Loveland building permits

Tips & gotchas

• Colorado has NO statewide mandatory building code — every city adopts its own edition and amendments. City of Loveland runs its own Building Division (it does not defer to Larimer County or the state) and is in the middle of a major code transition: 2021-family IRC/IMC/IFGC codes apply through June 30, 2026, and 2024-family ICC codes plus the Colorado Model Low Energy and Carbon Code (the state's HB22-1362 energy floor) take effect July 1, 2026. Confirm which edition applies based on your submittal date.
• All permit submittals in Loveland are processed electronically by email (eplan-res@cityofloveland.org for residential, eplan-building@cityofloveland.org for non-residential, eplan-buildingfasttrack@cityofloveland.org for Fast Track trade permits) rather than through an in-person counter or web portal. The City states an Accela-based online permit portal is 'Coming in 2026.'
• Loveland operates its own municipal electric utility, Loveland Water and Power. Any electrical service change AND any rooftop solar/DER installation requires a separate utility-side process (Electric Service Worksheet or DER interconnection application) completed BEFORE the Building Division will accept the corresponding building/electrical permit application.
• Development review and building permit fees increased effective June 1, 2025, to help fund the City's new Accela online portal launch.
• Building permit fees in Loveland are calculated from the current ICC Building Valuation Data (a square-foot construction cost table published by the International Code Council and adopted via the City's own valuation table, effective March 15, 2026) rather than a flat City-published dollar-per-valuation-bracket schedule — R-3 (one/two-family, Type VB) is $175.92/sq ft.
• Additional building fee loads to budget for: Residential/Commercial Plan Review Fee = 65% of the Building Permit Fee; New Technology Fee = 10% of the Building Permit Fee (plus 10% of the Plan Check Fee); Re-Inspection Fee = $200; after-hours inspection = $200 minimum (2-hr minimum).
• Effective January 1, 2026, several new certification/affidavit requirements apply: Vapor Barrier Affidavit (under heated slabs), Exhaust Test Certification (5 psi/15-min test for gas appliance venting), and a photo-based Roofing Affidavit replacing in-person mid-roof inspections.
• Fences and retaining walls are governed by the Unified Development Code (Title 18, Sections 18.04.07.06 and 18.04.07.11), not a standalone Building Division permit form for most residential fences — but engineered retaining walls (6+ ft, or 4+ ft near a property line) require a stamped design from a Colorado-registered Structural PE and are reviewed through the standard building permit process.
• Demolition permit review is 5 business days; New Detached ADU review is 10 business days; general building permit review is estimated at 20-30 working days per round of review — these are meaningfully different published timelines depending on permit type.
• A homeowner may self-perform any trade work (electrical, plumbing, mechanical, structural) only in a home that is their own primary residence, with a Homeowner Affidavit on file; otherwise a City-licensed contractor is required for rental homes, multi-family, and non-residential buildings.
• Contractor license classes: Class A (all structures, any height), Class B (all structures up to 3 stories), Class C (all residential structures) — ICC exams required, and Loveland is a 'non pre-authorization' jurisdiction. Effective July 1, 2026, contractor licensing is newly required specifically for framing and solar trades.