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Commercial Tenant Improvement / Tenant Finish Permit in Erie, Colorado

Required for interior finish work or renovations within existing commercial buildings in Erie. The Town's Commercial & Multifamily Projects page lists 'Tenant Finish/Improvement' as its own commercial permit category — naming Restaurant, Retail, Office, Medical, Industrial, Art Gallery, Theater, Banquet Hall, Religious, and Assembly occupancies — alongside separate Change of Use, Remodel, and Addition categories. It is a distinct application type, but it shares the same valuation-based fee table, 65% plan check fee, and published 'Commercial Permits: 4-6 Weeks for First Review Comments' timeline as new commercial construction; the Town does not publish a separate TI fee table or a faster TI review track.

Verified 2026-08-02 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Electronic submittal via the eTRAKiT Customer Self-Service Portal; applications are not accepted for plan review until the project submittal package is complete
  • Contractors and subcontractors must be licensed by the Town of Erie prior to permit issuance, with current certificates of insurance; general contractors need a Class A or Class B license (Specialty 'interior renovation' license, $75/yr, exists for narrower scopes), and Class A/B/C licensees must show proof of passing the appropriate ICC exam Contractor
  • Business operations description including tenant name
  • Town Business License required for all new businesses (and a prerequisite for a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy)
  • Architectural plans with code analysis; stamped electrical, plumbing, and mechanical technical drawings for the affected scope; IECC/energy compliance documentation as applicable
  • Mountain View Fire Rescue approved permit required before Town building permit issuance on qualifying projects (fire alarm/sprinkler-affecting work in particular)
  • County health department approval if applicable (e.g., restaurant/food-service tenant finishes)
  • A change in how the space is used may instead trigger the Town's separate 'Change of Use' permit category — confirm classification with the Building Division before applying
  • Application must state a general valuation plus mechanical/electrical/plumbing valuations by scope of work, a total project valuation, and material costs to be considered complete

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee (valuation-based, same table as all building permits)Town of Erie Fee Schedule publishes one valuation-based building permit fee table; no separate tenant-improvement fee table exists
$23.50 minimum, scaling per tier — e.g., $69.25 + $14.00/$1,000 from $2,001-$25,000; $993.75 + $5.60/$1,000 from $100,001-$500,000
Plan Check FeeReview will not begin until this fee is paid
65% of the building permit fee
Town Use Tax + County Use TaxBoulder County rate applied uniformly regardless of the parcel's actual county, per the Town's 2026 fee memo
50% of total project valuation x (Town 3.5% + County 1.335%)

Review timeline

Plan reviewErie’s published plan-review target
20–30 business days

How long did your Commercial Tenant Improvement / Tenant Finish Permit permit actually take in Erie?

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Inspection process

  1. 1

    Interim Trade Inspections (per permit inspection card)

    Rough/cover inspections for the affected trades are recorded on the permit inspection card (returned as part of the CO package); the Town does not publish an itemized TI inspection sequence

  2. 2

    Final Inspections for TCO/CO

    Commercial finals per the Town's TCO checklist as applicable to the scope: building, accessibility, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, Mountain View Fire Rescue, health department (if applicable), and Planning; Town Business License required for TCO

  3. 3

    Certificate of Occupancy Processing

    Original inspection card, backflow prevention test reports, HVAC balance report, and insulation certificates as applicable; allow 48 hours for TCO/CO processing and give the Building Division 2 weeks advance notice

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

Tips

  • Erie lists Tenant Finish/Improvement as its own commercial permit category (distinct from Change of Use, Remodel, and Addition) — but it carries no separate fee table or faster published review track; budget the same 4-6 week first-review window and valuation-based fees as any commercial permit.
  • If the new tenant's use differs from the previous occupant's, the project may fall under the Town's separate 'Change of Use' category instead — clarify with the Building Division (building@erieco.gov, 303-926-2780) before submitting to avoid a rejected application.
  • A new tenant needs a Town of Erie Business License, and it is an explicit prerequisite for the Temporary Certificate of Occupancy — apply for it in parallel with the permit, not after inspections.
  • Restaurant and food-service tenant finishes add county health department approval to the critical path; fire-alarm/sprinkler-affecting work adds Mountain View Fire Rescue review before the Town will issue the permit.

