Change of Use / Change of Occupancy in Fruita, Colorado

Fruita requires a change of use / change of occupancy permit for: No building or structure may be occupied, and no change in existing occupancy is allowed, until a Planning Clearance is released and a Certificate of Occupancy for the building is issued, per Fruita's Zoning Code; No standalone 'change of use permit' application separate from the Planning Clearance / Certificate of Occupancy process was found published on the City's Building Division or Community Development pages; Where alteration or construction accompanies the use change, the City's adopted 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), adopted by Ordinance 2025-12, governs the building-code review component; Fences proposed in conjunction with a change of use may be subject to additional zoning requirements or limitations on location, height, materials, and detailing; Contact the Community Development Department (970-858-0786) for the Planning Clearance process and the Building Division (970-639-9919) for any accompanying building-permit component. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Fruita Building Division (Community Development Department) at 970-639-9919 (Building Division main line); Community Development Department (970) 858-0786 before starting work.

In Fruita, the published Planning Clearance / Certificate of Occupancy Fee is: Not published as a numeric figure on the City's Building Division or Community Development pages. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Fruita does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Fruita Building Division (Community Development Department) at 970-639-9919 (Building Division main line); Community Development Department (970) 858-0786 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Planning Clearance Application. Depending on your project, Fruita may also ask for: Building Permit Application (if construction accompanies the use change). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Fruita requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / change of occupancy permit, in order: Final Inspection / Certificate of Occupancy. Schedule each through City of Fruita Building Division (Community Development Department) (970-639-9919 (Building Division main line); Community Development Department (970) 858-0786).

Apply through City of Fruita Building Division (Community Development Department) at 325 E Aspen Avenue, Suite 155, Fruita, CO 81521. Phone: 970-639-9919 (Building Division main line); Community Development Department (970) 858-0786, email: kmclean@fruita.org (Building Permit Tech/Planning Specialist Kelli McLean); general fruita@fruita.org. Office hours: Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (closed Fridays and Municipal Holidays), per the City of Fruita Building Division page. Official information: https://www.fruita.org/610/Building-Division.

Fruita, Colorado has adopted: AUTHORITY MODEL NOTE: Colorado has no statewide building code (home-rule-adjacent for statutory cities via Title 31, Article 16, C.R.S., which authorizes municipalities to adopt codes by reference); each city or county adopts and amends its own. Colorado does set a statutory statewide energy-code floor via HB22-1362 (requiring jurisdictions that adopt a building code to also adopt the most current or immediately preceding edition of the IECC) and a Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code mandate under Section 24-38.5-401(5) C.R.S. Fruita adopts and administers its OWN codes independently of Mesa County — confirmed by Ordinance No. 2025-12 (adopted July 15, 2025, effective ~August 14, 2025), which repeals, re-adopts, and amends Fruita's building-related codes under Title 15 of the Fruita Municipal Code.; 2024 International Building Code (IBC) — City of Fruita, adopted by Ordinance 2025-12, Part 3; Appendix Chapter C (Group U — Agriculture Building), Chapter I (Patio Covers), and Chapter P (Sleeping Lofts) are adopted; no other IBC appendix chapters are adopted; 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) — City of Fruita, adopted by Ordinance 2025-12, Part 7; Appendix BB (Tiny Houses), Appendix BF (Patio Covers), Appendix BO (Existing Buildings and Structures), Appendix CB (Sizing of Venting Systems), and Appendix CC (Recommended Procedure for Safety Inspection of an Existing Appliance Installation) are adopted; no other IRC appendix chapters are adopted; 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — City of Fruita, adopted by Ordinance 2025-12, Part 5; 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — City of Fruita, adopted by Ordinance 2025-12, Part 6; 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — City of Fruita, adopted by Ordinance 2025-12, Part 8, with locally amended Table R402.1.3 insulation minimum R-values/fenestration requirements pulled forward from the 2024 IECC edition (see localAmendments); Colorado Plumbing and Fuel Gas Code (incorporating the International Plumbing Code and International Fuel Gas Code as amended/adopted by the Colorado State Plumbing Board pursuant to Title 12, Article 155, C.R.S.) — City of Fruita, adopted by Ordinance 2025-12, Part 4; National Electrical Code (NEC), as amended/adopted by the Colorado State Electrical Board pursuant to Title 12, Article 115, C.R.S. — City of Fruita, adopted by Ordinance 2025-12, Part 10; per Fruita's Adopted Codes and Regulations page the current edition in force is the 2023 NEC; Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code, adopted pursuant to Section 24-38.5-401(5) C.R.S. as required by HB22-1362 — City of Fruita, adopted by Ordinance 2025-12, Part 9, 'as written at the time of this code adoption'; Ordinance No. 2025-12 (City of Fruita) — introduced June 3, 2025, public notice published June 18 and July 2, 2025, adopted on second reading July 15, 2025 (6-0 vote), effective 30 days after adoption; the ordinance's own Exhibit A is the 'City of Fruita Building Department Fee Schedule,' re-adopted annually by City Council resolution (currently the 2025 Fees and Charges Schedule under Resolution 2024-39); 2018 International Residential Code — cited specifically as the applicable edition for solar PV system design/installation on Fruita's own Solar PV System Checklist form (325 E Aspen Suite 155, Community Development 970-858-0786), which predates the City's later Ordinance 2025-12 move to the 2024 IRC cycle for general construction; applicants should confirm with the Building Division which edition governs a given solar submittal, since the standalone solar checklist has not been visibly reissued since the general code-cycle update. Local amendments apply — see the Fruita overview page for the full list.

Yes, in the form of a Planning Clearance and Certificate of Occupancy — no building or structure may be occupied, and no change in existing occupancy is allowed, until both are issued, per the City's Zoning Code. Where construction accompanies the change, a standard building permit under the adopted 2024 IEBC is also required.