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Commercial Tenant Improvement (Interior Commercial Alteration) Permit in Golden, Colorado

Required for interior alterations to existing commercial spaces in Golden — tenant finishes, remodels of retail/restaurant/office space, and other interior commercial work. Golden does not publish a separate TI application form or fee schedule (the same Accela portal and valuation-based fee table apply), but the City's own Review Periods table treats 'Interior Commercial Alterations' as a distinct plan-review category with a materially faster 5-15 working-day goal than new commercial construction (20-30 days), and the Golden Fire Department offers a streamlined path for limited tenant improvement projects. Relevant to Golden's downtown retail/hospitality turnover along Washington Avenue.

Verified 2026-08-02 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Interior commercial alterations are reviewed under the 2024 IBC and 2024 IEBC (International Existing Buildings Code) as adopted, with trade work under the 2024 IMC/IPC/IFGC and 2023 NEC
  • Valuation = cost of labor and materials; permit fee includes prepayment of the City's 3% building-materials use tax (1.5% of total valuation)
  • All contractors must be identified on the permit before issuance and must each hold a current City of Golden Contractor License (Municipal Code Chapter 15.01) in addition to any state DORA trade license Contractor
  • Modifications to fire sprinkler, fire alarm, or kitchen hood suppression systems require separate permits through the Golden Fire Department Fire & Life Safety Division; Type I kitchen hoods (restaurant TIs) require a hood suppression system permit
  • For limited tenant improvement projects, GFD allows a completed construction safety form to be submitted in lieu of a full fire plan — verify applicability with the Fire & Life Safety Division before submission
  • Paint/spray booths installed as part of a TI require both a GFD suppression permit and separate Building Division approval of the booth structure

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee — valuation-based (Building Permit Fee Table)Effective 05/01/11, Resolutions #1097/#1648/#2121 — no TI-specific fee is published; the general valuation table applies
$25.85 minimum, scaling per valuation tiers (e.g., $430.38 for the first $25,000.00 plus $11.11 for each additional $1,000.00 up to $50,000.00; $708.13 for the first $50,000.00 plus $7.70 per additional $1,000.00 up to $100,000.00)
Plan Review FeeNo separate sub-permit plan review fee when trade valuations are included in the building permit valuation
65% of the Permit Fee
Building Use TaxPrepaid at permit issuance
3% of building materials valuation (est. 1.5% of total project valuation)
Demolition Building Permit — Interior Non-StructuralFlat fee if interior demolition is permitted separately ahead of the TI build-out
$25.00
Temporary Certificate of OccupancyBuilding Permit Fee Table, Effective 05/01/11 (Resolution #1097/#1648/#2121), Additional Fees item 11 (Temporary Certificate of Occupancy)
$100.00
Reinspection FeeBuilding Permit Fee Table, Effective 05/01/11 (Resolution #1097/#1648/#2121), Additional Fees item 7 (Reinspection fees)
$50.00

Review timeline

Plan reviewGolden’s published plan-review target
5–15 business days

How long did your Commercial Tenant Improvement (Interior Commercial Alteration) Permit permit actually take in Golden?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Rough Plumbing / Gas Pipe

    New or relocated plumbing and fuel-gas piping before concealment

  2. 2

    Rough Heating / Rough Electrical

    Ductwork and wiring modifications before concealment

  3. 3

    Rough Frame

    New interior partitions and structural modifications before cover

  4. 4

    Insulation

    Where wall/ceiling assemblies are modified, per the 2024 IECC

  5. 5

    Drywall

    Attachment inspection before taping/finishing

  6. 6

    Fire system acceptance tests (GFD, if applicable)

    Sprinkler modifications (rough/hydro) and fire alarm 100% pretest with NFPA 72 Record of Completion; kitchen hood test (manual pull, fusible link, fuel/make-up-air shutdown, Class K extinguisher placement); request via portal 2+ business days ahead with stamped plans on-site

  7. 7

    Final Inspections (Building, Plumbing, Heating, Electrical)

    All work complete per approved plans before occupancy of the altered space

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

Tips

  • Golden's TI review category is genuinely faster on paper — 5-15 working days versus 20-30 for new commercial — but it is not a separate permit product: same portal, same application, same valuation-based fee table. The distinction the City publishes is the review timeline, not the paperwork.
  • Restaurant and bar TIs (common in downtown Golden's Washington Avenue corridor) almost always trigger separate GFD permits: any Type I kitchen hood requires a hood suppression system permit, and hood plans must show nozzle locations/distances, suppressant sizing, protected appliances, Class K extinguisher, and manual pull station.
  • Ask GFD early whether your project qualifies as a 'limited tenant improvement' — if so, a completed construction safety form can substitute for a full fire plan submittal, saving meaningful review time.
  • If your TI modifies sprinkler or alarm systems, the GFD review (3-4 week initial-review goal) can outlast the Building Division's 5-15 day TI review — sequence your submittals so fire review isn't the surprise critical path.
  • Interior non-structural demolition ahead of a build-out is a flat $25 permit — one of the cheapest items in the fee table — but partial structural demo is $50 and triggers structural review considerations.

