Blue River building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Blue River, Colorado.
Last verified 2026-07-06 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- Town Hall, 0110 Whispering Pines Circle, Blue River, CO 80424 (mailing: P.O. Box 1784, Breckenridge, CO 80424)
- Phone
- (970) 547-0545 (Town Hall, ext. 1 for building permit questions); Building Official direct: (720) 241-4741
- Office hours
- Town Hall open Tuesday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (per the Town's own Contact Us page, verified live 2026-07-06). Building inspections are conducted Tuesdays and Thursdays and must be scheduled by 4:00 p.m. the day before (Monday inspections scheduled by 4:00 p.m. the prior Thursday); requests received Friday are scheduled for the following Tuesday. The Building Official's function is performed by a contracted firm (email domain caa.inc), not a Summit County employee and not a direct Town staff member.
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Blue River's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Blue River — sequence, scheduling & re-inspection fees.
Codes adopted
Colorado has no statewide-mandated building code edition. Under the Colorado Constitution's home-rule provisions (art. XX, home rule for municipalities since 1902; home rule for counties since 1970), building codes and zoning are an enumerated home-rule charter power, so cities and counties adopt and amend their own construction codes independently — predominantly the I-Codes, with editions and local amendments varying by jurisdiction. The one statewide floor is for energy: HB22-1362 (2022) created the Energy Code Board (jointly appointed by the Colorado Energy Office and the Department of Local Affairs) and requires that, on or after July 1, 2023 and before July 1, 2026, any municipality or county that adopts or updates a building code must adopt and enforce an energy code achieving performance equivalent to or better than the 2021 IECC together with the board's Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code (which includes electric-ready, EV-ready, and solar-ready provisions); from July 1, 2026 onward the floor shifts to the board's Model Low Energy and Carbon Code or an equivalent. Electrical and plumbing permitting defaults to the Colorado State Electrical Board and State Plumbing Board (within DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations) — the state issues permits and inspects statewide except in counties/jurisdictions that operate their own certified Electrical or Plumbing Inspection Program, in which case the local program has authority instead. Always confirm the currently adopted code edition, local amendments, and inspection authority (state board vs. local program) with the specific jurisdiction before submitting plans.
- 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) with Town amendments — per the Town of Blue River's live Type A Permits page (verified 2026-07-06): 'The Town of Blue River has adopted the following codes with amendments: 2024 International Residential Code, 2024 International Energy Code, 2024 International Electrical Code, 2020 International Fire Code'
- 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) with Town amendments — per the same live Type A Permits page
- 2024 International Electrical Code (IEC) with Town amendments — per the same live Type A Permits page
- 2020 International Fire Code (IFC) — per the same live Type A Permits page
- GENUINE DISCREPANCY, honestly flagged: the Town's own live Building FAQ page (townofblueriver.colorado.gov/building-in-blue-river, verified 2026-07-06) states 'What Building Code(s) does Blue River abide by? International Residential 2018 Code' — directly conflicting with the Type A Permits page's 2024 IRC citation. The codified ordinance (Chapter 18 of the Town Code, PDF verified 2026-07-06) is older still: adopts the 2012 IBC, 2017 International Electrical Code, 2012 IECC, and 2012 IFC by reference (with extensive local amendments) and has not been re-codified to reflect the 2024 series. Applicants should treat the Type A Permits page (which governs actual plan-submittal code-year requirements today) as the current operative standard and confirm directly with the Building Official at time of submittal, the same 'ordinance text lags live practice' pattern already documented for Dillon in this corpus.
- Town of Blue River Municipal Code, Chapter 18 (Building Regulations) — contains extensive local amendments to the (older, codified) I-Code editions, including a locally-amended design snow load, frost line depth, and solid-fuel-burning-device restrictions (see localAmendments)
Permit types & fees
Building Permit — New Construction (Type A Permit)
Required for construction of new single-family homes, additions, and garages in Blue River. Classified as a Type A Permit, requiring review and approval by the Blue River Planning & Zoning Commission (meets first Tuesday of the month, 6:00 p.m.) in addition to Building Official plan review, under the Town's own adopted 2024 IRC/IECC/IEC and 2020 IFC with local amendments.
Addition / Remodel / Deck Permit (Type A or Type B Permit)
Additions and garages are Type A Permits requiring Planning & Zoning Commission approval; decks are a Type B Permit approvable directly by the Building Official with a site/plat plan (no Commission review); interior remodels are a Type C Permit approvable directly by Town Staff. All three tiers use the same underlying building-permit fee schedule and code requirements (2024 IRC/IECC/IEC, 2020 IFC).
Electrical Permit (Type C Permit)
Required for electrical wiring, fixtures, and equipment installation in Blue River. Classified as a Type C Permit, approvable directly by Town Staff without Planning & Zoning Commission review. Issued and inspected by the Town's contracted Building Official under the Town's own adopted 2024 International Electrical Code with amendments.
