Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Alteration & Tenant Improvement) in Crested Butte, Colorado

Crested Butte requires a commercial building permit (new construction, alteration & tenant improvement) for: BOZAR (Board of Zoning and Architectural Review) approval of a Development Permit Application is required before a building permit application may be submitted (Town Code Sec. 18-13-40(d); BOZAR page: 'you must receive BOZAR approval before applying for building permits') — BOZAR, not a separately named 'Historic Preservation Commission', is the body that administers historic-district design review in Crested Butte; Automatic 'special review' BOZAR classification for any building permit in a B1, B2 or B3 Business District (Town Code Sec. 16-22-110(b)) — special review applications pay an additional $750 fee and their public notice must include a published three-dimensional perspective drawing showing the building's facade and relationship to neighboring structures plus a location map; All construction documents for commercial projects must be prepared by Colorado registered or licensed design professionals and signed and stamped with a seal (Town Code Sec. 18-13-20(a)(16)); New commercial buildings must be All Electric Buildings — no combustion equipment for space heating, water heating, or clothes drying; Commercial Food Heat-processing Equipment is exempt from the electrification mandate (IBC Sec. 1301.1.2 as amended by Town Code Sec. 18-1-30; All Electric Building definition, Town Code Chapter 18); EV parking for new commercial: buildings/accessory structures with 2+ parking spaces must provide one Level II EVSE; 10% of total required spaces (rounded up) must be Electric Vehicle Ready; one 25 kW DC Fast Charger required where 5 or more parking spaces are required (IBC Sec. 1301.1.3 as amended); Solar for new commercial: buildings under 5,000 sq ft must install Solar Ready Components; buildings 5,000 sq ft or larger must install rooftop solar PV per Town Code Sec. 18-1.5-30(5), capped at Gunnison County Electric Association net-metering limits (IBC Sec. 1301.1.4 as amended; Town Code Sec. 18-9-50); New commercial construction must comply with the Town's adopted International Green Construction Code sections (Town Code Article 1.5): stormwater management, building water use reduction, appliance/HVAC efficiency, commercial food service operations, hot water distribution, on-site renewable energy systems, and kitchen exhaust systems; Alterations, repairs, additions and changes of occupancy of existing commercial buildings are governed by the 2021 IEBC (Town Code Article 2.5; IECC Chapter 5 [CE] as replaced); commercial Level 3 alterations must additionally be Electric Ready, install Solar Ready Components (under 5,000 sq ft) or rooftop PV (5,000+ sq ft), and provide Level II EVSE plus 10% EV-Ready spaces where the building has 2+ parking spaces (IEBC Secs. 907.2-907.3 as amended); Current Gunnison County building contractor license required — no permit issued since February 1, 2023 without one (Town Code Sec. 18-13-40(e)); Complete Sec. 18-13-20 submittal package: legal description, deed, plot plan, elevations, floor plans, site development plan (paving, walls/fences, landscaping, exterior lighting), front elevation showing site context, and cross-sections; Valuation set by the Building Official from the ICC building valuation data table multiplied by a 2.70 regional modifier, or other evidence of value, whichever is greater (Town Code Sec. 18-13-40(b)); If the parcel falls in a mapped Class 1 or Class 2 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code fire hazard area, CWRC structure-hardening applies to new commercial structures, changes of use, additions increasing footprint 500+ sq ft, and replacement of more than 25% of exterior siding or roof covering (Town Code Article 6.5; Town enforcement begins June 1, 2026); Certificate of occupancy required before any structure or altered portion may be rented, occupied or used (Town Code Sec. 18-13-70); Construction must commence within 180 days of permit issuance; the permit expires one year after issuance with a single 6-month renewal available for good cause (Building Permit Contract Agreement; Town Code Sec. 18-13-60). If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Crested Butte Building Department (Community Development Department) at (970) 349-5338 before starting work.

