Keenesburg building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Keenesburg, Colorado.
Last verified 2026-07-06 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 91 W. Broadway Avenue, Keenesburg, CO 80643
- Phone
- 303-732-4281 ext. 2
- stevejones@caa.inc
- Office hours
- As of 6/11/2026, permits are processed and issued on Wednesday and Friday only. Building Official Steve Jones is a contract official with Charles Abbott Associates (CAA), a third-party municipal building-department staffing firm; direct line 720-810-5751. Inspections are usually performed the next business day if the inspection request is submitted by 3:00 p.m., via the Town's online Google Forms-based 'Request an Inspection' portal.
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Keenesburg — 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) — Town of Keenesburg Building Department page ('Keenesburg Adopted Building Codes' list)
- 2018 International Residential Code (IRC)
- 2018 International Plumbing Code (IPC)
- 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC)
- 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC)
- 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)
- 2018 International Fire Code (IFC)
- 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC)
- 2018 International Property Maintenance Code
- 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code
- 2009 ICC A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — the only code on the list not on the 2018 cycle; the live Building Department webpage lists 2023 NEC specifically, though the Town's own 'Solar Submittal Requirements' PDF (a separate, older document) still references 2020 NEC in its REFERENCE section — the actively-maintained Building Department webpage's 2023 NEC citation is treated as current per this corpus's policy of preferring the department's live page over a static, undated-revision handout.
- Note on HB22-1362 (Colorado's statewide 2021 IECC energy-code floor, phased in via a jurisdiction's next code-adoption cycle rather than a blanket calendar deadline): Keenesburg's actively-maintained Building Department page still lists 2018 IECC as the adopted energy code, with no visible update to 2021 IECC or later. HB22-1362 requires jurisdictions to adopt a qualifying energy code (2021 IECC or equivalent, with electric/EV-ready/solar-ready provisions) only when the jurisdiction next updates ANY of its building codes — it does not retroactively force an update on a fixed date for towns that have not re-adopted since the law passed. No Town of Keenesburg ordinance updating its I-codes past the 2018 cycle (except the NEC swap to 2023) was found on the Town's Ordinances or Resolutions pages after direct review, so 2018 IECC is reported here as the honestly-current adopted code, with this note flagging the HB22-1362 gap rather than assuming compliance or silently upgrading the figure.
Permit types & fees
New Residential Home Building Permit
Required for construction of new single-family homes in the Town of Keenesburg. Requires full plan review under the New Residential Home Plan Review Checklist, reviewed under the locally-adopted 2018 IRC/IBC and the Town's published Design Criteria (30 PSF ground snow load, 115 mph ultimate wind speed, 30-inch frost depth, ice barrier underlayment required).
Residential Addition / Basement Finish Permit
Required for additions, basement finishes, and similar scope expansions to existing single-family homes in Keenesburg. Requires plan review; the Town publishes dedicated Building Guides for One-Story Additions and Basement Finishes reflecting the 2018 IRC as locally adopted.
Electrical Permit
Required for electrical work in Keenesburg beyond the One-Stop Electrical Sub Panel and Electrical Service Upgrade (≤200A) categories. Governed by the 2023 NEC as adopted (though the Town's separate Solar Submittal Requirements document still cites 2020 NEC). Fees are set under the state-mandated schedule (CRS 12-23-117), scaled at the maximum 1.15x (15% surcharge) allowed above the Colorado state base fee.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger / EVSE Permit
Keenesburg has no dedicated EV charger/EVSE fee line or standalone permit category. EV charger (Level 2 or DC fast charging equipment) circuit installation is electrical work governed by the 2023 NEC as adopted by the Town, billed under the same Commercial/All Other (valuation-based) or Residential (square-footage-based, if wired to enclosed living area) Electrical Permit fee tables used for other electrical work. If the specific installation is scoped as adding a new sub panel, or as an electrical service upgrade not exceeding 200A, it may qualify for the Town's 'Electrical Sub Panel' or 'Electrical Service Upgrade (≤200A)' One-Stop same-day categories (no plan review) — these are genuine Town-published fast-track categories, though the Town does not explicitly name EV chargers as falling within them.
Plumbing Permit (Sewer Repair / Gas Line Pressure Check)
Required for plumbing and gas-line work in Keenesburg. Sewer Repair and Gas Line Pressure Check (pressure-test of an existing line, not new installation) are offered as One-Stop same-day permits; larger-scope plumbing work is reviewed as part of a full building permit. Governed by the 2018 IPC and 2018 IFGC as locally adopted.
