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Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit in Center, Colorado

RESEARCHED 2026-08-13: the Town of Center has a real, directly codified change-of-use requirement. Town of Center Municipal Code Sec. 44-211(a) (Article 44-X, Administration and Enforcement, of Chapter 44 Zoning — read in full live via Municode, current through Ord. No. 571, enacted 4-23-2024, republished 5-5-2025) states that 'every application for a Building Permit for construction, moving, alteration, or changes in the type of use or type of occupancy shall be accompanied by' a written statement and scaled plans showing (among other things) 'the existing and intended use of the plot and all structures upon it.' This directly requires a Building Permit for a change in the type of use or occupancy, independent of whether any physical construction accompanies the change — it is a genuinely codified legal requirement, not merely an inference from the general building-permit process. Unlike Burlington, CO (a peer town in this corpus whose combined form has an explicit 'Part B: Change of Use' field implementing an equally explicit statutory certificate-of-zoning-compliance requirement), Center's own combined Building Permit Application has no dedicated 'Change of Use' checkbox among its listed project types (New Construction, Addition(s), Mobile Home, Fence-New/Replace, Deck or Patio, Reroof, Shed, Siding or Stucco, New Water/Gas/Sewer Tap, Other) — a pure change of use would be filed under 'Other,' even though the underlying legal obligation is directly codified in Sec. 44-211(a) itself, not merely implied by the form's structure.

Verified 2026-08-13 · Source

When you need this permit

  • A Building Permit is required for 'changes in the type of use or type of occupancy' of any building or structure, per Town of Center Municipal Code Sec. 44-211(a) — this applies independent of whether physical construction accompanies the use change
  • The application must be accompanied by a written statement and scaled plans/plots showing: the shape/location/dimensions of the lot, the shape/size/location of buildings and structures on the plot, 'the existing and intended use of the plot and all structures upon it,' and any other information needed to determine Zoning Code compliance (Sec. 44-211(a)(1)-(4))
  • Applications are required in duplicate form (Sec. 44-211(a))
  • File on the Town's combined Building Permit Application, checking 'Other' under Project Information/Type and describing the existing and proposed use, since no dedicated 'Change of Use' checkbox exists on the Town's form
  • Issuance of the permit is approved by the Town Administrator when Zoning Code conditions are met (Sec. 44-210(f), 44-211(c)); if disapproved, the cause must be stated in writing (Sec. 44-211(d))
  • Issuance of a Building Permit does not waive any other Zoning Code provision or Town ordinance (Sec. 44-211(b))
  • If the change of use also involves construction, moving, or alteration, this entry's requirements apply alongside (not instead of) this file's residential-addition-remodel or commercial-tenant-improvement entries

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee (structure/use, via 'Other' line, if construction accompanies the change of use)No change-of-use-specific fee line exists in the Town's Building Permit Application / Fee Schedule document; a pure change of use with no construction scope may not have a square-footage basis to calculate this fee from — confirm with Public Works whether only the flat Application Fee applies in that scenario
$0.10 per sq. ft., $50.00 minimum (residential) / $0.20 per sq. ft., $50.00 minimum (commercial)
Application Fee (all permit types)Charged whether the permit is approved or denied, per the Town's June 23, 2026 Public Works Department notice; applies to a change-of-use filing the same as any other permit type
$50.00 flat, non-refundable

Review timeline

Plan reviewCenter’s published plan-review target
1–2 business days

How long did your Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit permit actually take in Center?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final Inspection

    If construction accompanies the change of use, the general Final Inspection documented in this file's residential-building-permit and commercial-tenant-improvement entries applies; no separate inspection sequence for a pure use-change (no construction) is published