Frequently asked questions

Erie requires a commercial tenant improvement / tenant finish permit for: Electronic submittal via the eTRAKiT Customer Self-Service Portal; applications are not accepted for plan review until the project submittal package is complete; Contractors and subcontractors must be licensed by the Town of Erie prior to permit issuance, with current certificates of insurance; general contractors need a Class A or Class B license (Specialty 'interior renovation' license, $75/yr, exists for narrower scopes), and Class A/B/C licensees must show proof of passing the appropriate ICC exam; Business operations description including tenant name; Town Business License required for all new businesses (and a prerequisite for a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy); Architectural plans with code analysis; stamped electrical, plumbing, and mechanical technical drawings for the affected scope; IECC/energy compliance documentation as applicable; Mountain View Fire Rescue approved permit required before Town building permit issuance on qualifying projects (fire alarm/sprinkler-affecting work in particular); County health department approval if applicable (e.g., restaurant/food-service tenant finishes); A change in how the space is used may instead trigger the Town's separate 'Change of Use' permit category — confirm classification with the Building Division before applying; Application must state a general valuation plus mechanical/electrical/plumbing valuations by scope of work, a total project valuation, and material costs to be considered complete. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Erie Building Division at 303-926-2780 before starting work.

Fees follow the standard valuation-based building permit table (e.g., $69.25 plus $14.00 per $1,000 for valuations from $2,001-$25,000, and $993.75 plus $5.60 per $1,000 from $100,001-$500,000), plus a plan check fee of 65% of the permit fee and use tax of 50% of valuation times the combined 4.835% Town/Boulder-County rates.

Erie's published plan-review target for a commercial tenant improvement / tenant finish permit is 20–30 business days.

You'll need: Building Permit Application — Tenant Finish/Improvement (Customer Self-Service Portal / eTRAKiT); Architectural and Stamped MEP Plans for the Tenant Space; Business Operations Description with Tenant Name. Depending on your project, Erie may also ask for: Mountain View Fire Rescue Permit; County Health Department Approval. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Erie requires 3 inspection(s) for a commercial tenant improvement / tenant finish permit, in order: Interim Trade Inspections (per permit inspection card), Final Inspections for TCO/CO, Certificate of Occupancy Processing. Schedule each through Town of Erie Building Division (303-926-2780).

Apply through Town of Erie Building Division at 645 Holbrook St., Erie, CO 80516 (mailing: P.O. Box 750, Erie, CO 80516). Phone: 303-926-2780, email: building@erieco.gov. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Building Division fax/photo-submission line bldgfax@erieco.gov; HVAC/mechanical contact line 303-926-2700; Planning Division 303-926-2770 / planningdivision@erieco.gov.. Official information: https://www.erieco.gov/110/Building-Division.

Erie, Colorado has adopted: 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — currently in force per the Town's Building Codes & Design Criteria page; Title 9 (Building Regulations) of the Municipal Code governs local amendments. Source: https://www.erieco.gov/1772/Building-Codes-Design-Criteria; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC); 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC); 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC); 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC); 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC); 2021 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC); 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), with local amendments — adopted by Ordinance No. 12-2026, effective April 24, 2026; 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC) — adopted by Ordinance No. 12-2026, effective April 24, 2026 (supersedes the 2020 NEC cited in the Town's older Solar Permitting Checklist); 2024 International Fire Code (IFC), as adopted by the Fire District (Mountain View Fire Rescue) — effective April 24, 2026; Local design criteria (per the Town's Solar Photovoltaic Permitting and Inspection Checklist, the most specific published source found): Maximum Wind Speed = 142 mph Ultimate; Snow Load = 30 psf. This document's own codes list (2021 IRC/IBC, 2020 NEC) predates the April 2026 IECC/NEC/IFC update, so these two figures should be reconfirmed with the Building Division (building@erieco.gov) if a general (non-solar) project needs them, since no separate general design-criteria table was found published on the Town's site as of this review.. Local amendments apply — see the Erie overview page for the full list.

It is a distinct application category — the Town's Commercial & Multifamily Projects page lists 'Tenant Finish/Improvement' separately, covering interior finish work and renovations in existing commercial buildings — but it uses the same valuation-based fee table, 65% plan check fee, and published 4-6 week commercial review timeline as new commercial construction.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-02.

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Erie building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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