In Crested Butte, the published Building Permit Fee — valuation $1.00 to $500.00 is: $28.42. Additional published fees: Building Permit Fee — valuation $501.00 to $2,000.00 — $28.42 plus $3.68 per $100 of TSV or fraction thereof above $501; Building Permit Fee — valuation $2,001.00 to $25,000.00 — $83.74 plus $16.95 per $1,000 of TSV or fraction thereof above $2,001; Building Permit Fee — valuation $25,001.00 to $50,000.00 — $473.79 plus $12.18 per $1,000 of TSV or fraction thereof above $25,001; Building Permit Fee — valuation $50,001.00 to $100,000.00 — $778.58 plus $8.47 per $1,000 of TSV or fraction thereof above $50,001; Building Permit Fee — valuation $100,001.00 to $500,000.00 — $1,202.07 plus $6.77 per $1,000 of TSV or fraction thereof above $100,001; Building Permit Fee — valuation $500,001.00 to $1,000,000.00 — $3,911.05 plus $5.74 per $1,000 of TSV or fraction thereof above $500,001; Building Permit Fee — valuation $1,000,001.00 to $5,000,000.00 — $6,681.04 plus $3.00 per $1,000 of TSV or fraction thereof above $1,000,001; Building Permit Fee — valuation $5,000,001.00 and over — $18,327 plus $1.00 per $1,000 of TSV or fraction thereof above $5,000,001; Plan Review Fee (Commercial) — 60% of Permit Fee; Construction Documents Examination (Commercial) — 60% of Permit Fee; BOZAR Design Review — Major Project — $1,000.00 plus $125.00 publication fee; BOZAR Design Review — Minor Project (small remodel/accessory building) — $750.00 plus $125.00 publication fee ($700.00 with no-picture publication); BOZAR Special Review Classification surcharge — $750.00 additional; Insubstantial Design Review - DRC — $120.00; Additional DRC Meeting — $100.00 per meeting beyond the first 2; Use Tax Deposit — Not less than 4.5% of 60% of Total Project Valuation; Performance Deposit — 0.50% of Total Structure Value; Affordable housing payment-in-lieu (new non-residential floor area) — $41.82 per sq ft; Capital Expansion Fee — Fire (business/commercial/tourist) — $0.14 per sq ft; Mechanical Permit (boiler/compressor/absorption system) — $100.00; Mechanical Exhaust Hood — $200.00; Water/Sewer Tap Fees (new construction) — $14,349 water plus $17,726 sewer, per EQR; Work without Permit — $250 to $1,000 per day, plus applicable permit fee. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

The Building Division publishes no plan-review SLA. The BOZAR gate that precedes it does have published clocks: formally reviewed projects take at least 2 months per the Town's schedule overview, applicants are entitled to a decision within 60 days of a complete application (unless they elect extra DRC meetings), and BOZAR must decide within 90 days or the application is deemed approved (Town Code Secs. 16-22-90 and 16-22-110).

You'll need: BOZAR Development Permit Application; Building Permit Application; Sealed commercial construction documents; Gunnison County Building Contractor License; Materials List Form - Primary Structure. Depending on your project, Crested Butte may also ask for: Statement of Authority Form; Limited Power of Attorney; Pretreatment Application (Fats, Oils & Grease). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Apply through Town of Crested Butte Building Department (Community Development Department) at 507 Maroon Ave, Crested Butte, CO 81224 (Building Department mailing address: PO Box 39, Crested Butte, CO 81224). Phone: (970) 349-5338, email: building@crestedbutte-co.gov. Office hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Building Official Astrid Matison (ext. 116, amatison@crestedbutte-co.gov). Building Inspector Josh Staab (ext. 127, jstaab@crestedbutte-co.gov). Community Development Director Mel Yemma (ext. 119, melyemma@crestedbutte-co.gov). BOZAR/Planning questions: planning@crestedbutte-co.gov, (970) 349-5338 ext. 121.. Official information: https://townofcrestedbutte.colorado.gov/planning-permitting/community-development.

No. Crested Butte issues one building permit type for all commercial work; the Town's own issued-permit reports classify TI-style projects as 'Alteration Level 1 Commercial', 'Alteration Level 2 Commercial', or 'Commercial Change of Use'. The practical TI distinctions are the 60% commercial plan review fee, mandatory sealed construction documents, and — for interior-only work — the possibility of an 'insubstantial' determination ($120 DRC fee) that skips the full BOZAR hearing and newspaper publication.

Every building permit application must clear BOZAR before submittal, and permits in the B1/B2/B3 Business Districts are automatically 'special review' class with a $750 surcharge and published 3-D perspective drawing. But the Building Inspector plus one designated BOZAR member may waive the full Board hearing for work judged 'insubstantial' — evaluated on street visibility, extent of change relative to the structure, and neighborhood effect — which is how interior-only tenant finishes typically proceed.

Yes, for new construction: all new commercial buildings must be All Electric Buildings (commercial kitchen heat-processing equipment excepted but electric-ready), buildings under 5,000 sq ft must be solar-ready, buildings 5,000 sq ft and larger must install rooftop PV, and EV parking (one Level II charger, 10% EV-ready spaces, DC fast charger at 5+ required spaces) is required. Existing-building TIs escape these unless the alteration reaches Level 3 (more than 50% of the work area).