Change of Use Permit (Change in Use/Occupancy Inspection) in Pueblo, Colorado

Pueblo requires a change of use permit (change in use/occupancy inspection) for: Change in Use/Occupancy Inspection Application Form must be fully completed: address of inspection, name of new business, site contact name/phone/email, name and description of the previous business, and building owner name/phone/email/mailing address; If the applicant is not the building owner, a copy of the lease agreement, signed by both parties and showing the property address, is required to process the application; The owner or owner's agent must sign to authorize SoCoBD to inspect the property, and acknowledges receipt of the Code Compliance Inspection Disclaimer accompanying the request; The inspection is expressly cursory and code-compliance-focused only — SoCoBD's own disclaimer states it cannot discover all violations (much work is concealed in a completed structure) and is not a working-order/systems report; a trade-specific contractor should be hired separately if a working-order report is desired; Any life-threatening or serious code violations found must be corrected within a time specified by the inspector; if not corrected in time, utilities may be disconnected to prevent further occupancy of an unsafe structure; The completed form is given to the Chief Building Inspector, who schedules the inspection; Findings from this inspection may result in a requirement for full Commercial Plan Review at additional cost, separate from this inspection's own fee. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Southern Colorado Building Department (SoCoBD) at 719-543-0002 before starting work.

In Pueblo, the published Change in Use/Occupancy Inspection Fee is: $110.25. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Pueblo does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Southern Colorado Building Department (SoCoBD) at 719-543-0002 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Change in Use/Occupancy Inspection Application Form. Depending on your project, Pueblo may also ask for: Signed Lease Agreement. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

The completed Change in Use/Occupancy Inspection Application Form is given to SoCoBD's Chief Building Inspector, who schedules the inspection. No numeric turnaround time is published.

Apply through Southern Colorado Building Department (SoCoBD) at 830 N Main St, Pueblo, CO 81003. Phone: 719-543-0002, email: permits@socobd.com. Office hours: Front counter open to the public 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday; online services available 24/7. Field inspectors are generally reachable in the office between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. Homeowner/Contractor permit applications may also be emailed to permits@socobd.com or faxed to 719-543-0062.. Official information: https://www.socobd.com/.

Pueblo, Colorado has adopted: Colorado has no statewide mandatory building code for most jurisdictions (home-rule authority); each municipality or building authority adopts and amends its own construction codes. The main statewide floors that DO apply everywhere are energy/electric-vehicle/solar-ready requirements under HB22-1362 (Colorado's building energy codes law) and, for accessory dwelling units, HB24-1152 (which addresses local ADU regulation but does not itself set a building code). Applicants should always confirm the specific adopted edition and local amendments with the issuing building department. Source: Colorado Energy Office, Building Energy Codes Toolkit, https://energyoffice.colorado.gov/building-energy-codes-toolkit; Verify Pueblo's own adopted code editions and amendments below — the City of Pueblo does not use a separate 'city code' distinct from the joint department's adopted codes; the Southern Colorado Building Department (SoCoBD, formerly Pueblo Regional Building Department/PRBD) is the single building authority for the City of Pueblo and administers one set of adopted codes for its full service area.; The Southern Colorado Building Department (SOCOBD) was created by an intergovernmental agreement between the City of Pueblo and the Town of Boone to serve as a single building-code authority for both. SOCOBD does not have jurisdiction in unincorporated areas of Pueblo County. Source: SoCoBD 'About' page, https://www.socobd.com/ (aboutprbd.php); 2021 International Building Code (IBC), as amended by Pueblo City Code Title IV, Building Regulations, Chapter 2 (Building and Energy Code amendments). Source: SoCoBD Building & Code Information page, https://www.socobd.com/ (handouts-forms.php) and Pueblo Municode, https://library.municode.com/co/pueblo/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIVBURE_CH2INBUCO_S4-2-2AMIBIE; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), as amended by Pueblo City Code Title IV, Chapter 6 (Residential Code amendments). Source: https://library.municode.com/co/pueblo/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIVBURE_CH6RECO_S4-6-2AM; 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — note this jurisdiction uses the International Plumbing Code, not the Uniform Plumbing Code — as amended by Pueblo City Code Title IV, Chapter 4 (Plumbing Code amendments). Source: https://library.municode.com/co/pueblo/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIVBURE_CH4PL_S4-4-2AMCOPLCOSE1.2E.ADFO; 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC); 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), as amended by Pueblo City Code Title IV, Chapter 3 (Electrical/NEC amendments). Source: https://library.municode.com/co/pueblo/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIVBURE_CH3EL_S4-3-2N.AM; 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), adopted WITHOUT modifications, plus the Colorado Model Electric and Solar Ready Code, both effective 6/30/2026 per SoCoBD notice; the department is NOT adopting the Model Low Energy and Carbon Code (MLECC) at this time. A one-month transition period was allowed; plans/permits submitted on or after 8/1/2026 are subject to the new code, while plans/permits already in process remain on the prior code unless they expire. Source: SoCoBD homepage notice, https://www.socobd.com/ ('New Code Adoption 6/30/2026'), and Colorado Energy Office Building Energy Codes Toolkit, https://energyoffice.colorado.gov/building-energy-codes-toolkit (HB22-1362 statewide energy/electric-vehicle/solar-ready floor); Prior to the 2026 IECC/electric-ready adoption, SoCoBD used 2021 IECC prescriptive insulation values (adopted for the SoCoBD code cycle effective June 29, 2023): Climate Zone 5, Fenestration U-factor 0.32, Skylight U-factor 0.55, Ceiling R-49, Wood Frame Wall R-20 or R-13+5ci, Mass Wall R-13/17, Floor R-30, Basement Wall R-15ci or R-19 or R-13&5ci, Slab R-10ci at 2 ft, Crawl Space Wall R-15ci or R-19 or R-13&5ci. REScheck users may use either the 2018 or 2021 version. Source: SoCoBD Prescriptive Insulation Values handout (PDF), https://socobd.com/pubs/prescriptive.pdf. Local amendments apply — see the Pueblo overview page for the full list.

SoCoBD offers a Change in Use/Occupancy Inspection ($110.25) for exactly this scenario — a cursory code-compliance inspection of the space. If the applicant is not the building owner, a signed lease agreement showing the property address is required, and the inspection's findings can still trigger a requirement for full Commercial Plan Review at additional cost.