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

Tips

  • Center's change-of-use requirement is genuinely codified (Sec. 44-211(a)) and not merely a line item on the intake form — a change in the type of use or occupancy requires a Building Permit even if no construction is planned, so do not assume a pure use-change (e.g., converting a retail space to an office) is exempt just because nothing physical is being built.
  • Unlike Burlington, CO (a peer town in this corpus with an explicit 'Part B: Change of Use' field on its own combined form), Center's Building Permit Application has no dedicated Change of Use checkbox — use 'Other' and describe the existing and proposed use explicitly, since the Town's own ordinance (Sec. 44-211(a)) specifically asks for 'the existing and intended use of the plot and all structures upon it.'
  • If your change of use is accompanied by construction, remodeling, or a tenant improvement, see this file's residential-addition-remodel or commercial-tenant-improvement entries, which document the same underlying Building Permit process for the construction-specific requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Center requires a change of use / change of occupancy permit for: A Building Permit is required for 'changes in the type of use or type of occupancy' of any building or structure, per Town of Center Municipal Code Sec. 44-211(a) — this applies independent of whether physical construction accompanies the use change; The application must be accompanied by a written statement and scaled plans/plots showing: the shape/location/dimensions of the lot, the shape/size/location of buildings and structures on the plot, 'the existing and intended use of the plot and all structures upon it,' and any other information needed to determine Zoning Code compliance (Sec. 44-211(a)(1)-(4)); Applications are required in duplicate form (Sec. 44-211(a)); File on the Town's combined Building Permit Application, checking 'Other' under Project Information/Type and describing the existing and proposed use, since no dedicated 'Change of Use' checkbox exists on the Town's form; Issuance of the permit is approved by the Town Administrator when Zoning Code conditions are met (Sec. 44-210(f), 44-211(c)); if disapproved, the cause must be stated in writing (Sec. 44-211(d)); Issuance of a Building Permit does not waive any other Zoning Code provision or Town ordinance (Sec. 44-211(b)); If the change of use also involves construction, moving, or alteration, this entry's requirements apply alongside (not instead of) this file's residential-addition-remodel or commercial-tenant-improvement entries. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Center Public Works Department at (719) 754-3497 before starting work.

No change-of-use-specific fee is published. The Town's general Building Permit Fee schedule ($0.10/sq ft residential or $0.20/sq ft commercial, $50 minimum) plus the standard $50 non-refundable Application Fee would apply if the fee schedule's square-footage basis fits the project; confirm with Public Works (719-754-3497) how a pure use-change with no construction scope is billed.

Center's published plan-review target for a change of use / change of occupancy permit is 1–2 business days.

You'll need: Building Permit Application (combined form); Sketch Plan / Written Statement. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Center requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / change of occupancy permit, in order: Final Inspection. Schedule each through Town of Center Public Works Department ((719) 754-3497).

Apply through Town of Center Public Works Department at 294 S. Worth Street, Center, CO 81125. Phone: (719) 754-3497, email: cwebb@centerco.gov. Office hours: Monday-Thursday 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM; Friday 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM; Saturday-Sunday Closed. Fax (719) 754-3379.. Official information: https://www.centerco.gov/documents.

Center, Colorado has adopted: 2018 International Building Code (IBC) and International Residential Code (IRC) — per the Town of Center's own Building Permit Application / Fee Schedule document ('CURRENT (2018 Codes)', referencing https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes/colorado); 2018 International Plumbing Code (IPC); 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2018 International Fire Code (IFC); 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) (listed on the Town's document as 'International Energy Commission Code'); 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC); ICC/ANSI A117.1 Accessibility Code (ADA); ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code; Note on currency: the Town's Building Permit Application/Fee Schedule packet (the only currently-published code-adoption source found) explicitly labels these as the '2018 Codes' with no revision date visible on the document itself. No newer code-adoption ordinance, resolution, or updated fee-schedule packet was found anywhere on the Town's current website (centerco.gov) or its Documents/Building Department listing as of this review (2026-07-06). The prior townofcenter.colorado.gov CivicPlus-style site (which hosted the original seed URL, .../departments/public-works-department/building-department, and an alternate .../departments/building-department path) now 301-redirects at the domain root to www.centerco.gov — the entire old site has been retired and its content was not recoverable via Wayback Machine chase within this review; the Town's own current-generation site (a minimal TownCloud/SvelteKit site launched circa 2025-2026) is treated as authoritative and does not itself carry a separate 'Adopted Codes' page distinct from the Building Permit Application document.. Local amendments apply — see the Center overview page for the full list.

Yes. Town of Center Municipal Code Sec. 44-211(a) requires a Building Permit application for 'changes in the type of use or type of occupancy,' independent of whether any construction accompanies the change. File on the Town's combined Building Permit Application under 'Other,' since no dedicated Change of Use checkbox exists on the form.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-13.

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 Center building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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