Fire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm System Permit in Unincorporated Teller County, Colorado

Unincorporated Teller County requires a fire sprinkler / fire alarm system permit for: Governed by the 2003 International Fire Code (Teller County Fire Code), adopted by reference under Article X of the Teller County Building Code per County Ordinance #16, including Appendix Chapters A, B, and C; No standalone 'Fire Alarm Permit' or 'Fire Sprinkler Permit' application category was found among the documents linked from the Building Permit Applications page; fire protection systems installed as part of new commercial construction are addressed through the Commercial Building Permit process; The Commercial Building Permit Requirements handout states 'Fire Department AHJ review and approval may be required' in addition to, and separate from, the Teller County Building Department's own plan review — confirming a fire protection district's fire marshal, not the County Building Division, is the likely AHJ for fire alarm/sprinkler plan review; GENUINE GAP: the Teller County Building Code's Article X fire-code adoption clause does not itself designate a 'fire code official' or state which entity (County Building Division vs. the covering fire protection district) issues fire alarm/sprinkler permits or performs inspections — confirmed by searching the full 58-page Building Code text directly, no match for 'fire code official,' 'fire marshal,' or 'fire district'; For RESIDENTIAL construction specifically, Teller County's own IRC amendment (Section R313.1, replacing base IRC R313.1/R313.2) requires an automatic fire sprinkler system for a dwelling if the driveway does NOT meet the access requirements of Chapter 14 of the Teller County Roadway Design and Construction Standards — a direct county-specific sprinkler-system trigger, processed as part of the Single Family Dwelling (SFD) Permit rather than a separate fire permit; Unincorporated Teller County is covered by seven separate fire protection districts (Cripple Creek, Divide, Florissant, Four Mile, Green Mountain Falls-Chipita Park, Mountain Communities, and Northeast Teller County Fire Districts), per the County's own Emergency Service Agencies directory — confirm which district covers a specific property before assuming which fire marshal's office is the applicable AHJ. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Teller County Building Division (Community Development Department) at 719-687-3048 before starting work.

Unincorporated Teller County does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Teller County Building Division (Community Development Department) at 719-687-3048 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Commercial Building Permit Application (PDF). Depending on your project, Unincorporated Teller County may also ask for: Commercial Building Permit Requirements (PDF). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Teller County requires 2 inspection(s) for a fire sprinkler / fire alarm system permit, in order: Rough-In, Final Acceptance Test. Schedule each through Teller County Building Division (Community Development Department) (719-687-3048).

Apply through Teller County Building Division (Community Development Department) at 800 Research Drive, Suite 100-B, Tamarac Business Center, Woodland Park, CO 80863. Phone: 719-687-3048. Office hours: Monday through Friday (except holidays), 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for lunch. Building Inspectors answer Building Code questions by phone or in person 7:30-8:30 a.m. Monday-Friday at 719-687-3048; the Plans Examiner is available by appointment only, scheduled by calling 719-686-5405. Source: https://www.tellercounty.gov/Building-Division. Official information: https://www.tellercounty.gov/Building-Division.

Unincorporated Teller County, Colorado has adopted: AUTHORITY MODEL: The Teller County Building Division is responsible for regulating building activities to ensure residential and commercial structures comply with applicable codes, and 'issues Permits and Inspects all land/property located within unincorporated Teller County.' Woodland Park, Cripple Creek, and Victor all have their own separate Building Departments for issuing permits and performing inspections within their own municipal jurisdictions. This is a direct, affirmative statement of first-party permit issuance to unincorporated-area residents (not a records/coordination-only office), independently confirmed live 2026-07-06. Source: https://www.tellercounty.gov/Building-Division; Colorado has no statewide mandatory building code for most jurisdictions (home-rule/county-adoption authority under C.R.S. Title 30, Article 28); Teller County adopts and amends its own construction codes for the unincorporated area via the Teller County Building Code, administered by a Board of Review created under C.R.S. 30-28-206 and 207.; Teller County Building Code, as adopted by the Board of County Commissioners, effective 07/01/2023 (Resolution 06-22-2023 (21)), with subsequent amendment Resolution 11-09-2023 affecting contractor-license definitions and fees (Article II). This is the county's own current, in-force code compilation (58-page consolidated document), independently downloaded and read in full 2026-07-06. Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), https://www.tellercounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/242/Teller-County-Building-Code-PDF; Article III - 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), including Appendix Chapters AA, AB, AC, AG, AH, AJ, and AN, with numerous county-specific amendments (see localAmendments). Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article III; Article IV - 2021 International Building Code (IBC), including Appendix Chapters G, H, and I, and the 'Building Safety Journal.' Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article IV; Article V - 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC) as amended by the State of Colorado, including Appendices B, E, and G. Colorado uses the International Plumbing Code (not the Uniform Plumbing Code) for this jurisdiction. Where Article V conflicts with Article III (IRC) or Article IV (IBC), Article V (the Plumbing Code) governs. Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article V, Section 102.1; Article VI - 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC), including Appendix Chapter A. Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article VI; Article VII - 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), including Appendix Chapter A. Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article VII; Article VIII - Mobile/Factory Built/Manufactured Housing Code, with county-specific definitions of Manufactured Home, Factory Built Home (Modular/IRC Code Compliant Unit, per 8 CCR 1302-3), and Mobile Home; a building permit is required for the permanent foundation and all utility connections. Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article VIII; Article IX - 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC/NFPA 70), adopted directly by Teller County (not merely deferred to a state board), governing all electrical alterations, repairs, replacements, equipment, appliances, fixtures, fittings, and appurtenances; where the 2021 IRC/IBC conflict with the NEC, the NEC (Article IX) prevails as the more restrictive code. Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article IX; Article X - 2003 International Fire Code, adopted as the Teller County Fire Code for the unincorporated area by Teller County Ordinance #16. Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article X; Article XII - 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), including the IECC Appendix for reference only. This is the county's own current adopted edition as of this review (2026-07-06) -- it is the 2018 edition, not the 2021 or 2024 edition. Colorado's HB22-1362 (statewide 'model' energy code adoption requirements for larger/home-rule jurisdictions with updates on a rolling schedule) was checked for applicability: Teller County's own code text does not reference HB22-1362 or a more recent IECC edition anywhere in the 58-page Building Code document, and no separate county page or resolution updating the energy code to a post-2018 edition was found. This is reported honestly as the genuinely current adopted edition rather than assumed to have been superseded. Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article XII; Article XIII - Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators (ASME A17.1-2019, A17.3-2011, A18.1-2011, ASME QEI-2013, ANSI/ASSE A10.4-2007); all inspections performed by a State of Colorado-designated ANSI Certified Inspector with results submitted to the Building Department. Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article XIII; Article XIV - 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC). Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article XIV; Article XV - Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, 1997 edition. Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article XV; Article XVII - Penalties: violations of the Teller County Building Code are unlawful and punishable per C.R.S. 30-28-209 and 30-28-210. Source: Teller County Building Code (PDF), Article XVII. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Teller County overview page for the full list.

This is not conclusively stated in the public Teller County Building Code. Fire protection systems in commercial construction go through the Commercial Building Permit process at the County level, but the County's own Commercial Building Permit Requirements handout states that a separate 'Fire Department AHJ review and approval may be required' — most likely from whichever of the county's seven fire protection districts covers the property, though the Building Code itself does not name a 'fire code official.'

Only in a specific local circumstance: Teller County's amended IRC Section R313.1 requires an automatic fire sprinkler system for a dwelling if its driveway does not meet the access requirements of Chapter 14 of the Teller County Roadway Design and Construction Standards.