Eaton building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Eaton, Colorado.
Last verified 2026-07-06 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- Town of Eaton, 223 1st St, Eaton, CO 80615
- Phone
- 970-305-3161 (SAFEbuilt, Contract Building Inspector); (970) 454-3338 (Town Clerk's Office / main line); fax (970) 454-3339
- Office hours
- Not separately published on the Building and Permitting page as of the last verification; the Town's main contact line is (970) 454-3338.
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Eaton's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Eaton — 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 Building Code (IBC), Chapters 1-33 and Appendix Chapters H and I — adopted by Ordinance No. 664, amending Eaton Municipal Code Sec. 6-1-1, passed on second/final reading November 20, 2025
- 2024 International Residential Code (IRC), Chapters 1-43 and Appendix AB — Ordinance No. 664, Sec. 6-1-2
- 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC)
- 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC)
- 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC)
- 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)
- 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC)
- 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC)
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC)
- 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC)
- Colorado Model Electric and Solar Ready Code, 2023 Edition — Ordinance No. 664, re-numbered as Eaton Municipal Code Sec. 6-1-12
- Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, 2025 Edition — Ordinance No. 664, re-numbered as Eaton Municipal Code Sec. 6-1-13
All codes adopted pursuant to Title 31, Article 16, Part 2, C.R.S. Show full textShow less
All codes adopted pursuant to Title 31, Article 16, Part 2, C.R.S. Ordinance No. 664 was introduced and approved on first reading October 16, 2025, and passed as amended on final reading November 20, 2025. The Town's own Building and Permitting page states these codes 'will go into effect January 1, 2026,' a later effective date than the ordinance's own standard 30-day-after-publication clause (Section 17); both dates are disclosed because the Town does not reconcile them on a single page. January 1, 2026 — the Town's own explicit statement on its current Building and Permitting page — is the operative date for practical purposes.
Worth knowing before you design: a ProCode Inc.-branded 'Solar Permit Submissions and FAQs' handout linked from the Town's own Building and Permitting page (V4.5.22, dated April 2022, still bearing a Johnstown, CO return… Show full textShow less
Worth knowing before you design: a ProCode Inc.-branded 'Solar Permit Submissions and FAQs' handout linked from the Town's own Building and Permitting page (V4.5.22, dated April 2022, still bearing a Johnstown, CO return address) cites a stale 'Adopted Codes' list — 2018 IFC, 2020 NEC, 2018 IBC, 2018 IRC — that predates both the Town's 2024 I-Code adoption under Ordinance No. 664 and the ProCode-to-SAFEbuilt rebrand. That handout is not a governing code citation; the current codes above, per the Building and Permitting page and Ordinance No. 664 itself, govern. The same handout's technical figures for wind speed (115 mph) and ground snow load (30 psf) are corroborated independently by Ordinance No. 664's own Table R301.2(1) and are current on that basis.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Remodel / Repair / Basement Finish)
Required for new single-family/duplex/multi-family dwellings, garages, additions, remodels, repairs, and basement finishes in Eaton, using the Town's own 'Residential Building Permit' application form. Reviewed under the 2024 IBC/IRC as locally amended by Ordinance No. 664; inspections and plan review performed under contract by SAFEbuilt, with permits issued by the Town Clerk's Office.
See fee scheduleElectrical Permit
Required for new electrical service, panel work, or living-space electrical wiring in Eaton. Governed by the 2023 NEC as adopted by Ordinance No. 664. Fees are structured differently for new residential living space (area-based) versus all other electrical work (valuation-based).
From$200.00Plumbing Permit (Water Line/Sewer Repair, Backflow, Water Heater)
Required for water/sewer line repair, backflow devices, and hot water heater installation/replacement in Eaton. Governed by the 2024 IPC as adopted by Ordinance No. 664. Most standalone residential plumbing work is billed via the Town's flat 'Over the Counter One-Stop' fee schedule rather than a dedicated plumbing valuation table.
From$125.00Mechanical / HVAC Permit (Furnace, Air Conditioning, Gas Line, Gas Fireplace)
Required for furnace replacement, air conditioning installation, gas line, and gas fireplace work in Eaton. Governed by the 2024 IMC/IFGC as adopted by Ordinance No. 664. Billed via the Town's flat 'Over the Counter One-Stop' fee schedule.
