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Change of Use in Telluride, Colorado

The Town of Telluride does not publish a single, dedicated “Change of Use Permit” procedure the way some peer Colorado municipalities do. Instead, Land Use Code Section 1-302.F requires a Certificate of Occupancy from the Building Official before any change in the use or occupancy of land, or any change of use or occupancy in an existing building, may occur. Where the new use also constitutes a genuine “change of use” of a nonconforming use, structure, or lot (LUC Section 4-103.B), or is a use requiring individual Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) review under the applicable zone district's table of uses (“Use/Activity Permitted on Review,” LUC Sections 6-101 through 6-104 and 6-110 through 6-113), that P&Z-level review and approval must be completed before the Certificate of Occupancy can issue. A change of use that generates additional employees also triggers the Town's Affordable Housing/Employee Housing Mitigation requirements (LUC Section 3-720) unless exempted.

Verified 2026-08-14 · Source

When you need this permit

  • No change in the use or occupancy of land, and no change of use or occupancy in an existing building, may occur until a Certificate of Occupancy has been issued by the Building Official, per LUC Section 1-302.F
  • Before issuing the Certificate of Occupancy, the Building Official examines all applicable development-permit requirements and investigates the site for Land Use Code compliance; issuance is withheld until compliance is obtained, per LUC Section 1-302.F.1
  • If the new use constitutes a “change of use” of a nonconforming use, structure, or lot as defined in LUC Section 4-103.B (e.g., resulting parking noncompliance, expansion of a nonconforming use, a different Commercial-zone-district use category not similar in operation to the prior use, or additional dwelling units/parking in the Residential zone), it must first be reviewed and approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) under LUC Sections 6-110 through 6-113 (“Activities Permitted on Review”), including a staff report and a Level 4 public-notice hearing
  • If the new use is listed as a “use permitted on review” for the applicable zone district (LUC Article 3, Division 2's table of uses), it requires P&Z approval under LUC Sections 6-101 through 6-104 before a building permit or Certificate of Occupancy may issue
  • A change of use that generates additional employees is subject to the Town's Affordable Housing/Employee Housing Mitigation requirements (LUC Section 3-720.A.3), calculated against the Town's employment-generation Table #1, unless the change does not create additional employment generation as determined by that table (exempt per LUC Section 3-720.B.1)
  • A conforming use may never be changed to a nonconforming use, per LUC Section 4-103.A

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Certificate of Occupancy (change of use/occupancy)LUC Section 1-302.F establishes the Certificate of Occupancy requirement but does not itself publish a standalone dollar figure for a change-of-use Certificate of Occupancy apart from any associated building permit. Contact the Building Division (970-728-5700 / planningandbuilding@telluride.gov) for a current fee determination on a specific project.
Not published — contact the department
Use/Activity Permitted on Review (P&Z) — general use permitted on reviewPer the Town of Telluride 2025/2026 HARC & Planning Fee Schedule (effective 1/1/2025), “Use and Activity Permitted on Review” line item; value confirmed by rendering the fee-schedule PDF to an image and reading it visually. Applies when a new use is listed as a use permitted on review for the applicable zone district (LUC Sections 6-101-6-104).
$970.00
Non-conforming Use or Lot Review (P&Z) — change of use of a nonconforming use/structure/lotPer the 2025/2026 HARC & Planning Fee Schedule's “Non-conforming Use or Lot Review” line item (the schedule's standard hourly rate applied to several review categories rather than a flat fee). Applies to a change-of-use review under LUC Sections 6-110-6-113.
$41.37 per hour after the first hour

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use permit actually take in Telluride?

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Inspection process

  1. 1

    Building Official Compliance Inspection

    Prior to issuing the Certificate of Occupancy, the Building Official investigates the site to confirm compliance with all applicable Land Use Code and permit requirements, per LUC Section 1-302.F

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

Tips

  • Telluride does not have one single “Change of Use Permit” form the way some peer Colorado towns do — the requirement is split across a Certificate of Occupancy step (Building Official, LUC 1-302.F) and, only when the new use is itself a nonconforming-use change or a zone-district “use permitted on review,” a separate P&Z hearing process (LUC 6-101-6-104 or 6-110-6-113).
  • If your change of use adds employees, check the Town's employment-generation Table #1 (LUC Section 3-720.C.1.a) early — a change of use that increases employee generation triggers Affordable Housing/Employee Housing Mitigation obligations even if no new floor area is added.
  • The two P&Z-level change-of-use review fees are billed very differently: a flat $970 for a straightforward “use permitted on review,” versus an open-ended $41.37/hour for a nonconforming-use change-of-use review — confirm with Planning staff which category applies before submitting.

