Commercial Building Permit (New Construction / Addition) in Loveland, Colorado

Loveland requires a commercial building permit (new construction / addition) for: Building permit required for new non-residential buildings, building additions, and new mezzanines (explicitly listed as 'Non-Residential' examples on the City's Permitting FAQ's page, distinct from the Residential examples list); A Site Development Plan application must be submitted to and approved by the Current Planning Division, together with an associated Site Work Permit, before the building permit application can be submitted; concurrent site development plan and building permit review is possible only if approved by the City's Development Review Team; Partial build-outs of new core-and-shell buildings or additions are not permitted; a separate Tenant Finish/Interior Remodel permit is required for each tenant space. For new builds with more than one tenant space, a core-and-shell permit is required first, followed by SEPARATE tenant finish permits per tenant space; A complete application requires a set of Architectural/Structural/Engineered stamped drawings; drawings stamped 'Preliminary' or 'Not for Construction' are not accepted; Drawing set must include architectural plans, current + proposed floor plans, building elevations (HVAC equipment shown shaded), code analysis, a Design Criteria List (occupancy group, construction type, seismic design category, design loads, structural systems, square footage/allowable floor area, exits, fire sprinkler/alarm systems, height/stories, occupant load), evidence of energy code compliance, parking analysis for each proposed use, structural plans, foundation plans stamped by a licensed Colorado engineer, electrical plans and 1-line diagram, mechanical/HVAC plans with equipment schedules, and plumbing plans; For buildings proposing more than one tenant, an 11x17 detail showing tenant spaces is required; A Traffic Impact Study (TIS) is required for new construction/expansion/addition/change-of-use applications generating more than 200 daily trips or 20 peak-hour trips, or a change of use resulting in more than a 20% increase in traffic from the prior use; otherwise, a completed Transportation Worksheet (Attachment C) is submitted so City staff can determine if a TIS waiver is justified; A commercial Electric Service Worksheet (ESW) confirming whether the existing electric service is changing is required; if a new service is needed or the existing service is being upgraded, all items in Section 4.1 of the Requirements for Electric Service (RFES) must be provided with the permit application; Water-Resistive Barrier inspection applies to new commercial buildings (as well as additions and new residences) per the City's Building FAQs; Fire alarm, sprinkler, and hood suppression systems are permitted separately through the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, not under the building permit itself; A valid City of Loveland Contractor's License is required for structural, mechanical, electrical, or plumbing work on non-residential buildings; the self-perform homeowner exemption does not apply; Contractors and project valuations do not need to be provided at initial submittal/check-in, but must be provided before the permit can be approved. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Loveland Building Division (Development Services Department) at (970) 962-2505 before starting work.

Yes. The Planning Division's Site Work Permit is $126.00 per the City's 2026 Fee Schedule, separate from the Building Permit Fee, Commercial Plan Review Fee, and any Site Development Plan review fee.

The City of Loveland Building Division applies its single governing estimate of 20-30 working days per round of review (Permitting FAQ's page) to commercial/non-residential building permits; the Permitting FAQ's Non-Residential examples table explicitly lists 'New Buildings' and 'Building Additions' as covered by this estimate. A separate Site Development Plan/Site Work Permit review by the Current Planning Division must also be completed beforehand and is not included in this figure.

You'll need: Non-Residential Building Permit Application - New Building/Addition; Non-Residential and Multi-Unit Dwelling New Construction Building Permit Submittal Checklist; Site Development Plan Application; Site Work Permit; Electrical Worksheet / Commercial Electric Service Worksheet (Attachment B). Depending on your project, Loveland may also ask for: Wastewater Discharge Survey (Attachment A); Transportation Worksheet (Attachment C); Cross-Connection/Backflow Prevention Questionnaire (Attachment D); Foundation Setback and Elevation Certification; Food Service Establishment Application; Third Party Inspectors Policy and Approval Form. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Loveland requires 8 inspection(s) for a commercial building permit (new construction / addition), in order: Footing/Foundation/Ufer, Underground Plumbing / Underground Electric, Water-Resistive Barrier, Rough Electrical / Rough Mechanical / Rough Plumbing, Above Ceiling Electrical / Mechanical / Plumbing, Fire-Rough/Hydro, Final Electrical / Final Mechanical / Final Plumbing / Final Building, Certificate of Occupancy Issuance. Schedule each through City of Loveland Building Division (Development Services Department) ((970) 962-2505).

