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Change of Use Application in Durango, Colorado

Required when a property owner changes the use of an existing commercial building (e.g. office to restaurant) with NO accompanying additions or structural renovations, per the City's Commercial Property Services page. Reviewed by both the Planning Division and Engineering Division for zoning compliance, parking, and Major Street Impact Fee implications of the new use category. Distinct from a building permit (which covers construction scope) and from a same-use tenant turnover (retail to retail, no work), which needs only a business license. Filed via the City's OpenGov portal; a flat $50 fee applies per the Community Development Department's Planning Fees schedule.

Verified 2026-08-13 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Required only when the TYPE OF USE is changing (e.g. office to restaurant) with no additions or structural renovations proposed, per the City's Commercial Property Services page
  • If the use is NOT changing (e.g. retail to retail turnover with no construction), no Change of Use Application is required — only a City of Durango business license
  • If construction or renovation accompanies the use change, the project instead goes through this file's commercial-tenant-improvement-permit (TENANT FINISH) or commercial-building-permit track, which separately references a Planning Division Change of Use Application as a related but distinct step when the use is also changing
  • Staff reviews zoning compliance, parking, and Major Street Impact Fee implications of the new use category; the July 2026 Building Permit Fee Schedule's Major Street Impact Fee table shows this can vary sharply by land-use category — e.g. Restaurant $7,802 per 1,000 sq ft gross floor area versus Office/Institutional $2,823 per 1,000 sq ft
  • If the new use is not permitted-by-right in the applicable zoning district, a separate use-permit process applies depending on scope: Special Use Permit ($250), Conditional Use Permit ($750), or Temporary Use Permit Class A ($250) / Class B & C ($50), per the Community Development Department Planning Fees schedule
  • Filed via the City's OpenGov portal (durangoco.portal.opengov.com), the same unified portal Community Development/Planning and Building Division applications have both used since 07/08/2024; per the City's Applications/Permits page, planning-track applications generally begin with a Pre-Application Meeting request
  • Applicant should confirm parking-count sufficiency for the new use, since a use category with a higher parking-ratio requirement than the prior use may surface a deficiency that was not present under the prior use

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Change of Use PermitCity of Durango Community Development Department, Amount of Fees Charged Under the New Land Use and Development Code (Planning Fees schedule, revised October 1, 2024) — a flat fee regardless of building size or valuation
$50.00
Major Street Impact Fee (differential)Per the July 2026 Building Permit Fee Schedule's Major Street Impact Fee table (already documented in this file's residential-building-permit and commercial-building-permit entries); the fee schedule publishes per-category rates but not the specific change-of-use crediting/differential methodology — confirm the net assessment with the Planning Division
Varies by land-use category; assessed only if the new use carries a higher per-1,000-sq-ft rate than the prior use
Conditional/Special/Temporary Use Permit (if the new use is not permitted-by-right)Community Development Department Planning Fees schedule, revised October 1, 2024
Conditional Use Permit $750; Special Use Permit $250; Temporary Use Permit Class A $250, Class B & C $50

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use Application permit actually take in Durango?

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Inspection process

  1. 1

    Not Applicable — No Construction Scope

    A pure Change of Use Application with no accompanying construction has no inspection sequence of its own. If construction later accompanies the use change, that work instead follows the inspection sequence documented in this file's commercial-tenant-improvement-permit or commercial-building-permit entry.

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

Tips

  • A zero-construction use change skips the building-permit process entirely, but don't skip City review altogether — zoning, parking, and Major Street Impact Fee implications are evaluated specifically because the use is changing, and proceeding without this application can trigger enforcement.
  • The $50 application fee is a small fraction of the real cost driver: the Major Street Impact Fee differential between the old and new use categories can run into the thousands of dollars (e.g. converting office space to a restaurant), and this file's Major Street Impact Fee table (in residential-building-permit and commercial-building-permit) shows just how much that differential can vary by land-use category.
  • If your new use isn't allowed by right in the zoning district, budget for a separate Conditional or Special Use Permit ($750 or $250) on top of the $50 Change of Use fee — these commonly pair together.
  • Retail-to-retail or other same-use tenant turnover with zero use change and zero construction needs only a business license — don't file a Change of Use Application unnecessarily.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, if the use itself is changing (e.g. office to restaurant) — file a Change of Use Application ($50), reviewed by the Planning and Engineering Divisions for zoning, parking, and Major Street Impact Fee implications. If the use isn't changing (retail to retail, no work), only a business license is needed.

$50 flat, per the City's Community Development Department Planning Fees schedule (revised October 1, 2024). The bigger cost is often the Major Street Impact Fee differential between the old and new use categories, or a separate Conditional/Special Use Permit fee ($750/$250) if the new use isn't permitted by right in the zoning district.

Durango does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Durango Community Development Department, Building Division at 970-375-5000 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Change of Use Application (OpenGov portal). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Durango requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use application permit, in order: Not Applicable — No Construction Scope. Schedule each through City of Durango Community Development Department, Building Division (970-375-5000).

Apply through City of Durango Community Development Department, Building Division at 949 E 2nd Avenue, Durango, CO 81301. Phone: 970-375-5000, email: Building@DurangoCo.Gov. Office hours: Not published on the Building Division pages as of this review; main City Hall line 970-375-5000. General building-permit questions: Building@DurangoCo.Gov. Fee-schedule calculation questions: 970-375-4850.. Official information: https://www.durangoco.gov/311/Applying-for-a-Building-Permit.

Durango, Colorado has adopted: 2024 International Building Code (IBC) — City of Durango Building Codes page, effective for new projects not already in a planning process prior to 01/01/2026; 2024 International Residential Code (IRC); 2024 International Fire Code (IFC); 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC); 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC); 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC); 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC); Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code (CMERSRC) — state-mandated, per City of Durango Building Codes page and Submittal Requirements page; Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (WRC) — state-mandated; City of Durango began enforcement April 1, 2026 per the Building Codes page and Do I Need a Permit? page; Transition provision: projects with full vertical construction drawings designed to the 2018 I-Codes and submitted to the Planning Division prior to January 1, 2026 may remain compliant with that older code cycle; all other new submittals must follow the 2024 I-Codes, 2023 NEC, CMERSRC, and Wildfire Resiliency Code; Code books available for review at Community Development and the City Clerk's Office; full municipal code at library.municode.com/co/durango. Local amendments apply — see the Durango overview page for the full list.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-13.

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

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Change of Use Application in other cities

Akron, ColoradoAlamosa, ColoradoArvada, ColoradoAspen, ColoradoAult, ColoradoAurora, ColoradoAvon, ColoradoBasalt, Colorado

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