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Change of Use / Change of Occupancy in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

The City of Steamboat Springs Community Development Code (CDC) does not establish a standalone, dedicated 'Change of Use Permit' or 'Change of Occupancy Permit' as its own permit type with its own application, fee schedule, or SLA — confirmed by full-text review of the current CDC (Version 7) for 'change of use,' 'change of occupancy,' and 'Certificate of Occupancy.' Instead, a change of occupancy/use is handled as an application category within the Routt County Regional Building Department's (RCRBD) standard Building Permit process, with the Certificate of Occupancy itself issued by RCRBD (defined in CDC Article 8 as 'a certificate issued by the Routt County Regional Building Department upon completion of activities performed in compliance with a building permit or other permit issued by the Building Department'). The CDC uses 'change of use' narrowly in two contexts only: (1) manufactured home park conversions, which require Conditional Use approval and a Conversion Impact Report under CDC §§707.A and 730; and (2) nonconforming exterior lighting, where 'any change in use or alteration to a structure' triggers compliance review under CDC §405.E.

Verified 2026-08-14 · Source

When you need this permit

  • No dedicated Change of Use or Change of Occupancy Permit exists in the CDC; a change of occupancy/use rides on RCRBD's standard Building Permit application, per RCRBD's City of Steamboat Springs Permit Application Plan Review Processes and Time-Frames document
  • 'Change in occupancy use that may affect zoning requirements' is listed by RCRBD as a factor that can move a project beyond its standard 5-day expedited building-permit review tier
  • 'Change of Occupancy Permit Application' is listed among the project types requiring a Site Plan submittal to RCRBD
  • Colorado's engineered-plan requirement (4 CCR 730-1) applies to change-of-occupancy permits the same as it does to new construction, additions, and alterations, per RCRBD's process document
  • The Certificate of Occupancy — issued by RCRBD upon completion of activities performed in compliance with a building permit or other Building Department permit — is the operative document confirming an authorized use/occupancy, per CDC Article 8 definitions
  • A narrow, CDC-defined 'change of use' mechanism exists only for manufactured home park conversions (Conditional Use approval plus a Conversion Impact Report, CDC §§707.A, 730) and as a compliance trigger for nonconforming exterior lighting (CDC §405.E) — neither is a general-purpose commercial/residential change-of-use permit

Required documents

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Fee schedule

No standalone Change of Use / Change of Occupancy feeNeither the City's Development Application Fee Schedule nor RCRBD's Permit Fee Schedule-Policies PDF publishes a separate 'Change of Use' or 'Change of Occupancy' fee line item; the associated work is billed under RCRBD's standard valuation-based Building Permit fee. Contact RCRBD (970-870-5566 / Building@co.routt.co.us) or the City's Planning and Community Development Department (970-871-8258) to confirm what fee applies to a specific change of occupancy.
Not published — contact the department

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use / Change of Occupancy permit actually take in Steamboat Springs?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

    See the full Steamboat Springs inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

    Tips

    • Don't look for a 'Change of Use Permit' by that name in Steamboat Springs — it doesn't exist as a distinct permit. A change of occupancy or use is folded into RCRBD's standard Building Permit process, with the Certificate of Occupancy as the operative sign-off document.
    • The two places the CDC does use the phrase 'change of use' are narrow and easy to miss: manufactured home park conversions (CDC §§707.A/730) and nonconforming exterior lighting compliance triggers (CDC §405.E) — neither applies to a typical commercial tenant change.

