Morrison building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Morrison, Colorado.
Last verified 2026-07-23 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 321 Highway 8, Morrison, CO 80465 (Town Hall); Building Department contract administration address listed as 4704 Harlan St, Suite 684, Lakeside, CO 80212
- Phone
- 303-697-8749
- Office hours
- Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM (Town of Morrison general hours, per website footer). Inspection requests must be submitted by 4:00 PM on the business day prior to the requested inspection date via the Town's online scheduling form.
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Morrison — 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.
- 2015 International Building Code (IBC), chapters 1-35 inclusive and appendix chapter I — Morrison Municipal Code Section 9-1-2 (Codes Adopted By Reference), current through 2026 S-15 supplement
- 2015 International Residential Code (IRC), chapters 1-44 inclusive and appendix chapter H — Section 9-1-2
- 2015 International Mechanical Code (IMC), chapters 1-15 inclusive — Section 9-1-2
- 2015 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), chapters 1-8 inclusive — Section 9-1-2
- 2015 International Plumbing Code (IPC), chapters 1-15 inclusive — Section 9-1-2
- 2015 International Fire Code (IFC), chapters 1-80 inclusive — Section 9-1-2
- 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), Residential and Commercial chapters 1-6 — Section 9-1-2
- 2015 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), chapters 1-16 inclusive with all appendices — Section 9-1-2
- 2015 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, chapters 1-11 inclusive with all appendices — Section 9-1-2
- 2015 International Property Maintenance Code, chapters 1-8 inclusive with all appendices — Section 9-1-2
- National Electrical Code (NEC), 'the most current edition adopted by the Colorado State Electrical Board, Department of Regulatory Agencies' — Morrison's own code text ties its NEC edition to whichever edition the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA) currently has in force, rather than fixing a specific year itself; as of this review the Colorado State Electrical Board's currently adopted edition is the 2023 NEC (per DORA Division of Professions and Occupations rules), so 2023 NEC is the effective edition in Morrison, subject to change automatically if DORA updates its adopted edition
- Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, 2025 edition, adopted and published by the Wildfire Resiliency Code Board within the Division of Fire Prevention and Control, Colorado Department of Public Safety — adopted by reference as the Town of Morrison wildfire resiliency code (Section 9-1-2, subsection M)
- HB22-1362 (Colorado statewide building greenhouse-gas-emissions / energy code law) note: HB22-1362 only obligates a municipality or county to adopt an equivalent-or-better energy code WHEN it next updates one or more of its building codes — it does not retroactively force an update on jurisdictions that haven't touched their codes. Morrison's adopted energy code is still the 2015 IECC (per Section 9-1-2, unchanged since original codification), so the HB22-1362 floor (2021 IECC-equivalent performance from 7/1/2023-6/30/2026; Model Low Energy and Carbon Code-equivalent performance from 7/1/2026 onward) has NOT yet been triggered for Morrison because the Town has not updated its building code since adopting the 2015 cycle. This is a genuine, current compliance gap/lag relative to HB22-1362's intent, not an omission by this file — confirmed against the Colorado Energy Office's published HB22-1362 timeline.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction)
Required for new construction of single-family homes and other residential structures in the Town of Morrison. Reviewed under the 2015 IRC/IBC as locally adopted (Morrison Municipal Code Chapter 9), with plan review and inspections performed by the Town's contracted building-inspection provider.
Residential Addition / Remodel Permit
Required for additions and remodels to existing residential structures in Morrison. Reviewed under the 2015 IRC/IBC as locally adopted, using the same Residential Plans Submittal Check List as new construction, scoped to the applicable elements of the project.
Electrical Permit
Required for electrical work in Morrison, either as part of a general Building Permit (new construction/addition) or as a standalone 'electrical only permit.' Governed by the National Electrical Code edition currently adopted by the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA). The Town issues its own electrical permits and performs contemporaneous review of the installing electrician's state license per CRS 12-23-105/110.5/116(10) and House Bill 2016-1073.
Plumbing Permit
Required for plumbing work in Morrison, issued as part of the Town's general Building Permit process. Governed by the 2015 International Plumbing Code (IPC) as adopted by Morrison Municipal Code Section 9-1-2.
Mechanical / HVAC Permit
Required for heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment installation or replacement in Morrison, issued as part of the Town's general Building Permit process. Governed by the 2015 International Mechanical Code (IMC) and 2015 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) as adopted.
Roofing Permit (Re-Roof / Re-Shingle)
Required for re-roofing (re-shingle) work in Morrison. Governed by the 2015 IRC/IBC as adopted; billed as a flat Single Stop Fee rather than the full valuation-based Building Permit Fee when the scope is a standalone re-roof.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger Permit
Morrison publishes no distinct EV-charger permit type, checklist, or fee line — confirmed against the Town's Permits & Checklists page, which lists Building, Commercial, Residential, Electrical, and various how-to guides (garage, patio, carport, deck, reroof, etc.) with no EV-charger/EVSE entry. A new circuit, outlet, or panel/service upgrade to serve an EV charger would be processed as a standalone 'electrical only permit,' governed by the National Electrical Code edition adopted by the Colorado State Electrical Board and reviewed under Morrison's contemporaneous electrician-license-verification process (CRS 12-23-105/110.5/116(10)). Morrison's small population (roughly 430 residents) is well below the 10,000-resident municipal threshold that triggers Colorado HB24-1173's EV-charging-permit mandate.
Demolition Permit
Required for demolition of a structure or portion of a structure in Morrison. Billed as a flat Single Stop Fee per Resolution 2025-13.
