Change of Use / Change of Occupancy in Berthoud, Colorado

Berthoud requires a change of use / change of occupancy permit for: No standalone change-of-use permit, application, or checklist is published by the Town of Berthoud; confirmed absent from the Building Department page, the Planning Department page, and the 2026 Fee Schedule's Application Fees section, all checked directly this session; Development Code Table 3.3 (Berthoud Municipal Code Section 30-3, current version effective December 10, 2025) lists, for each zone district (AG, TN, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, C1, C2, M1, M2), whether a given land use is a principal use (marked ■, allowed by right) or a conditional use (marked □, requiring approval of a Conditional Use Permit / Use by Special Review) — confirmed directly against the Town's current code via its eLaws mirror; For a land use not specifically listed in Table 3.3, Town Administration makes a written determination of whether the proposed use is 'similar' to a listed principal or conditional use; if deemed similar to a conditional use, it is processed as a conditional use under the Code (Section 30-3-104); If the proposed use is a conditional use rather than a use by right in the applicable zone district, a Conditional Use Permit / Use by Special Review application is required under Section 30-3-106: a land use application form, a current title commitment (dated within 30 days of submittal), a written statement describing the use and how it meets the review criteria, a site development map (topography, buildings, parking, utilities, drainage), preliminary building plans and elevations, and a property ownership report for parcels within 300 feet; Review proceeds through an optional pre-application conference, staff completeness certification, published/mailed public notice (newspaper plus mailing to property owners and mineral interest holders within 300 feet, and referral agencies), a Planning Commission recommendation, and a Board of Trustees public hearing and final decision against seven approval criteria (zoning conformance, comprehensive plan alignment, adequate public utilities, no substantial character alteration, efficient traffic circulation, and mitigation of negative impacts, among others); Separately, the Berthoud Fire Protection District (BFPD) reviews 'Change of Occupancy' as its own line item under its Planning and Zoning Review Fees schedule, with a real published $100.00 flat fee — confirmed directly via BFPD's own Consolidated Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2026; this is a genuinely distinct review from both the Town's zoning-side Conditional Use process and the Town's building-code-side review below; On the building-code side, the Town's adopted 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), already documented in this file's codesAdopted list (Berthoud Municipal Code Chapter 11.3), governs the physical/life-safety compliance requirements that apply when a building's occupancy classification changes, independent of whether the underlying land use also requires zoning approval; If the change of use involves any construction, remodeling, alteration, or a change in occupancy classification requiring building-code compliance work, the ordinary Town Building Permit process applies (see this file's residential-addition-remodel and commercial-tenant-improvement entries) — billed under the general valuation-based Building Permit Fee table, with no distinct change-of-use fee line; Contact the Planning & Building Department directly (970-532-2643 option 3; building@berthoud.org) to confirm current practice for a specific change-of-use scenario, since no single consolidated process or fee page addresses this exact scenario end-to-end. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Berthoud Planning & Building Department at 970-532-2643 (option 3); alt. 970-344-5828 before starting work.

It depends on whether the use is allowed by right. If the use is a conditional use requiring Board of Trustees approval, the Town charges $7,500 for the initial Conditional Use Permit / Use by Special Review application ($2,500 for review after a second submittal). The Berthoud Fire Protection District separately charges $100 for its own Change of Occupancy review. Any accompanying construction is billed under the standard Building Permit Fee table.

Berthoud does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Town of Berthoud Planning & Building Department at 970-532-2643 (option 3); alt. 970-344-5828 for current turnaround.

Depending on your project, Berthoud may also ask for: Land Use Application (Conditional Use Permit / Use by Special Review); Current Title Commitment; Written Statement and Site Development Map; Property Ownership Report; Building Permit Application (if construction/alteration accompanies the use change). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Berthoud requires 2 inspection(s) for a change of use / change of occupancy permit, in order: Zoning/Use Compliance Review, BFPD Change of Occupancy Review. Schedule each through Town of Berthoud Planning & Building Department (970-532-2643 (option 3); alt. 970-344-5828).

Apply through Town of Berthoud Planning & Building Department at 807 Mountain Ave, Berthoud, CO 80513 (PO Box 1229, Berthoud, CO 80513). Phone: 970-532-2643 (option 3); alt. 970-344-5828, email: building@berthoud.org. Office hours: Main line 970-532-2643 option 3 (fax 970-532-0640). Inspections are performed under contract by SAFEbuilt/ProCode — phone 970-305-3161 ext. 1, online scheduling via the Town's CommunityCore portal; inspection requests must be received by 4 p.m. for next-business-day completion.. Official information: https://www.berthoud.org/169/Building-Department.

Berthoud, Colorado has adopted: 2024 International Building Code (IBC) — Chapters 1-33 and Appendix Chapter I, adopted by reference with local amendments (Berthoud Municipal Code Chapter 11.1); 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) — Chapters 1-43 and Appendix AB, adopted by reference with local amendments (Chapter 11.2). Fee schedule is explicitly keyed to '2024 IRC Appendix AB' as the valuation-based fee table.; 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — Chapters 1-16 (Chapter 11.3); 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — Commercial Chapters 1-6, Residential Chapters 1-6, INCLUDING Appendix CK (Colorado Model Electric and Solar Ready Code — Commercial) and Appendix RM (Colorado Model Electric and Solar Ready Code — Residential) (Chapter 11.4); 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC / NFPA 70) (Chapter 11.5); 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — Chapters 1-13 (Chapter 11.10); 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — Chapters 1-15 (Chapter 11.16); 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — Chapters 1-8 (Chapter 11.17); Colorado State Regulation 86 (Graywater Systems) — Town of Berthoud is the designated local agency for graywater oversight (Chapter 11.18); 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — Chapters 1-11 (Chapter 11.19); 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) — Chapters 1-8 (Chapter 11.20); HB22-1362 statewide energy code floor: Berthoud's 2024 IECC adoption explicitly incorporates Appendix CK and Appendix RM (the Colorado Energy Office's model Electric Ready / Solar Ready / EV Ready code), satisfying HB22-1362's statewide low-energy/electric-and-solar-ready requirement. Confirmed directly from the Town's own 2024 I-Code Amendment ordinance text (Berthoud Municipal Code Chapter 11.4), not inferred.. Local amendments apply — see the Berthoud overview page for the full list.

No standalone change-of-use permit, application, or fee exists. A change in use is addressed through Development Code Table 3.3, which determines whether the proposed use is allowed by right or requires a Conditional Use Permit / Use by Special Review ($7,500 initial fee) in the applicable zone district. The Berthoud Fire Protection District separately charges a $100 Change of Occupancy review fee under its own Planning and Zoning Review Fees schedule.