 IBC as adopted. Unlike electrical and plumbing, the City's Building Department page does not identify mechanical permitting as state-administered, so it is treated as part of the standard City Building Permit Application (mechanical layout requirements — exhaust systems, venting, combustion air — are explicitly listed in the Submittal Checklist's structural details section).
See fee scheduleRe-Roof Permit
Required for re-roofing projects in Florence. The City imposes a firm advance-notice requirement: all re-roofing projects must submit the application and required documentation at least three (3) business days prior to the scheduled start date.
See fee scheduleRooftop Solar Photovoltaic Permit
Required for solar photovoltaic installations in Florence. The City's building permit for a solar installation requires a copy of the State Electrical Permit (since electrical work itself is DORA-administered) alongside engineered structural documentation for roof-mounted systems.
See fee scheduleDemolition Permit
Required for demolition/removal of a building or structure within Florence, per Florence Municipal Code 15.04.040, which explicitly includes 'demolition' among the activities requiring a building permit. Applied for using the same Building Permit Application form, checking the 'Remove' use-of-building box.
See fee scheduleCommercial / Industrial / Multi-Family Tenant Improvement Permit
Required for commercial, industrial, and multi-family tenant improvement, alteration, or new construction projects in Florence. Requires plans prepared by a Colorado-licensed Architect or Engineer, and a separate off-street parking plan submitted to the City Planner.
See fee scheduleDeck / Covered Patio Permit
Required for construction of decks and covered patios attached or detached from a residential structure in Florence, under the general Building Permit Application and Submittal Checklist requirements (structural details, foundation/footing requirements where applicable).
See fee scheduleEV Charger / Electric Vehicle Charging Station Permit (State-Administered)
Electrical permits within Florence city limits — including an EV charging station (Level 1/2 EVSE) circuit — are issued and scheduled entirely by the State of Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) Electrical Board, NOT by the City of Florence, exactly as documented in the electrical-permit entry. No EV-specific permit, provision, or fee exists at either the City or State level; EV charger wiring is simply electrical work subject to the standard state-administered process.
See fee scheduleSign Permit
Required for most exterior signage in Florence, per Florence Municipal Code § 17.64.190 ("The Florence sign code"), specifically § 17.64.190.03 (Sign permits and administration). A sign permit is required prior to installation of any sign or group of signs whose total aggregate square footage exceeds nine (9) square feet per property; signage at or under that threshold is exempt. Administered by the City's Planning Department (Planning Director Ashley Fox) under Title 17 (Zoning), not the Building Department's Title 15 building-permit process, though sign work with structural or electrical scope may separately require a building/electrical permit on a case-by-case basis.
See fee scheduleFire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm System Permit
Fire protection inside Florence city limits comes from the Florence Fire Protection District (FFPD, formed 1953, 300 W. Main Street, Florence, CO 81226), a special district separate from the Cañon City Area Fire Protection District — Brookside left FFPD for the Cañon City district in 2007, and the two have not overlapped since. FFPD's website (florencefire.colorado.gov) publishes no fire-suppression or fire-alarm permit application, plan-review process, or fee schedule; its pages cover general fire/EMS response information and open-burn permits. Fire review instead runs through the City's building permit: the City's Building Permit Application carries a "Fire Sprinklers Required: Yes / No" field and lists "Fire Department" as one of five items in its "Special Approvals" routing table (alongside Water Source, Sewage Disposal, Special Use, and Other), each marked Required/Received/Not Required per project. Expect City routing rather than a standalone District permit.
See fee scheduleChange of Use / Change of Occupancy
Florence does not publish a standalone "Change of Use" or "Change of Occupancy" permit application. The Building Permits page lists only the Building Permit Application, Submittal Checklist, and two structural-detail reference documents, and the Building Department page adds none. A change of use or occupancy classification is instead governed by the City's own adopted 2006 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), per Florence Municipal Code § 15.08.050 (Amendments to the 2006 Edition, International Existing Building Code). That local amendment section does NOT modify IEBC Chapter 10 (Change of Occupancy), so that chapter applies as published by the ICC. Florence's § 15.08.050 amendments separately add Section 101.9 (Public Toilet Facilities), which ties Certificate of Occupancy issuance directly to a use change: "No change of use shall be allowed to occur, nor Certificate of Occupancy shall be issued, for a building...where the use...includes one or more employees or the general public," unless the building has an accessible toilet room with lavatory sink available at all times it is occupied. Process a use or occupancy change through the same general Building Permit Application used for all other Florence permit types.