Deck / Fence / Accessory Structure Permit
Required for deck construction and fences over 6 feet in height in Morrison. Decks are addressed as a distinct project type on the Town's Permits & Checklists guidance; over-height fences are billed as a flat Single Stop Fee. Fences at or under 6 feet require a separate Fence Permit Application (a zoning/land-use matter, not modeled as a building-code permitType in this file).
Commercial Building Permit / Tenant Improvement
Required for commercial and multi-family construction, alteration, or tenant improvement work in Morrison. Reviewed under the 2015 IBC as locally adopted, using the Town's separate Commercial Plans Check List.
Solar PV Permit
Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic systems in the Town of Morrison. No dedicated solar/photovoltaic line item appears in Resolution 2025-13's Single Stop Fees list (unlike furnace, AC, re-roof, or fence) — a PV installation is billed under the Town's general valuation-based Building Permit Fee for the structural/racking scope, plus the Town's own electrical permit process (with contemporaneous Colorado state-license review) for the interconnection scope, since Morrison issues both building and electrical permits itself rather than deferring to the state.
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 (2026-05)
- No data reported
- Trailing 12 months
- No data reported
- Year to date (2026 YTD)
- No data reported
- Full year 2025
- No data reported
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-05 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Colorado building activity
Tips & gotchas
- Morrison is a Colorado home-rule town with its own Building Department and Building Code (Municipal Code Chapter 9), independent of Jefferson County's unincorporated-area building program — do not assume county rules apply within town limits.
- Morrison's adopted code cycle is the 2015 International Code family (IBC/IRC/IMC/IFGC/IPC/IFC/IECC/IEBC), confirmed directly from the Town's own Municipal Code (current through the 2026 S-15 supplement) — this is an older cycle than many peer Front Range jurisdictions still running 2018 or newer editions; the Town has not updated its energy code since 2015, meaning HB22-1362's statewide energy-floor requirement has not yet been triggered for Morrison (it only applies when a jurisdiction next updates a building code).
- Morrison's National Electrical Code adoption is NOT pinned to a fixed year in its own municipal text — it automatically follows whatever edition the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA) currently has adopted, a genuinely distinct mechanism from the Town's other (fixed 2015-edition) adopted codes.
- Morrison issues its own electrical AND plumbing permits (as part of its general Building Permit process, or as standalone 'electrical only' permits) rather than deferring permit issuance to the state boards — but the underlying contractor licenses themselves are still Colorado DORA state licenses, contemporaneously verified by the Town at application and, at the inspector's discretion, at inspection (per CRS 12-23-105/110.5/116(10) and House Bill 2016-1073).
- There is a genuine, currently-unresolved discrepancy in this file's sourcing between the Town's live website (which names Charles Abbott Associates, Inc. and inspector Steven Peck as the contracted building official/inspection provider) and the Town's own most-recent primary fee resolution and payment-voucher records (Resolution 2025-13, adopted December 16, 2025, which benchmarks fees against 'SAFEbuilt CO' and shows an active payment to 'Safebuilt Inc.'). This file flags both names rather than picking one silently — confirm the current provider directly with the Building Department (303-697-8749 / building@morrisonco.us) if this matters for your project.
- The Town adopted the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (2025 edition) by reference — a genuinely current, actively-maintained amendment given today's date, distinct from the otherwise-static 2015 code cycle for the rest of the building code family.
- Morrison publishes NO numeric plan-review or permit-issuance turnaround (days or weeks) anywhere reviewed for this file — not on the Building Department page, the Residential or Commercial Plans Check Lists, Resolution 2025-13's fee schedule, or Municipal Code Chapter 9. Colorado is home-rule with no statewide clock, and every permitType in this file is honestly null/unverified with a documented chase trail rather than an invented figure.
- Morrison's fee structure favors flat 'Single Stop Fees' for narrow-scope work (furnace $100, AC $75, water heater $75, re-roof $100, demolition $100, fence-over-6ft $75, siding $100, window replacement $100, hot tub/spa $150, lawn sprinkler system $100) rather than the full valuation-based Building Permit Fee — confirm with the Building Department whether your specific project scope qualifies for a Single Stop Fee before assuming the larger valuation-based fee applies.
- Plan Review Fee in Morrison is 70% of the Building Permit Fee — notably higher than the 65% rate used in some peer Colorado mountain-town jurisdictions (e.g., Vail).
- A permit becomes invalid if work is not commenced within 180 days of issuance, or is suspended/abandoned for 180 days after commencement, per IBC Section 105.5 as locally amended (Morrison Municipal Code Section 9-1-3) — the Building Official determines suspension/abandonment in their sole discretion, measured by actual inspections conducted.
- Some fee-table line items transcribed from Resolution 2025-13's Board Action Form PDF (particularly the 'Pre-Move Inspections' and adjacent Mobile/Manufactured/Factory Home cluster) carry elevated transcription-alignment uncertainty due to imperfect table-to-text extraction in the source PDF — flagged individually in localAmendments and the mechanical/deck permitTypes; confirm exact dollar figures against the original Exhibit if decision-critical.
- RESOLVED 2026-07-23: this file previously could not locate a Morrison-specific published plumbing-license contemporaneous-review policy. Found via the Document Center's Building Department folder (its React/Ant-Design tree, not linked from the main Building Department webpage): 'Procedure for Contemporaneous Reviews of Electrical and Plumbing Licenses' (Colorado Chapter ICC guide, Document ID 1229), confirming Morrison's contemporaneous state-license review process applies to plumbing the same as it does to electrical, per HB19-1086/SB19-156 and C.R.S. Title 12, Article 58/155.