Gilcrest building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Gilcrest, Colorado.
Last verified 2026-07-06 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 304 8th Street, Gilcrest, CO 80623
- Phone
- 970-737-2426
- Office hours
- Monday-Friday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Saturday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM (Town Hall, 304 8th Street). Building inspection services are provided under contract by SAFEbuilt, Inc. (3755 Precision Drive, Suite 140, Loveland, CO 80538; main line 866-977-4111); inspection scheduling is handled via the inspection line printed on the issued permit card, not the Town's general office line.
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Gilcrest — 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 Residential Code (IRC) — confirmed as the operative residential code from the title block of the Town's own SAFEbuilt-published 'Building Guides for Homeowners' series (Re-Roofing, Additions to Single Family Dwellings, Accessory Structures, Patio Covers/Carports, Decks, Pole Barns, Window Replacement, Swimming Pools — all titled '2018 IRC' and published/revised 5.10.2019), which are the Town's own currently-linked permitting handouts as of this review
- National Electrical Code: the Town's own 'Residential Electrical Wiring Guidelines' handout (SAFEbuilt Colorado, last revised 1/28/2010) cites 2008 NEC provisions (e.g., tamper-resistant receptacle requirements) and the Manufactured Housing Installation Permits handout separately states manufactured-home electric service 'shall be installed in accordance with 2008 National Electric Code (NEC)' — this is the most recent NEC edition citation found in any Town-published document; it is materially older than current NEC practice elsewhere in this corpus (2020/2023 cycles), and no more recent Town-published NEC edition citation could be located after checking the Building Permit Application, the Electrical Permit Resolution (2016-12), and both Contemporaneous Review Guidelines documents, none of which state a NEC edition themselves
- Building Permit Fee valuation table: the Town's 'Building Inspection and Plan Review Fees' handout (undated, current as of this review since it is reproduced verbatim as an exhibit to the Amended 2025 Fee Schedule effective 5/1/2025) explicitly states fees are 'Based on Table 1A of the 97 Uniform Building Code' (i.e., the 1997 Uniform Building Code, a legacy pre-IRC/IBC code family) — this is a fee-calculation table only, not a statement that Gilcrest enforces 1997 UBC construction/life-safety provisions; the same handout separately states project valuations are based on 'the most current Building Valuation Data published by the International Code Council,' which is inconsistent with a static 1997-vintage fee table and is flagged here rather than silently reconciled
- No IBC, IECC, IMC, IPC, or IFGC edition is cited in any Town-published document located during this review (Building Permit Application, all SAFEbuilt-branded IRC guide handouts, both fee schedules, both Contemporaneous Review Guidelines, the Electrical Permit Resolution, and the Mobile Home Permit Handout & Procedures) — Gilcrest's own published materials are residential/IRC-focused and do not name a commercial building/mechanical/plumbing/fuel-gas code edition; a plumbing code edition is likewise not stated, though the Plumber Contemporaneous Review Guidelines confirm plumbing permits are locally administered
- Colorado is a home-rule state with no statewide-mandated building code edition; Gilcrest is a statutory (non-home-rule) town, so its own municipal code and adopted-code ordinance would govern, but the Town's Municipal Code (hosted on Municode) returned a 403 error on every direct access attempt during this review and could not be independently verified as a supplementary source for code-adoption ordinance language — see tipsAndGotchas for the chase trail
- HB22-1362 statewide energy code floor (2021 IECC + electric-readiness/EV-ready/solar-ready requirements, effective window July 2023-July 2026): no Town-published document reviewed states an adopted IECC edition or references HB22-1362 compliance; the 2018 IRC guide series (Home Additions, Accessory Structures) does reference 'Energy Code Compliance Report (www.energycodes.gov) or REScheck calculations' as a required submittal item, which points toward some energy-code enforcement in practice, but no specific IECC edition or HB22-1362 statement was found in any Gilcrest-published source. This should be treated as an open item pending direct confirmation from the Building Department (970-737-2426) rather than assumed either way.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction)
Required for new single-family, duplex, and multi-family residential construction in the Town of Gilcrest. Plan review and inspections are performed by SAFEbuilt, Inc. under contract to the Town. Reviewed under the 2018 IRC per the Town's own published Building Guides for Homeowners series; fees are calculated using the Town's own valuation-based schedule referencing 1997 UBC Table 1A with current ICC Building Valuation Data.
