Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit in Cripple Creek, Colorado

Cripple Creek requires a change of use / change of occupancy permit for: A Conditional Use Request is the City's general mechanism for a change of use, per Development Code Table 4-1: 'Any change of use in land or building to a Conditional Use' routes to a Conditional Use Request, with Planning Commission recommendation to City Council and a final City Council decision after public hearing (Sec. 4.6.2); Conditional Use Request applications must include a written narrative addressing 7 review criteria (Sec. 4.6.2): community benefit vs. unique project characteristics; whether the request would overburden public infrastructure/services; compatibility with existing/planned adjacent uses; whether the proposal meets or exceeds applicable zoning-district standards outside the specific relief requested; adequacy of any additional design standards imposed; consistency with the Intent and Applicability of the zoning district and adjacent districts; and whether the district's standard requirements impose an undue burden; A Development Plan (Sec. 4.3) must generally accompany the Conditional Use Request unless no exterior changes are proposed to an existing building, parking area, or other exterior facility; Authority to issue a building permit under an approved Conditional Use Request expires two (2) years after the grant date unless a building permit has been issued AND materials acquired AND the foundation placed for at least one permitted building, OR (where no construction is required) the actual use has already commenced; For a NONconforming use being changed to reduce its non-conformance (rather than a use change requiring new Conditional Use approval), Development Code Sec. 4.9 provides a lighter track: a written narrative addressing the non-conformance reduction plus site plan/elevation information submitted to the Code Administrator, who forwards it to the Planning Commission once deemed complete -- no City Council hearing is described for this narrower track; The City's adopted 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC, Ch. 18 Art. 10 per this file's codesAdopted list) governs the life-safety/building-code compliance analysis for a change of occupancy classification; no local amendment to this specific chapter addressing change-of-occupancy was independently located on Municode or the City's Building Department pages this session; If the change of use also involves construction, remodeling, or modification of the structure, the applicable standard Building Permit track (new construction, addition/remodel, or commercial tenant improvement, per this file's other entries) additionally applies, including Historic District Certificate of Appropriateness review if the property is within a designated Historic District and exterior changes are involved; Fees for Conditional Use Request review are set by City Council resolution per Development Code Article 4's own introductory text; no numeric fee table for this process was located, the same unresolved-resolution gap documented elsewhere in this file; The City's Building Department 'Forms, Requirements & Codes' page (previously indexed by search engines) returned an HTTP 404 when checked directly this session -- it is not confirmed whether a dedicated Change-of-Use or Change-of-Occupancy application form exists there or elsewhere on the City's site; confirm the current form/process directly with the Code Administrator. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Cripple Creek Building Department at 719-689-3588 ext. 1 before starting work.

Cripple Creek does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Cripple Creek Building Department at 719-689-3588 ext. 1 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Conditional Use Request Application. Depending on your project, Cripple Creek may also ask for: Development Plan; Building Permit Application; Certificate of Appropriateness (if within a Historic District). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Cripple Creek requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / change of occupancy permit, in order: Certificate of Occupancy Inspection (if a Building Permit accompanies the use change). Schedule each through City of Cripple Creek Building Department (719-689-3588 ext. 1).

Apply through City of Cripple Creek Building Department at 337 E. Bennett Ave, Cripple Creek, CO 80813 (mailing: P.O. Box 430, Cripple Creek, CO 80813). Phone: 719-689-3588 ext. 1. Office hours: Building Inspector normal duty hours are 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM on Mondays and Fridays only (with an alternate day sometimes added around a holiday week, decided case-by-case). The inspector is typically present in the office at 337 E. Bennett Ave from 7:30-9:00 AM on Monday/Friday mornings for questions in person or by phone (719-689-3588 ext. 1); after 9 AM the inspector is generally in the field performing inspections and returns to the office afterward for consultations. As of May 28, 2026, Martin L. Colgan serves as the City's Combination Inspector (Residential and Commercial Building, Mechanical, Plumbing, and Gas Piping). SAFEbuilt is stated on the City's Building Department page to be the City's new full-service company for plan review, permits, and inspections; the City notes it is currently implementing new permitting software and directs applicants to call the Building Department to ask about the current submission process.. Official information: https://www.cityofcripplecreek.com/building-department.

Cripple Creek, Colorado has adopted: 2018 International Building Code (IBC) — City of Cripple Creek Municipal Code Ch. 18, Art. 2 Sec. 18-2-10 and Art. 3 (adopted by Ord. No. 2019-03, as amended by Ord. No. 2022-06 and Ord. No. 2023-13); 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), including Appendices H, J, and Q — Ch. 18, Art. 4; International Plumbing Code (IPC), most current edition as adopted by the State of Colorado — Ch. 18, Art. 5; 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — Ch. 18, Art. 6; 2015 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — Ch. 18, Art. 7; 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — Ch. 18, Art. 8; 2018 International Fire Code (IFC), including all appendices A-N — Ch. 18, Art. 9; 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — Ch. 18, Art. 10; National Electrical Code (NEC), most current edition as adopted by the State of Colorado — Ch. 18, Art. 11; 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — Ch. 18, Art. 12; 2018 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) — Ch. 18, Art. 13; ASME A17.1 (2010)/A17.2 (2010)/A17.6 (2010)/A17.3 (2010) and A18.1 (2011) Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, as adopted by Teller County (SCEE) — Ch. 18, Art. 14; all inspections performed by Teller County's designated ASME Certified Inspector, results submitted to the City Building Department; Manufactured Home Code (locally drafted, not an ICC model code) — Ch. 18, Art. 19, enacted by Ord. No. 2021-11; Note on code currency: Cripple Creek Municipal Code Chapter 18 adopts the 2018-cycle IBC/IRC/IMC/IECC/IFC/IEBC/ISPSC/IPMC by reference (via Ord. No. 2019-03, adopted Aug. 7, 2019), one cycle behind the 2021/2024 editions used by some neighboring Colorado jurisdictions (e.g. Vail's 2024 cycle). The IPC and NEC sections instead float to 'the most current edition as adopted by the State of Colorado,' so those two trades track the state's adoption cycle rather than a fixed local edition. This is the governing, most-recently-verified text of Municode's Cripple Creek library as of this review (chapter carries amendment history through Ord. No. 2023-13, effective 1-3-24).. Local amendments apply — see the Cripple Creek overview page for the full list.

No standalone application by that name was located. A change of use to something not permitted-by-right in the zoning district is processed as a Conditional Use Request (Development Code Table 4-1 and Sec. 4.6.2), reviewed by the Planning Commission with a recommendation to City Council and decided after a public hearing. Changing an already-nonconforming use to reduce its non-conformance instead follows a lighter, Planning-Commission-only track under Sec. 4.9.

No numeric fee table was located for a Conditional Use Request or any other Article 4 process. The Development Code states these fees are set by City Council resolution, with the current schedule 'available from the Code Administrator' -- the same unresolved Resolution 2021-21 gap documented for building permit fees elsewhere in this file. Contact the Building Department at 719-689-3588 ext. 1.