Frequently asked questions

Telluride requires a change of use permit for: No change in the use or occupancy of land, and no change of use or occupancy in an existing building, may occur until a Certificate of Occupancy has been issued by the Building Official, per LUC Section 1-302.F; Before issuing the Certificate of Occupancy, the Building Official examines all applicable development-permit requirements and investigates the site for Land Use Code compliance; issuance is withheld until compliance is obtained, per LUC Section 1-302.F.1; If the new use constitutes a “change of use” of a nonconforming use, structure, or lot as defined in LUC Section 4-103.B (e.g., resulting parking noncompliance, expansion of a nonconforming use, a different Commercial-zone-district use category not similar in operation to the prior use, or additional dwelling units/parking in the Residential zone), it must first be reviewed and approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) under LUC Sections 6-110 through 6-113 (“Activities Permitted on Review”), including a staff report and a Level 4 public-notice hearing; If the new use is listed as a “use permitted on review” for the applicable zone district (LUC Article 3, Division 2's table of uses), it requires P&Z approval under LUC Sections 6-101 through 6-104 before a building permit or Certificate of Occupancy may issue; A change of use that generates additional employees is subject to the Town's Affordable Housing/Employee Housing Mitigation requirements (LUC Section 3-720.A.3), calculated against the Town's employment-generation Table #1, unless the change does not create additional employment generation as determined by that table (exempt per LUC Section 3-720.B.1); A conforming use may never be changed to a nonconforming use, per LUC Section 4-103.A. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Telluride Planning & Building Department, Building Division at 970-728-5700 before starting work.

Telluride does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Town of Telluride Planning & Building Department, Building Division at 970-728-5700 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Certificate of Occupancy Request. Depending on your project, Telluride may also ask for: Use/Activity Permitted on Review Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Telluride requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use permit, in order: Building Official Compliance Inspection. Schedule each through Town of Telluride Planning & Building Department, Building Division (970-728-5700).

Apply through Town of Telluride Planning & Building Department, Building Division at Rebekah Hall, 113 W. Columbia Ave, Telluride, CO 81435 (mailing: PO Box 397, Telluride, CO 81435). Phone: 970-728-5700, email: planningandbuilding@telluride.gov. Office hours: Main Planning & Building Department line 970-728-5700. Building Official Sam Samuelson: 970-728-2143. SmartGov online-portal assistance / Historic Preservation, Planning and Building Coordinator Tammy Brand: 970-728-2175. Building Inspector Bill Spencer: 970-708-2464.. Official information: https://telluride.gov/230/Building-Department.

Telluride, Colorado has adopted: 2024 International Building Code (IBC) — adopted by Ordinance 1620 (Series of 2025), effective September 12, 2025, per the Town Council second-reading staff memorandum (September 9, 2025) and the live Building Codes webpage; 2024 International Residential Code (IRC); 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC); 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC); 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC); 2024 International Fire Code (IFC) — enforced jointly with the Telluride Fire Protection District per Resolution No. 2019-03; 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC); 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC); 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC); 2024 International Code Council Performance Code for Buildings and Facilities; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC); 2023 Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code; Prior code cycle (superseded, listed for reference only): 2018-edition IBC/IRC/IEBC/IMC/IFGC/IPC/IPMC adopted by Ordinance 1502, effective February 18, 2020; All codes locally amended via Telluride Municipal Code Chapter 15 (Building Regulations), Articles 1-13; amendment structure verified directly against both the archived 2018-cycle amendment ordinance (Ordinance 1502 full text) and the current 2024-cycle Town Council staff memorandum/ordinance text (Ordinance 1620) for this file — the two were cross-checked against each other since the live telluride.municipal.codes site blocked automated fetches during this research session (see tipsAndGotchas for the chase trail).. Local amendments apply — see the Telluride overview page for the full list.

Not as a single named procedure. Land Use Code Section 1-302.F requires a Certificate of Occupancy from the Building Official before any change of use or occupancy occurs. If the new use is a nonconforming-use change (LUC 4-103.B) or a zone-district “use permitted on review,” Planning & Zoning Commission approval (LUC 6-101-6-104 or 6-110-6-113) is also required before that Certificate of Occupancy can issue.

It can. Per LUC Section 3-720.A.3, a change of use that generates additional employees is subject to the Town's Affordable Housing/Employee Housing Mitigation requirements, unless the change does not create additional employment generation under the Town's Table #1 calculation (LUC Section 3-720.B.1 exemption).

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

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Change of Use in other cities

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