From$125.00Roofing Permit (Re-Roof)
Required for re-roofing work in Eaton, governed by Chapter 9 (Sec. R901-R908) of the 2024 IRC as adopted, plus the Town's own dedicated Roofing Regulations handout and a locally amended Class-4 impact-resistant shingle requirement.
$125.00Residential/Commercial Solar Permit
Required for new solar panel installation in Eaton, whether residential or commercial. Billed on the Town's valuation-based electrical schedule with distinct flat fees by system size, and reviewed under the Colorado Model Electric and Solar Ready Code and 2023 NEC Articles 690/705 as locally adopted.
From$500.00EV Charger / EVSE Permit (Billed as General Electrical Work)
Required for installation of a Level 2 (or higher) electric vehicle charger/EVSE in Eaton. The Town has no dedicated EV-charger fee line item, application form, or ordinance distinct from the Colorado HB24-1173 EV-charger-permitting statute's requirements — Eaton's own population (approx. 6,000 per Census QuickFacts) is below the 10,000-population threshold that makes a municipality a 'covered municipality' under HB24-1173 (Electric Vehicle Charging System Permits Act, effective Aug. 7, 2024), so the Town is not required to adopt the Colorado Energy Office's model EV-charger permitting code or a dedicated objective-standards ordinance. An EV charger circuit is billed under the Town's general 'All Other Electrical Work (by valuation)' fee tier on the same Fee Schedule used for other electrical work not tied to new living space, and reviewed under the 2023 NEC Article 625 (Electric Vehicle Power Transfer System) as adopted by Ordinance No. 664.
From$100.00Demolition Permit
Required for demolition of a structure in Eaton, billed as a flat fee under the Town's Over-the-Counter One-Stop schedule.
$125.00Fence Permit
Required for fences exceeding 6 feet in height in Eaton (fences 6 feet or under are exempt from permit per a local amendment to IBC/IRC Sec. 105.2). No dedicated fence project page, standalone fee line item, or review timeline beyond the general exemption threshold and the general building valuation fee table was found published.
See fee scheduleCommercial Building Permit (New Building / Addition / Remodel-Tenant Improvement / Change of Occupancy)
Required for commercial construction in Eaton — new buildings, additions, remodels (including tenant improvements/finishes), repair/replacement, office/warehouse projects, changes of occupancy, and new systems — using the Town's own dedicated 'Commercial Building Permit' application form, which is distinct from the Residential Building Permit form. Reviewed under the 2024 IBC as adopted by Ordinance No. 664 (Town states effective January 1, 2026); plan review and inspections performed under contract by SAFEbuilt, with permits issued by the Town Clerk's Office and processed through the CommunityCore online portal.
See fee scheduleSign Permit
Required for permanent signs and sign structures in Eaton. The Town's own Fee Schedule lists 'SIGN' as its own building-permit-fee category — billed on the same Appendix L (2018 IRC) valuation table and 65% plan-review-fee mechanism used for residential and non-residential construction generally — but no dedicated Sign Permit application form, sign code excerpt, or standalone process page is published on the Town's Building and Permitting page. Sign work is filed on the Town's general Commercial Building Permit or Residential Building Permit application, neither of which carries a dedicated 'Sign' checkbox under Purpose of Permit.
See fee scheduleFire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm System Permit
Required for installation of any new, or modification to any existing, fire sprinkler system, fire alarm system, or kitchen hood suppression system serving a structure in Eaton. Unlike every other trade permit in this record, review and permitting authority sits entirely with the Eaton Fire Protection District (EFPD) — an independent special district under Title 32 C.R.S., separate from the Town's own Building Department/SAFEbuilt — not with the Town or SAFEbuilt. EFPD has adopted the 2018 International Fire Code (IFC) 'with support from the Town of Eaton and Weld County Commissioners,' and its own Plan Review and Permit Fee Schedule was duly adopted by Board Resolution 2019-03 under the authority of Section 32-1-1002(1)(e), C.R.S. EFPD's permit is required in addition to, not instead of, any Town of Eaton building permit for the same construction project — reflected directly on the Town's own Commercial Building Permit application, which carries separate 'FIRE SPRINKLER REQUIRED' and 'FIRE DISTRICT APPROVAL' yes/no fields.
From$250.00Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit
Required when a building or structure's use or occupancy classification changes in Eaton. The Town publishes no separate Change of Use or Change of Occupancy permit type, application form, or fee line — 'CHANGE OF OCCUPANCY' is one of the checkbox options under 'Purpose of Permit' directly on the Town's own Commercial Building Permit application (the same form used for new commercial buildings, additions, remodels, and tenant improvements), and is billed under the same valuation-based Non-Residential Construction fee table. Reviewed under the 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), Chapter 10 (Change of Occupancy), and the 2024 IBC, both adopted by Ordinance No. 664.
