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Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit in Arvada, Colorado

The City of Arvada publishes a distinct, itemized 'Change of Use Permit' fee of $150.00 (Table 18-5 of the Building Fee Schedule, arvadaco.gov/1263). The City's Building Permits FAQ (arvadaco.gov/332) also explicitly defines a building permit as covering, among other things, 'change of use, change of occupancy'. There is, however, no dedicated change-of-use application or checklist page comparable to Arvada's Residential Exterior or New Commercial Buildings pages, and the City's own '2026 Process Improvements' page (arvadaco.gov/1545) confirms this is a currently-acknowledged gap: it states that 'The Building Safety Division is also currently evaluating and updating processes related to: Commercial tenant finishes, Change of use permits, Change of occupancy reviews, Certificate of Occupancy requirements for businesses' and that staff are 'working on improving guidance, resources, and communication related to these processes so businesses have clearer expectations.' Treat the process as in flux and confirm current requirements with the City.

Verified 2026-08-05 · Source

When you need this permit

  • A Certificate of Occupancy (CO) is required before a new use/occupancy can commence -- the City's Building Permits FAQ page defines a building permit as covering 'construction, alteration, demolition, change of use, change of occupancy or repair of a building and its accessories' (arvadaco.gov/332)
  • A common misconception the City itself flags: a permit/review may be required to establish a proper Certificate of Occupancy for a new use even when a business is moving into an existing space with NO construction work being performed -- per the live 2026 Process Improvements page (arvadaco.gov/1545)
  • When a business changes the use or occupancy classification of a space, applicable building, fire, accessibility, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical code requirements may change depending on how the building will function and operate -- confirmed on the same page
  • The City's Building Safety Division confirms (as of 2026-08-05) it is actively revising its change-of-use / change-of-occupancy / Certificate-of-Occupancy process and guidance -- applicants should check the Building Safety Division website for current process before applying rather than relying on this entry alone for procedural steps
  • If the change of use is paired with construction/tenant-finish work, the general commercial plan-review timeline applies (see reviewTimelineNote) and the project would likely be processed as a Tenant Finish/Commercial Addition permit rather than (or in addition to) the standalone Change of Use Permit fee line
  • Request the Certificate of Occupancy through the Arvada Permits Site at least five days before the desired issue date, per the City's New Commercial Buildings, Commercial Additions & Multi-Family page (arvadaco.gov/406) -- all final inspections (Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing), Emergency Responder Radio Coverage compliance, tap fee payment in full, and landscape inspection sign-off (where applicable) must be complete first

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Change of Use Permit
City of Arvada Building Fee Schedule, Table 18-5 (flat-fee table) -- confirmed via raw HTML fetch of arvadaco.gov/1263 on 2026-08-05 ('Change of Use Permit... Show full citationCity of Arvada Building Fee Schedule, Table 18-5 (flat-fee table) -- confirmed via raw HTML fetch of arvadaco.gov/1263 on 2026-08-05 ('Change of Use Permit... $150.00'). The same Table 18-5 section notes: 'If project requires a plan review, plan review fees may be charged in addition to the flat fees in table 18-5, per table 18-3' -- so a change of use involving plan review may carry additional cost beyond the flat $150.00
$150.00
Temporary Certificate of OccupancyTable 18-3, confirmed via raw HTML fetch 2026-08-05; may be relevant if occupancy is needed before a full CO/change-of-use review is complete
$500.00, with $150.00 refunded if a full CO is issued before the temporary CO expires
Use TaxArvada Municipal Code § 98-84, same citation used throughout this record
Assessed on the building valuation using the 58% materials / 42% labor split, if the change of use involves any construction valuation

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit permit actually take in Arvada?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final Building, Electrical, Mechanical, and Plumbing inspections

    Required before a Certificate of Occupancy can be issued, per arvadaco.gov/406 -- applies where a full CO is needed for the new use

  2. 2

    Landscape inspection

    Required before CO issuance where landscape improvements were part of the original approved plans; performed by a licensed Landscape Architect (or representative), proof uploaded to the permit

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

Tips

  • Arvada is a relatively strong case for change-of-use work: there is a real, itemized $150.00 'Change of Use Permit' fee line (Table 18-5), and the City's own Building Permits FAQ explicitly names 'change of use, change of occupancy' as building-permit-covered activities. What is missing is a dedicated process or checklist page and a published review timeline — and the City acknowledges that gap itself, so expect to establish the process by conversation.
  • Arvada's own 2026 Process Improvements page (arvadaco.gov/1545) states that the Building Safety Division is 'currently evaluating and updating' its change-of-use, change-of-occupancy, and Certificate-of-Occupancy-for-businesses processes, and is 'working on improving guidance, resources, and communication... so businesses have clearer expectations.' Treat this process as genuinely in flux rather than settled: call Building Services at 720-898-7620 for the current steps before you plan a schedule around it.
  • A business moving into an existing space with zero construction work can still need a permit/review purely to establish a proper Certificate of Occupancy for the new use -- the City explicitly calls this out as a common misconception on the same 1545 page, so 'no construction' should not be assumed to mean 'no permit needed.'

Frequently asked questions

Possibly yes. The City explicitly warns that 'there are situations where a business may move into an existing space without performing construction, but a permit or review may still be required in order to establish a proper Certificate of Occupancy for the new use' (arvadaco.gov/1545). Contact Building Services (720-898-7620 / buildingpermits@arvada.org) to confirm what's required for a specific proposed use change.