EV Charger / EVSE Installation Permit
Blue River has no separate EV charger/EVSE permit category. A dedicated circuit for a home EV charger is billed under the Town's Electrical Permit (Type C Permit) 'All other electrical work' valuation-based fee table, issued and inspected by the Town's contracted Building Official under the 2024 International Electrical Code with local amendments.
Plumbing Permit (Type C Permit)
Required for drain/waste/vent piping, potable water piping, fuel gas piping, and plumbing fixtures in Blue River. Classified as a Type C Permit, approvable directly by Town Staff. Issued and inspected by the Town's contracted Building Official.
Mechanical Permit (Type C Permit)
Required for furnaces, ducts, boilers, circulation piping, and exhaust fans in Blue River. Classified as a Type C Permit, approvable directly by Town Staff. Issued and inspected by the Town's contracted Building Official.
Roof Permit (Type C Permit)
Required for re-roofing and roofing work in Blue River. Classified as a Type C Permit, approvable directly by Town Staff, distinct from the general building permit. The Town's amended Chapter 18 code specifically addresses wood shakes (must comply with Section 1507.9) and repeals the wood-shakes fire-retardant treatment subsection (1507.9.3) outright.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
Blue River has no separate solar/photovoltaic permit type; rooftop or ground-mounted PV is permitted as a combined Building Permit (structural/racking, valuation-based fee table) and Electrical Permit (square-footage or valuation-based fee table), both under the Town's published Building Permit Fee Schedule. As in every Colorado jurisdiction, the combined total of all governmental fees for the installation is capped by state law at $500 for a residential system and $1,000 for a commercial system (C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113, enacted by HB21-1284).
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-05)
- No data reported
- Trailing 12 months
- 6units
6 of 12 months reported · #55 in Colorado coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-05)
- 3units
3 buildings · $1.4M valuation
3 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 5units
5 buildings · $2.5M valuation
10 of 12 months reported; Census estimates include imputation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-05 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Colorado building activity
Tips & gotchas
- GOTCHA — BLUE RIVER IS GENUINELY INDEPENDENT, NOT A SUMMIT COUNTY PROGRAM: unlike Dillon (fully contracted to Summit County Building Inspection Department) and Silverthorne (split), Blue River runs its own building department end-to-end — its own permit application, its own Building Official (a contracted individual/firm at SPinspections@caa.inc), its own fee schedule, and its own three-tier Type A/B/C permit classification. Summit County's only genuine touchpoint is a Summit County Health Department septic sign-off required at Final Building Inspection — not full plan review/inspection.
- THREE PERMIT TIERS, NOT ONE: Type A (new construction, additions, garages, plat amendments, variances, subdivision) needs Planning & Zoning Commission approval at a MONTHLY meeting (first Tuesday, 6 p.m.), with applications due 3 weeks ahead — plan your timeline around this monthly cadence, not a rolling office turnaround. Type B (sheds, excavation, landscaping features, berms, solar, fences, chicken enclosures, decks) skips the Commission and goes straight to the Building Official with a site/plat plan. Type C (staining/siding, roofs, interior remodel, forest management, hot tubs, windows, plumbing/mechanical/electrical) can be approved directly by Town Staff.
- ALL SUBMITTALS ELECTRONIC — the opposite of Summit County's own in-person-only building department: Blue River's Building Construction Application Packet states in bold 'ALL Submittals Must be Electronic,' emailed to info@townofblueriver.org.
- CODE-EDITION CONFUSION ACROSS THE TOWN'S OWN PAGES: the live Type A Permits page cites 2024 IRC/IECC/IEC + 2020 IFC; the live Building FAQ page says the Town abides by '2018 Code'; the codified Chapter 18 ordinance itself is oldest of all (2012 IBC, 2017 electrical code, 2012 IECC, 2012 IFC). Confirm directly with the Building Official (SPinspections@caa.inc) which edition actually governs your specific submittal.
- Blue River's own fee schedule (revised 2017) is similar to but NOT identical to Summit County's — e.g., Blue River's electrical base fee is $135.00 (vs. Summit County's $146.00) and its mid-tier building-permit marginal rates differ ($15.00/$12.00/$8.00 per $1,000 vs. Summit County's $14.00/$10.10/$7.00) — never assume the two schedules are interchangeable.
- Locally-amended design figures exist and were found (unlike Dillon's documented gap): 100 psf roof snow load / 125 psf deck-and-balcony snow load, 40-inch frost line, and specific solid-fuel-burning-device restrictions, all from Chapter 18's own text.
- Inspections run Tuesday/Thursday only (not the standard weekday schedule) and must be requested by 4:00 p.m. the prior business day; Friday requests roll to the following Tuesday.
- GAP, documented honestly: no distinct Roof Permit fee line was found on the Town's published fee schedule despite Roof being a named Type C permit category — confirm this fee directly with the Building Official rather than assuming it matches the general building-permit valuation table.