See fee schedule
Eaton's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Eaton yet is the record of permits actually issued — the history you'd search by street address. That is a gap in our coverage, not a statement about any particular property.
Your email, and the place — never an address. We only use it to tell you when Eaton lands. Privacy.
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 (2026-07)
- 0units
0 buildings · $0 valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 4units
12 of 12 months reported · #68 in Colorado coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-07)
- 3units
3 buildings · $1.5M valuation
7 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 2units
2 buildings · $525,000 valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-07 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Colorado building activity
Tips & gotchas
- Authority model note: the Colorado DFPC prequalified-building-department list shows Eaton contracted to 'ProCode Inc.', but that listing is stale — the same stale-listing pattern the DFPC roster shows for Windsor. The Town's own current site (Building and Permitting page and Staff Directory) names 'SAFEbuilt' as its contracted building-inspection provider; ProCode Inc. is a SAFEbuilt company, and the Town's live pages consistently use the SAFEbuilt name, not ProCode, in every current (non-stale) source.
- One stale handout is still linked from the Town's current Building and Permitting page: a 2022-dated (V4.5.22) ProCode 'Solar Permit Submissions and FAQs' with a Johnstown, CO return address, citing 2018 IBC/IRC and 2020 NEC. Those code editions are out of date - the codes listed above, per Ordinance No. 664 and the Town's own live page, govern. The handout's wind-speed (115 mph) and snow-load (30 psf) figures are still correct, and Ordinance No. 664's own Table R301.2(1) carries the same values, so you can design to them.
- Eaton adopted the full 2024 I-Code suite (IBC, IRC, IMC, IFGC, IPC, IECC, IPMC, IEBC, ISPSC) plus the 2023 NEC via Ordinance No. 664, passed on final reading November 20, 2025. The Town's own Building and Permitting page states these codes 'go into effect January 1, 2026' — a later date than the ordinance's own standard 30-days-after-publication effective clause; both figures are disclosed since the Town does not reconcile them on a single page.
- Design criteria (Ordinance No. 664, Table R301.2(1)): 30 psf ground snow load, 115 mph ultimate wind speed (Exposure C, topographic effects yes), Seismic Design Category B, 30-inch frost line, Severe weathering, ice barrier underlayment required.
- Building permits are issued by the Town Clerk's Office, while inspections and plan review are performed by SAFEbuilt under contract — these are two distinct functions with two distinct contact points (Town Clerk's Office at (970) 454-3338 for issuance/payment; SAFEbuilt at 970-305-3161 / coemail@safebuilt.com for inspections and technical questions).
- Most standalone residential trade permits (AC, furnace replacement, gas meter/test, water heater, re-roof, demolition) are billed as flat $125.00 fees under the Town's 'Over the Counter One-Stop' fee category, distinct from the valuation-based general building permit table and the area/valuation-based electrical tables.
- No review-timeline SLA (plan review or permit issuance turnaround) is published by the Town anywhere checked — Fee Schedule, Building and Permitting page, all permit application forms, Ordinance No. 664, or the Municipal Code. Colorado is home-rule with no statewide clock and Eaton has not published its own figure; every permit type in this record honestly carries a null reviewTimelineDays with a documented note rather than an invented number.
- No dedicated Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) program, ordinance, or fee schedule was found published on eatonco.org as of the last verification — omitted from this record rather than assumed.
- Local amendments of note: one-story accessory structures (sheds, playhouses) ≤120 sq ft and ≤10 ft roof height are permit-exempt; fences ≤6 ft are permit-exempt (pool barriers are not, regardless of height); shingle repair/replacement ≤1 square (100 sq ft) is permit-exempt; permits expire after 180 days of inactivity; work started before permit issuance draws an investigation fee plus a violation fee of up to 2x the normal permit fee; carbon monoxide detectors required within 15 ft of every sleeping area and on every level.
- Contractors owe an annual $50 Contractor Fee to the Town (plumbers and electricians are exempted from this specific fee) in addition to any Colorado state trade licensure.
- The Municipal Code (Chapter VI, Building Regulations) is hosted on Municode as an interactive application; Ordinance No. 664 (a scanned PDF) serves as the authoritative primary source here for code adoption and design-criteria details.