Apply through City of Loveland Building Division (Development Services Department) at 410 E. 5th Street, Loveland, CO 80537. Phone: (970) 962-2505, email: eplan-res@cityofloveland.org (residential); eplan-building@cityofloveland.org (non-residential). Office hours: Lobby Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-4:00 PM; Phone Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-3:30 PM. Inspection Line: (970) 962-2100. Official information: https://www.lovgov.org/services/development-services/building-division.

Loveland, Colorado has adopted: Colorado has no statewide mandatory building code for municipalities; each home-rule or statutory city adopts and amends its own building code edition. Colorado's only statewide floor is an energy/greenhouse-gas standard: House Bill 22-1362 (2022), codified in relevant part at C.R.S. Title 24 and repealing portions of the prior C.R.S. 30-28-211 energy-code statute, directs the Colorado Energy Code Board to publish a Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code and a Model Low Energy and Carbon Code, which local governments (and certain state agencies) must adopt on their own timelines or otherwise demonstrate equivalent/greater stringency. Source: Colorado General Assembly, HB22-1362 (leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb22-1362); Colorado Energy Office Energy Code Board. Applicants should confirm the specific edition/amendments in effect for their city, since Colorado building codes vary by municipality.; City of Loveland runs its own Building Division and adopts/amends its own code within the Unified Development Code (Title 18) and Municipal Code (Title 15) framework — it is NOT a DOLA/state-administered program. Effective July 1, 2026, the City Council-adopted amendments move Loveland to the 2024 International Building Code (IBC) and 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) family (referenced in the City's 'Building Code adopted changes (ICC 2024)' notice, approved on second reading June 2, 2026); prior to that date the currently effective editions are the 2021 IRC, 2021 IMC (Mechanical), and 2021 IFGC (Fuel Gas), per City of Loveland Residential HVAC/Gas Load Fast Track forms dated 5/27/2026. Source: City of Loveland Building Division homepage and Loveland Building Code Amendments page (lovgov.org/services/development-services/building-division; lovgov.org/services/development-services/building-division/loveland-building-code).; Effective July 1, 2026, City of Loveland adopts the Colorado Model Low Energy and Carbon Code (combining the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code with the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)) to satisfy the HB22-1362 statewide energy-code floor. Source: City of Loveland 'City Council approves building-related code changes' notice (lovgov.org/home/showpublisheddocument/63720/639162471002370000).; Effective July 1, 2026, City of Loveland adopts Appendix BC (Accessory Dwelling Units) from the International Residential Code, with local amendments to align with the Unified Development Code, and now allows a property owner to act as general contractor on an ADU provided all subcontractors hold a valid City of Loveland contractor license. Source: City of Loveland code-changes notice.; Effective July 1, 2026, City of Loveland adopts Appendix BE from the International Residential Code (Radon Control Methods) for all new commercial and residential buildings, with new rough-radon, final-radon, and radon-mitigation-certificate inspections. Source: City of Loveland code-changes notice.; Building Valuation Data Table (square-foot construction costs by ICC occupancy group and construction type), effective March 15, 2026, is used by the City to calculate building-permit valuation; the City's fee schedule states 'Building permit fees are based on the current ICC Fees' via the ICC Building Valuation Data publication (iccsafe.org/products-and-services/i-codes/code-development-process/building-valuation-data/). Source: City of Loveland Building Valuation Data Table PDF (lovgov.org/home/showpublisheddocument/60277/639090010225200000) and 2026 Fee Schedule (lovgov.org/home/showpublisheddocument/60275/639089984528770000).. Local amendments apply — see the Loveland overview page for the full list.

No. Partial build-outs of new core-and-shell buildings or additions are not permitted under the new-construction permit. A separate Tenant Finish/Interior Remodel permit is required for each tenant space, per the City's Non-Residential Checklist.