Frequently asked questions

Golden requires a commercial tenant improvement (interior commercial alteration) permit for: Interior commercial alterations are reviewed under the 2024 IBC and 2024 IEBC (International Existing Buildings Code) as adopted, with trade work under the 2024 IMC/IPC/IFGC and 2023 NEC; Valuation = cost of labor and materials; permit fee includes prepayment of the City's 3% building-materials use tax (1.5% of total valuation); All contractors must be identified on the permit before issuance and must each hold a current City of Golden Contractor License (Municipal Code Chapter 15.01) in addition to any state DORA trade license; Modifications to fire sprinkler, fire alarm, or kitchen hood suppression systems require separate permits through the Golden Fire Department Fire & Life Safety Division; Type I kitchen hoods (restaurant TIs) require a hood suppression system permit; For limited tenant improvement projects, GFD allows a completed construction safety form to be submitted in lieu of a full fire plan — verify applicability with the Fire & Life Safety Division before submission; Paint/spray booths installed as part of a TI require both a GFD suppression permit and separate Building Division approval of the booth structure. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Golden Building Department at (303) 384-8151 before starting work.

In Golden, the published Building Permit Fee — valuation-based (Building Permit Fee Table) is: $25.85 minimum, scaling per valuation tiers (e.g., $430.38 for the first $25,000.00 plus $11.11 for each additional $1,000.00 up to $50,000.00; $708.13 for the first $50,000.00 plus $7.70 per additional $1,000.00 up to $100,000.00). Additional published fees: Plan Review Fee — 65% of the Permit Fee; Building Use Tax — 3% of building materials valuation (est. 1.5% of total project valuation); Demolition Building Permit — Interior Non-Structural — $25.00; Temporary Certificate of Occupancy — $100.00; Reinspection Fee — $50.00. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Golden's published plan-review target for a commercial tenant improvement (interior commercial alteration) permit is 5–15 business days.

You'll need: Building Permit Application (Online Permitting Portal); Construction Drawings. Depending on your project, Golden may also ask for: GFD construction safety form or fire system plans. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Golden requires 7 inspection(s) for a commercial tenant improvement (interior commercial alteration) permit, in order: Rough Plumbing / Gas Pipe, Rough Heating / Rough Electrical, Rough Frame, Insulation, Drywall, Fire system acceptance tests (GFD, if applicable), Final Inspections (Building, Plumbing, Heating, Electrical). Schedule each through City of Golden Building Department ((303) 384-8151).

Apply through City of Golden Building Department at 911 10th Street, Golden, CO 80401 (Building Department); Planning Department at 1445 10th Street, Golden, CO 80401. Phone: (303) 384-8151, email: building@cityofgolden.net. Office hours: Monday-Friday, general City Hall hours (main line (303) 384-8000); Building Department direct line (303) 384-8151. Official information: https://www.cityofgolden.gov/business/building_construction/building_permit.php.

Not as a separate application or fee — TIs are applied for through the same Accela portal under the same valuation-based fee table as other building permits. However, the City publishes 'Interior Commercial Alterations' as its own plan-review category with a 5-15 working-day goal, distinctly faster than the 20-30 working days for new commercial projects.

Beyond the building permit (inclusive of trades), a Type I kitchen hood requires a kitchen hood suppression system permit from the Golden Fire Department Fire & Life Safety Division, and any sprinkler or fire alarm modifications require their own GFD permits — all submitted through the same online portal (permits.cityofgolden.net).

Sources & verification

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

Fee schedules

Applications & forms

Online permit portal

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 Golden building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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Property Access

Golden's permit history is searchable by address

1,439 permits in our copy of Golden's register — searchable by street address, with permit type, status, issued date and valuation where the city publishes them. This is what we hold, not a statement of everything Golden has issued.

All 1,439 are dated 2026, from 2 January to 1 September — this is that year to date, not Golden's full permit history.

83% of Golden's records carry a street address to match against, so a search that finds nothing here means we could not look — not that the property is clear.

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Commercial Tenant Improvement (Interior Commercial Alteration) Permit in other cities

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