In Arvada, the published Change of Use Permit is: $150.00. Additional published fees: Temporary Certificate of Occupancy — $500.00, with $150.00 refunded if a full CO is issued before the temporary CO expires; Use Tax — Assessed on the building valuation using the 58% materials / 42% labor split, if the change of use involves any construction valuation. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Arvada does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Arvada — Building Safety Division at 720-898-7620 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Change of Use Permit application (eTRAKiT). Depending on your project, Arvada may also ask for: Commercial Certificate of Occupancy Checklist (PDF). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Arvada requires 2 inspection(s) for a change of use / change of occupancy permit, in order: Final Building, Electrical, Mechanical, and Plumbing inspections, Landscape inspection. Schedule each through City of Arvada — Building Safety Division (720-898-7620).

Apply through City of Arvada — Building Safety Division at 8101 Ralston Road, Arvada, CO 80002. Phone: 720-898-7620, email: buildingpermits@arvada.org. Office hours: Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.; permits are applied for and paid online via eTRAKiT at arvadapermits.org — permits are no longer processed over the counter. Official information: https://www.arvadaco.gov/332/Building-Permits.

Arvada, Colorado has adopted: 2024 International Building Code (IBC) — CONFIRMED LIVE 2026-07-17: the City's 'Adopted building codes and design criteria' page (arvadaco.gov/165) now lists the 2024 IBC under 'Current adopted building codes (adopted March 24, 2026)', with the 2018 IBC moved to 'Previous adopted building codes (in effect October 2020-March 2026)'; the City's '2026 Building Code updates' page (arvadaco.gov/1388) confirms in past tense that 'The changes went into effect on July 1, 2026.' Permits submitted before July 1, 2026 could still use the 2018 IBC. CAVEAT: as of 2026-07-17 some Arvada operational permit-type pages had NOT been updated to reflect this switch — see per-permitType notes for mechanical/plumbing and re-roofing, which still cite 2018-cycle codes as current; 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) — adopted alongside the IBC line above (arvadaco.gov/165, arvadaco.gov/1388); includes the reorganized Chapter 3 and new ADU/tiny-house/3D-printed-home appendices per arvadaco.gov/1461 (Significant Changes list); 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — listed under 'Current adopted building codes' on arvadaco.gov/165 as of 2026-07-17; 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — listed under 'Current adopted building codes' on arvadaco.gov/165; HOWEVER the live Residential Mechanical & Plumbing operational page (arvadaco.gov/434) still states 'Requirements follow the 2018 IRC and 2018 IECC, adopted by the City of Arvada... we have an upcoming code adoption' — a direct, unresolved contradiction between two of Arvada's own live pages; confirm current status with the Building Safety Division before a mechanical or plumbing submittal; 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — same conflict as the IMC line above: arvadaco.gov/165 lists the 2024 IPC as current, but the arvadaco.gov/434 operational page still frames the 2024 IPC as an 'upcoming' change and cites the 2018 IPC as governing; 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) — listed under 'Current adopted building codes' on arvadaco.gov/165 as of 2026-07-17, replacing the 2009 IPMC (deleting 45 prior municipal amendments per arvadaco.gov/1461); Colorado Model Low Energy Carbon Code, based on the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — listed under 'Current adopted building codes' on arvadaco.gov/165 as of 2026-07-17, replacing the 2018 IECC; includes EV-ready/electric-ready/solar-ready mandates per arvadaco.gov/1388 and arvadaco.gov/1446; 2024 International Fire Code (IFC) — listed under 'Current adopted building codes' on arvadaco.gov/165 as of 2026-07-17; 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — listed under 'Current adopted building codes' on arvadaco.gov/165 as of 2026-07-17; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) / NFPA 70 — CONFIRMED still the governing electrical code as of 2026-07-17 per the City's own explicit statement on arvadaco.gov/1446 ('For Builders: Detailed changes coming in 2026'): 'Please note that the 2023 National Electrical Code will remain the electrical code for the City of Arvada, however the City does expect to begin implementing the 2026 NEC later on in 2026, when the State of Colorado begins implementation.' NOTE: arvadaco.gov/165's 'Current adopted building codes' list also includes an entry for '2026 National Electrical Code' — this appears to be an inconsistency/premature listing on that summary page, since the more specific, explicit 1446 page confirms 2023 NEC remains in effect pending State of Colorado action; treating 2023 NEC as the operative code per the more explicit source; 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — listed under 'Current adopted building codes' on arvadaco.gov/165 as of 2026-07-17; Arvada Wildfire Resiliency Code (based on the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code) — listed under 'Current adopted building codes' on arvadaco.gov/165, and arvadaco.gov/1388 states in past tense 'The City has adopted the Arvada Wildfire Resiliency Code, our first wildfire codes.' First Arvada-specific wildfire code; requires structural hardening and defensible space for new buildings, additions, accessory structures over 120 sq ft, and re-roofing/re-siding projects that replace more than 25% of the roof covering or exterior siding, within identified wildfire risk zones (map based on Jefferson County's wildfire map per arvadaco.gov/1461). Note a live contradiction on the City's own site: the Re-Roofing operational page (arvadaco.gov/417) does not reference this code and still states 'Ice Barrier (Ice and Water Shield) not required', while arvadaco.gov/165's design-criteria section states 'Ice and Water Shield is required in Arvada... this is a change per our new adopted building codes.' Confirm with the City which applies before you order roofing materials.. Local amendments apply — see the Arvada overview page for the full list.

Arvada publishes a distinct, itemized $150.00 'Change of Use Permit' fee (Table 18-5 of the Building Fee Schedule, confirmed via direct fetch 2026-08-05), and its Building Permits FAQ page defines a building permit as covering 'change of use, change of occupancy' among other activities. However, no dedicated change-of-use application/checklist page was found, and the City's own 2026 Process Improvements page confirms this exact process (along with commercial tenant finish and Certificate of Occupancy requirements) is actively being revised as of 2026-08-05.

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