Residential Addition / Home Improvement Permit
Required for additions to single-family dwellings in Gilcrest. Reviewed under the 2018 IRC per the Town's own published 'Additions to Single Family Dwellings' guide (SAFEbuilt, Inc., rev. 5.10.2019).
Electrical Permit
Required for installation, alteration, or repair of electrical systems in Gilcrest. The Town runs its own local electrical permitting program (via SAFEbuilt) rather than deferring to the Colorado State Electrical Board; fees are scaled at the maximum 15% surcharge above the State of Colorado's own fee schedule per CRS 12-23-117(3). Contractors must hold an active Colorado DORA electrical/contractor license, contemporaneously verified by the Town per Resolution 2016-12.
Plumbing Permit
Required for installation, alteration, or repair of plumbing systems in Gilcrest. The Town runs its own local plumbing permitting program (via SAFEbuilt) rather than deferring to a State of Colorado plumbing board; contractors must hold an active Colorado DORA plumbing/contractor license, contemporaneously verified by the Town per its Plumber License Contemporaneous Review Guidelines (rev. 10/28/20, implementing C.R.S. 12-155-120(1) and HB19-1086).
Mechanical / HVAC Permit (Furnace, Air Conditioner)
Required for heating and cooling equipment installation or replacement in Gilcrest. Furnace/air conditioner installation or replacement is billed as a flat 'Single Stop' fee under the Town's current fee schedule rather than the general valuation-based schedule.
Re-Roof Permit
Required for re-roofing work in Gilcrest. Billed as a flat 'Single Stop' fee. Reviewed under 2018 IRC Sections R806 (roof ventilation) and R908 (reroofing) per the Town's own SAFEbuilt-published 'Residential Re-roofing' guide (rev. 5.10.2019).
Accessory Dwelling Unit / Accessory Structure Permit
Covers accessory structures (sheds, detached garages, and similar) in Gilcrest under the Town's own 2018 IRC 'Accessory Structures' guide (SAFEbuilt, Inc., rev. 5.10.2019). No Gilcrest-specific document naming a distinct 'Accessory Dwelling Unit' (habitable second dwelling) permit category, size threshold, or zoning use-standard was located during this review; this entry is scoped to the accessory-structure permit process the Town does publish, with the ADU-specific gap flagged honestly below rather than invented.
Demolition Permit
Required for demolition of structures in Gilcrest. Billed as a flat 'Single Stop' fee under the Town's current fee schedule.
EV Charger / EVSE Permit
Required for installation of a residential or commercial electric vehicle charging station (EVSE) in Gilcrest. As with all electrical work in this jurisdiction, the Town runs its own local electrical permitting program (via SAFEbuilt) rather than deferring to the Colorado State Electrical Board; fees are scaled at the maximum 15% surcharge above the State of Colorado's own fee schedule per CRS 12-23-117(3). No distinct EV-charger/EVSE fee line item is published anywhere in the Town's materials — a standalone EVSE circuit is billed under the same general Electrical Permit Fee schedule documented on this jurisdiction's electrical-permit entry.
Deck / Patio Cover / Carport Permit
Required for decks, patio covers, and carports in Gilcrest. Reviewed under 2018 IRC per the Town's own SAFEbuilt-published 'Patio Covers/Carports' guide (rev. 5.10.2019); a separate 'Decks' guide is also published in the Town's forms library.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mount solar photovoltaic systems within Gilcrest town limits. No standalone solar/photovoltaic fee line or application exists; a solar installation is billed as a standard Building Permit (structural/racking, valuation-based per 1997 UBC Table 1-A) plus an Electrical Permit (wiring/interconnection, billed by the Town at 1.15x the State of Colorado electrical fee schedule under CRS 12-23-117(3), since Gilcrest runs its own local electrical program rather than deferring to the State Electrical Board).
