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Tenant Improvement Permit (Commercial Alteration / Repair) in Telluride, Colorado

Covers interior build-out ('tenant finish') and general alteration/repair work to existing commercial, retail, restaurant, and office space in the Town of Telluride. Historically issued under an explicit 'Tenant Finish' permit-type checkbox (confirmed from an actual 2005 Town of Telluride building permit record for a real-estate-office build-out at 333 W Colorado Ave, Permit #2005112) — the Town's current SmartGov system processes this same scope of work under the 'Alteration or Repair to Commercial Building Permit' (BLDG-ALTERCOMM) application-number prefix, confirmed against real 2025 issued permits (e.g. an interior build-out at 135 W Colorado Ave Unit D, $8,500; an ATM installation at 101 E Colorado Ave Unit A, $22,720). Telluride does NOT maintain a fee, checklist, or review process that is separately distinct for 'tenant improvement' specifically versus other commercial alteration/repair work (e.g. roof repairs, HOA common-area electrical work, and interior tenant build-outs all share the same BLDG-ALTERCOMM category and Table 1-A fee mechanism in the Town's own 2025 permit ledger) — this file documents that as a genuine, verified finding rather than fabricating a distinction that does not exist in Telluride's actual practice.

Reviewed 2026-08-02 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Reviewed under the 2024 IBC as adopted by Ordinance 1620 for the affected commercial tenant space/occupancy
  • HARC Certificate of Appropriateness required before permit issuance ONLY if the scope includes exterior alteration (storefront, signage, visible facade changes) — purely interior tenant build-outs with no exterior component do not trigger HARC review, consistent with this file's Residential Addition/Remodel entry's treatment of interior-only work
  • Construction Mitigation Plan required if the project disturbs 500+ sq ft of property, or involves 500+ sq ft of renovation (interior and/or exterior) within a 12-month period, cumulative across projects on the same property
  • Fire Code compliance per the 2024 IFC — a change of occupant/use within an existing commercial space can trigger fire-alarm, sprinkler, or occupant-load review depending on the new tenant's use, coordinated with the Telluride Fire Protection District
  • All contractors must hold a current Town of Telluride business license
  • Permit becomes invalid if work is not commenced within 180 days of issuance, or suspended/abandoned for 180 days after commencement

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee (same Table 1-A valuation schedule as new commercial construction)Confirmed via real 2025 examples: an $8,500 interior build-out (135 W Colorado Ave Unit D) and a $22,720 ATM installation (101 E Colorado Ave Unit A) were both processed as standard BLDG-ALTERCOMM permits under this fee schedule
$51.50 minimum, scaling per the valuation tiers in the Building Permit Fee Schedule
Plan Check Fee
65% of the Building Permit Fee
Town Use Tax
Construction cost x 40% x 4.5%
County Use Tax
Construction cost x 40% x 1%
Building License FeeApplies to commercial alteration/repair permits — not exempt the way SF/duplex/triplex residential permits are under Municipal Code Ch. 6, Sec. 6-1-20(5)
Construction cost x 0.007

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Tenant Improvement Permit (Commercial Alteration / Repair) permit actually take in Telluride?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Rough Electrical / Plumbing / Mechanical

    Trade rough-ins before concealment, scoped to the tenant space

  2. 2

    Fire Alarm / Fire Suppression (if applicable)

    Required if the tenant's new use or occupant load triggers fire-protection-system work under the 2024 IFC

  3. 3

    Final Inspection

    All work complete per approved plans and applicable codes; Certificate of Occupancy update if occupancy classification or tenant changed

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

Tips

  • Don't look for a permit literally named 'Tenant Improvement' or 'Tenant Finish' in Telluride's current SmartGov portal — that terminology was used on paper permits as recently as 2005 (confirmed from an actual permit record) but the Town's live application taxonomy now files this scope of work under the generic 'Alteration or Repair to Commercial Building Permit' (BLDG-ALTERCOMM) category, identical to a routine commercial roof repair or common-area electrical fix.
  • A purely interior build-out with zero exterior/storefront change does not trigger HARC review — but confirm this with the Building Division for your specific scope, since even a new exterior sign or altered storefront window on the same project would pull HARC back in, per this file's tipsAndGotchas entry on HARC's broad exterior-work trigger.
  • Because Telluride uses one commercial alteration/repair category for everything from a $5,720 roof patch to a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar interior build-out, don't expect a tenant-finish-specific checklist from the Building Division — the general commercial Building Permit submittal requirements apply.

Frequently asked questions

Telluride requires a tenant improvement permit (commercial alteration / repair) for: Reviewed under the 2024 IBC as adopted by Ordinance 1620 for the affected commercial tenant space/occupancy; HARC Certificate of Appropriateness required before permit issuance ONLY if the scope includes exterior alteration (storefront, signage, visible facade changes) — purely interior tenant build-outs with no exterior component do not trigger HARC review, consistent with this file's Residential Addition/Remodel entry's treatment of interior-only work; Construction Mitigation Plan required if the project disturbs 500+ sq ft of property, or involves 500+ sq ft of renovation (interior and/or exterior) within a 12-month period, cumulative across projects on the same property; Fire Code compliance per the 2024 IFC — a change of occupant/use within an existing commercial space can trigger fire-alarm, sprinkler, or occupant-load review depending on the new tenant's use, coordinated with the Telluride Fire Protection District; All contractors must hold a current Town of Telluride business license; Permit becomes invalid if work is not commenced within 180 days of issuance, or suspended/abandoned for 180 days after commencement. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Telluride Planning & Building Department, Building Division at 970-728-5700 before starting work.

In Telluride, the published Building Permit Fee (same Table 1-A valuation schedule as new commercial construction) is: $51.50 minimum, scaling per the valuation tiers in the Building Permit Fee Schedule. Additional published fees: Plan Check Fee — 65% of the Building Permit Fee; Town Use Tax — Construction cost x 40% x 4.5%; County Use Tax — Construction cost x 40% x 1%; Building License Fee — Construction cost x 0.007. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

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: Building Permit Application (SmartGov) — Alteration/Repair to Commercial scope. Depending on your project, Telluride may also ask for: HARC Certificate of Appropriateness; Construction Mitigation Plan. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Telluride requires 3 inspection(s) for a tenant improvement permit (commercial alteration / repair), in order: Rough Electrical / Plumbing / Mechanical, Fire Alarm / Fire Suppression (if applicable), Final 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.

Not as a separately named, separately fee'd application in the Town's current system. Interior build-outs and general alteration/repair work to existing commercial space are both processed under the same 'Alteration or Repair to Commercial Building Permit' (BLDG-ALTERCOMM) category in the Town's SmartGov portal — confirmed against real 2025 issued permits ranging from an $8,500 interior build-out to a $5,720 commercial roof repair, both filed under the identical application type.

Older paper Town of Telluride building permits (e.g. a 2005 real-estate-office build-out at 333 W Colorado Ave, Permit #2005112) used an explicit 'Tenant Finish' permit-type checkbox alongside 'S F RES', 'MULT RES', and 'COMM' categories. The Town's current SmartGov system has consolidated this into the general 'Alteration or Repair to Commercial Building Permit' category rather than retaining a distinct Tenant Finish application.

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