    Frequently asked questions

    Steamboat Springs requires a change of use / change of occupancy permit for: No dedicated Change of Use or Change of Occupancy Permit exists in the CDC; a change of occupancy/use rides on RCRBD's standard Building Permit application, per RCRBD's City of Steamboat Springs Permit Application Plan Review Processes and Time-Frames document; 'Change in occupancy use that may affect zoning requirements' is listed by RCRBD as a factor that can move a project beyond its standard 5-day expedited building-permit review tier; 'Change of Occupancy Permit Application' is listed among the project types requiring a Site Plan submittal to RCRBD; Colorado's engineered-plan requirement (4 CCR 730-1) applies to change-of-occupancy permits the same as it does to new construction, additions, and alterations, per RCRBD's process document; The Certificate of Occupancy — issued by RCRBD upon completion of activities performed in compliance with a building permit or other Building Department permit — is the operative document confirming an authorized use/occupancy, per CDC Article 8 definitions; A narrow, CDC-defined 'change of use' mechanism exists only for manufactured home park conversions (Conditional Use approval plus a Conversion Impact Report, CDC §§707.A, 730) and as a compliance trigger for nonconforming exterior lighting (CDC §405.E) — neither is a general-purpose commercial/residential change-of-use permit. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Routt County Regional Building Department (RCRBD) — City of Steamboat Springs jurisdiction at 970-870-5566 before starting work.

    Steamboat Springs does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Routt County Regional Building Department (RCRBD) — City of Steamboat Springs jurisdiction at 970-870-5566 for current turnaround.

    You'll need: Building Permit Application (with Change of Occupancy noted). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    Apply through Routt County Regional Building Department (RCRBD) — City of Steamboat Springs jurisdiction at Routt County Courthouse Annex, 136 6th Street, Suite 201, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487. Phone: 970-870-5566, email: Building@co.routt.co.us. Office hours: Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4:00 pm. Building Official: Todd Carr (tcarr@co.routt.co.us). Fax 970-870-5489. No voicemail inspection requests accepted by phone — inspections must be requested through the CityView Portal. Note: an alternate phone number, 970-879-5566, also appears in some third-party directory listings for this same office; 970-870-5566 is used here as it appears verbatim and consistently across every RCRBD-authored PDF (fee schedule, permit processes, de-construction policy) pulled directly for this file.. Official information: https://www.co.routt.co.us/583/City-of-Steamboat-Springs.

    Steamboat Springs, Colorado has adopted: 2021 International Building Code (IBC), including Appendix Chapters C, E, and J — City of Steamboat Springs Building Code Ordinance, Sec. 5-2/5-3 (adopted by reference, RCRBD-enforced); 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), including Appendix Chapters B, C, E, F, and Q — Sec. 5-4/5-5; 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — adopted per the ordinance preamble; National Electrical Code (NEC) as adopted by the State of Colorado Electrical Board; 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — Sec. 1148 area of the ordinance; 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC); 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC); 2021 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC); 2021 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) — Sec. 5-22/5-23, adopted with Chapters 3, 4, and 6 plus Appendices A, B, C, D, F, G, H, and I explicitly DELETED; only specific Chapter 5 sections retained (all other Chapter 5 sections not enumerated in the ordinance are deleted) — this is a narrower, more surgical WUI adoption than Breckenridge's town-wide full-CWRC approach in the same corpus; Colorado State Model Electric and Solar Ready Code — Sec. 5-24, adopted city-wide for new construction meeting the code's square-footage thresholds; Countywide RCRBD adoption of the 2021 ICC series (IBC/IRC/IECC/IEBC/IFGC/IPC/IMC/IPMC) plus portions of the 2021 IWUIC and the 2023 Colorado State Model Electric and Solar Ready Code, effective January 1, 2024, applies uniformly across all RCRBD-served jurisdictions including Steamboat Springs — verified via the City's own separately-numbered ordinance adopting the identical 2021 edition set, so city and county codes are aligned rather than divergent; Full ordinance text: City of Steamboat Springs Building Code Ordinance (adopting the 2021 IBC/IRC/IEBC/NEC/IMC/IECC/IPC/IFGC/IPMC/IWUIC + Colorado Electric/Solar Ready Code), hosted via Routt County DocumentCenter. Local amendments apply — see the Steamboat Springs overview page for the full list.

    No. There is no standalone Change of Use or Change of Occupancy Permit in the City's Community Development Code. A change of occupancy or use is processed as part of the Routt County Regional Building Department's standard Building Permit application, with RCRBD issuing the Certificate of Occupancy upon completion.

    Sources & verification

    Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-14.

    Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Steamboat Springs building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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