Evans building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Evans, Colorado.
Last verified 2026-07-06 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 1100 37th Street, Evans, CO 80620
- Phone
- 970-475-1110
- Office hours
- Weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Inspection Line 970-475-2211 (per the City's current Addition/Remodel application form's inspection contact; note some older One Stop application copy still lists a legacy SAFEbuilt inspection line, 303-774-0454 / 303-774-1388, that predates the 2025 in-house transition)
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Evans's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Evans — 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.
- 2018 International Building Code (IBC), adopted and enforced per the City's 'Current Codes and Zoning' page
- 2018 International Residential Code (IRC)
- 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC)
- 2018 International Plumbing Code (IPC)
- 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC)
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), adopted 'per the State of Colorado' — per the City's current 'Current Codes and Zoning' page, https://www.evanscolorado.gov/building-business-development/building-and-renovating/current-codes-and-zoning/
- 2018 International Property Maintenance Code
- 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC)
- 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), applied together with the Colorado Model Energy Efficiency Construction and Renovation Standards
- 2018 International Fire Code (IFC)
- 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code
- Evans Municipal Code (Title 15, Buildings and Construction) governs adoption — https://library.municode.com/co/evans/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=MUCO_TIT15BUCO
- DISCREPANCY NOTE: the City's dedicated 'Current Codes and Zoning' webpage (the canonical source, checked live) lists 2023 NEC, while several of the City's own downloadable application PDFs (One Stop Building Application, 'Last Revised 2/2020'; Commercial/Residential Addition or Remodel Application) still print the older line 'Current Adopted Code is 2018 IRC, IMC, IFGC, IPC, IFC; 2017 NEC, 2012 IECC.' This corpus follows the live Current Codes and Zoning page as authoritative since it is the City's dedicated, more recently-maintained code-reference source and 2023 NEC aligns with the statewide NEC adoption cycle other Colorado jurisdictions (e.g., Northglenn) are also on; the application-PDF text appears to be an un-updated holdover from before the 2025 in-house transition and should be re-verified directly with Building Division staff before treating it as current.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Primary Structure)
Required for new single-family homes and other new residential primary structures in Evans. Falls under the City's 'Building New Primary Structure' permit category, which requires a full plan review and inspection set. Reviewed under the 2018 IBC/IRC as adopted (2023 NEC per the State of Colorado).
Residential/Commercial Addition or Remodel Permit
Required for additions, basement finishes, remodels, and tenant finishes in Evans. Falls under the City's 'Building Addition and Remodel' permit category (plan review plus more than one inspection), or 'Building Accessory Structure' for detached garages, sheds, carports, and gazebos.
Electrical Permit
Required for electrical service upgrades and modifications in Evans. Standalone electrical upgrades fall under the City's 'Building One Stop' category (single inspection, no plan review, quick approval). Residential electrical permits are billed on a distinct area-based fee schedule; commercial on a valuation-based schedule.
Plumbing Permit
Required for plumbing modifications and water heater installation/replacement in Evans, governed by the 2018 IPC as adopted. Water heater replacement is explicitly a 'Building One Stop' category item; other plumbing work is billed under the general valuation-based Building Permit Fee, as no separate flat plumbing fee schedule is published.
Mechanical / HVAC Permit
Required for furnace, air conditioner, and fireplace installation or replacement in Evans, governed by the 2018 IMC/IFGC as adopted. Furnaces, air conditioners, and fireplaces are explicitly 'Building One Stop' category items — single inspection, no plan review, quick approval.
Roofing Permit (Re-Roof)
Required for re-roofing in Evans. Explicitly named as a 'Building One Stop' category item on both the City's permit-type guide and the One Stop Building Application itself, which includes a dedicated field for 'number of squares.'
Photovoltaic (Solar) Permit
Required for solar panel installation in Evans. Explicitly its own named permit category ('Photovoltaic') distinct from the Building One Stop / Addition-Remodel / New Primary Structure categories, for both commercial and residential systems.
EV Charger / EVSE Permit (Billed as Electrical Upgrade / Building One Stop)
Required for installation of a Level 2 (or higher) electric vehicle charger/EVSE in Evans. The City's own 'What Type of Permit Do I Need?' guide lists 'electrical upgrades' among its Building One Stop category examples (smaller projects requiring one inspection, no plan review, quick approval) — an EV charger circuit falls under this same category, since no EV-specific line item or checklist is published. Billed on the same area-based (residential) or valuation-based (commercial) Electrical Permit fee schedule used for any other standalone electrical upgrade, reviewed under the 2023 NEC as adopted (per the City's live Current Codes and Zoning page), including Article 625 (Electric Vehicle Power Transfer System).
Demolition Permit
Required for demolition of whole or partial buildings in Evans. Its own named category on the City's 'What Type of Permit Do I Need?' guide, requiring a State of Colorado Asbestos Mitigation form.
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
- No data reported
- Year to date (2026 YTD)
- No data reported
- Full year 2025
- 0units
0 buildings · $0 valuation
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
- Evans transitioned building inspection and plan review services back in-house in 2025 after years under a SAFEbuilt, Inc. contract. If you find older references to SAFEbuilt (including a stale Colorado DFPC prequalified-building-department listing with an expired 2020-2023 certification window, or legacy phone numbers 303-774-0454 / 303-774-1388 printed on some older City application PDFs), treat the City's own 2025 news post and FY2025 budget as authoritative and current — call the Building Division directly (970-475-1110 / building@evanscolorado.gov) to confirm before relying on any SAFEbuilt contact info.
- As of May 19, 2025, all permit applications must be submitted electronically through the CitizenServe portal (citizenserve.com/cityofevans) in PDF format — paper submittals are no longer accepted.
- Evans groups most standard permits into six categories rather than trade-specific silos: Building One Stop (quick, single-inspection items like re-roofs, furnace/AC swaps, water heaters, electrical upgrades, siding), Building Addition and Remodel, Building Accessory Structure, Building New Primary Structure, Demolition, and Photovoltaic — identify which category your project falls into before assuming a 'plumbing permit' or 'electrical permit' is a fully separate standalone process.
- A discrepancy exists between the City's live 'Current Codes and Zoning' webpage (which lists 2023 NEC) and several downloadable application PDFs (One Stop form 'Last Revised 2/2020', Addition/Remodel form) which still print '2017 NEC, 2012 IECC' — this corpus follows the live codes page as the more current, dedicated source, but confirm directly with Building Division staff for any code-edition-sensitive project.
- No jurisdiction-published numeric review-timeline (business days) exists for any Evans permit type as of this verification — Colorado is home-rule with no statewide review clock, and Evans has not itself published a turnaround SLA in its guides or fee schedules.