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
- No data reported
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
- Gilcrest is a small statutory (non-home-rule) town of roughly 1,000-1,400 residents that nonetheless runs a genuine, independent building permit program — it is NOT folded into Weld County's unincorporated permitting process. Building inspection and plan review are contracted to SAFEbuilt, Inc., a private building-department-services firm also used by other Front Range Colorado jurisdictions; always call the inspection line printed on your specific permit card, not the Town's general office line, to schedule inspections.
- Gilcrest genuinely runs its OWN electrical and plumbing permitting programs (through SAFEbuilt) rather than deferring either trade to a State of Colorado board — confirmed by two separate Contemporaneous Review Guidelines documents (Resolution 2016-12 for electricians, per HB16-1073/C.R.S. 12-23-116(10); and a parallel plumbing guidelines document rev. 10/28/20, per C.R.S. 12-155-120(1)/HB19-1086) that both describe the Town's own DORA-license verification process at application and at inspection.
- Electrical permit fees are anchored to the State of Colorado's own fee schedule with the maximum 15% local surcharge CRS 12-23-117(3) allows — a structurally different fee-setting mechanism from Gilcrest's own locally-set Building/Plumbing/Mechanical fee table (which is based on a 1997 Uniform Building Code Table 1A valuation schedule, not a state-mandated rate).
- The Town's residential guide series (Re-Roofing, Additions, Accessory Structures, Patio Covers/Carports, Decks, Pole Barns, Swimming Pools, Window Replacement) is uniformly titled '2018 IRC' and was published/last revised 5.10.2019 by SAFEbuilt, Inc. — this is the most concrete, current code-edition evidence available from the Town's own actively-linked materials, since no Gilcrest document names an adopted IBC, IECC, IMC, IPC, or IFGC edition, and the Municipal Code (hosted on Municode) could not be accessed directly (persistent HTTP 403 across all direct fetch attempts during this review).
- The Town's own fee handout states Building Permit Fees are 'Based on Table 1A of the 97 Uniform Building Code' (a legacy 1997 code family, materially older than the 2018 IRC used for construction-standard guides) — this is documented here exactly as published rather than silently reconciled or corrected, since it is possible the Town genuinely still computes fees off this legacy valuation table even though construction itself is reviewed under the 2018 IRC.
- 'Single Stop' flat-fee categories (Furnace/AC $70, Re-Shingle Roof $60, Water Heater $60, Lawn Sprinkler $60, Siding/Window Replacement $70, Sales Trailers/Modular Units $75, Demolition $50) bypass the general valuation-based Building Permit Fee schedule entirely — these are simpler, typically cheaper permits for straightforward single-trade projects.
- Manufactured/mobile homes installed INSIDE an approved mobile home park get a genuinely simplified over-the-counter permit (flat $155 fee, no plan review), while those installed OUTSIDE a mobile home park go through the Town's full plan-review process like any other structure — confirm which track applies before budgeting time or documents.
- No Town-published document located during this review names a distinct Accessory Dwelling Unit (habitable second dwelling) zoning category or permit type separate from a general accessory structure — this is flagged as a partial-confidence gap in the adu-permit entry; confirm directly with Planning & Zoning (970-737-2426) before planning a habitable ADU project.
- The Town's Municipal Code, hosted externally on Municode, returned an HTTP 403 error on every direct access attempt during this review and could not be independently read to confirm a formal code-adoption ordinance chapter (which would be the authoritative source for adopted IBC/IMC/IPC/IFGC/IECC editions and any commercial-building local amendments beyond the residential/electrical/plumbing materials captured in this file). This is an open item for future re-verification via a full-header/browser-based fetch or a direct call to the Building Department, consistent with this corpus's 'never accept inaccessible at face value' policy — the chase was not fully exhausted within this review's scope and should be revisited.
- No numeric plan-review turnaround (days or weeks) is published anywhere across the Town's own materials for any permit type — every permitType in this file carries an honest null/unverified reviewTimelineDays with a documented chase trail rather than an invented figure.
- HB22-1362's statewide energy-code floor (2021 IECC plus electric-readiness/EV-ready/solar-ready requirements) is not explicitly addressed in any Gilcrest-published document reviewed, though the Town's own Additions and Accessory Structures guides do reference an Energy Code Compliance Report/REScheck as a required submittal item — treat the specific IECC edition and HB22-1362 applicability as an open question pending direct confirmation from the Building Department rather than assumed either way.