See fee schedule
Property Access
Florence's permit history is searchable by address
1,026 permits on record for Florence, 2021–2026 — searchable by street address, with permit type, status, issued date and valuation where the city publishes them.
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-07)
- 8units
5 buildings · $1.2M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 18units
12 of 12 months reported · #54 in Colorado coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-07)
- 18units
15 buildings · $3M valuation
7 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 9units
9 buildings · $1.6M valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-07 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Colorado building activity
Tips & gotchas
- MOST IMPORTANT: Electrical and Plumbing permits/inspections in Florence are issued and scheduled entirely by the State of Colorado DORA (Electrical Board / Plumbing Board), NOT by the City of Florence Building Department. The City's own page states this in plain language and links directly to dpo.colorado.gov/Electrical (2023 NEC) and dpo.colorado.gov/Plumbing (2021 Plumbing Code). Do not attempt to apply for these trades through City Hall.
- Florence's own Building Department page states plainly that it follows the 2006 International Building Code — an older edition than most jurisdictions now enforce — and the Submittal Checklist confirms the City also still uses the 2006 IECC for energy compliance. No separate IRC, IMC, IFGC or IFC edition is published by the City, so a project needing a residential-specific or mechanical-specific code citation runs through the 2006 IBC as the City's sole stated building-code reference. Confirm with the City if your scope depends on it.
- HB22-1362's statewide energy code floor does not appear reflected anywhere on the City's actively-maintained Building Department page or Submittal Checklist as of the last verification (2026-07-06) — both still affirmatively cite the 2006 IECC. This is flagged honestly as a potential compliance gap worth a direct call to the Building Department, not resolved by assumption.
- No published valuation-based fee schedule exists for Building/Plan Check/Driveway Access fees — these are line items on the paper/PDF Building Permit Application that City staff fill in manually rather than a published table. The City's 2026 Citywide Fee Schedule (Resolution No. 7-2026 / No. 8-2026 under Ordinance No. 4-2026) lists a 'Building/ Planning' department page in its table of contents, but the actual populated numeric fee table for Building was not found published as of the last verification — call (719) 784-4848 or email building@florencecolorado.org for a project-specific quote.
- The City assesses a combined 5% use tax (2.5% Fremont County + 2.5% Florence City) against the CITY's OWN valuation of the work, not necessarily the applicant-declared valuation — this is printed directly on the Building Permit Application form.
- A $75 flat Flood Permit Fee applies whenever a Floodplain Development Permit is required (i.e., the structure sits within a recognized floodplain per the FEMA FIRM Map, panel prefix 08043C0).
- Re-roofing requires submittal at least 3 business days before the planned start date, stated in capital letters on the Building Permits page — note that the same page also contains a contradictory 'two days' sentence elsewhere. The 3-business-day figure is treated as governing here since it is stated first and emphasized, but confirm the inconsistency with the Building Department before relying on it for a time-sensitive project.
- Commercial, Industrial, and Multi-Family projects require plans stamped by a Colorado-licensed Architect or Engineer AND a separate Off-Street Parking Plan reviewed by the City Planner (not the Building Department) — budget separate review tracks for these two approvals.
- Septic system approval runs through Fremont County, not the City — submit the County-approved septic application as part of your City building permit package rather than expecting the City to review septic design itself.
- Florence's own Building Permits page contact for permit submission is listed as john.vernetti@florencecolorado.org, while the Building Department's general contact is David Wales (Building Inspector) at building@florencecolorado.org / David.Wales@florencecolorado.org — both may be relevant depending on whether the inquiry is about submittal logistics or inspection scheduling.
- Florence publishes no plan-review turnaround anywhere — not on the Building Department page, the Building Permits page, the Building Permit Application, or the Submittal Checklist — and Colorado sets no statewide review clock. No timeline figure is shown for any permit type in this record; ask the Building Department for a current estimate when you apply.