Mechanical / HVAC Permit (Furnace, Boiler, Air Conditioner)
Covers residential furnace, boiler, and air conditioner/evaporative cooler installation or replacement in Keenesburg. Offered as a One-Stop same-day permit for straightforward replacements; governed by the 2018 IMC and 2018 IFGC as locally adopted.
Roof Replacement Permit
Required for re-roofing work in Keenesburg. Offered as a One-Stop same-day permit for straightforward replacements (no plan review), with a dedicated Re-Roof Guide and Re-Roof application form. Governed by the 2018 IRC/IBC as locally adopted, including the Town's Design Criteria requiring ice barrier underlayment.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
Required for solar PV system installation in Keenesburg, including the Solar Panels Remove & Replace scope. Governed by a detailed Town-published 'Solar Submittal Requirements' document citing the 2018 IRC, 2018 IFC, and NEC Articles 690 & 705 (the solar-specific document itself cites 2020 NEC, while the Building Department's main adopted-codes list cites 2023 NEC as current — noted as a genuine discrepancy between an older static handout and the live webpage).
Demolition Permit
Required for structure demolition in Keenesburg. Commercial demolition additionally requires Fire District approval before a building permit can be obtained. CDPHE asbestos materials are provided as a resource for demolition projects.
New Commercial Building Permit
Required for new commercial buildings and commercial tenant improvements in Keenesburg. Requires full plan review under the New Commercial Plan Review Checklist, and requires SE Weld Fire Protection District approval before the building permit can be obtained. Governed by the 2018 IBC/IFC as locally adopted.
Deck / Patio Cover / Pole Barn Permit
Covers uncovered decks, enclosed patios, patio covers/carports, and pole barns in Keenesburg. Requires plan review; the Town publishes dedicated Building Guides for each of these scopes (developed in part from Colorado Chapter of the ICC standard building-guide templates under the 2018 IRC), including detailed span tables and structural details for uncovered decks.
Water Heater Replacement Permit
Covers like-for-like water heater replacement (same type and size) in Keenesburg as a One-Stop same-day permit. A change in type or size (e.g. tank to tankless, or a capacity change) requires a full building permit application with plan review instead.
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)
- 2units
2 buildings · $823,624 valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 10units
11 of 12 months reported · #51 in Colorado coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-05)
- 6units
6 buildings · $2.6M valuation
5 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 14units
14 buildings · $5.4M 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
- Keenesburg's Building Department is run under a professional-services contract with Charles Abbott Associates (CAA) rather than direct town staff — Building Official Steve Jones uses a CAA email (stevejones@caa.inc) and direct line (720-810-5751); the Town's general line (303-732-4281 ext. 2) handles routine processing.
- As of 6/11/2026, the Town posted that permits will only be processed and issued on Wednesdays and Fridays — this is a recently-posted operational notice, not a longstanding fixed policy; confirm it is still current before planning around it.
- Keenesburg has NOT adopted the 2021 IECC energy code required by HB22-1362's next-update trigger — its actively-maintained Building Department page still lists 2018 IECC as current (alongside 2018 IBC/IRC/IPC/IMC/IFGC/IFC), with only the NEC updated to the 2023 cycle. HB22-1362 only forces the 2021 IECC (or equivalent) when a jurisdiction next updates any of its codes, so this is not necessarily a compliance violation, but it is a genuine and verifiable gap worth flagging to anyone assuming Colorado's 2021 IECC floor is already in force everywhere.
- A substantial impact-fee stack (Water Tap, Raw Water Acquisition, Sewer Tap, Drainage, Parks, Roadway, Town Hall, Police, Public School Sites, Emergency Services — Municipal Code Sec. 4-7-40) applies on top of standard building/trade permit fees for new development, and can total well over $30,000 for a new single-family home before the valuation-based building permit fee is even calculated. This is a materially larger fee layer than many peer Front Range jurisdictions in this corpus.
- Nine 'Residential One-Stop Permits' (Roof Replacement, Water Heater, Furnace/Boiler/AC, Lawn Sprinkler Backflow Preventer, Siding, Gas Line Pressure Check, Sewer Repair, Electrical Sub Panel, Electrical Service Upgrade ≤200A) are usually issued the SAME DAY with no plan review — a genuinely fast track for common homeowner projects, distinct from the plan-reviewed category (new homes, additions, basement finishes, detached garages, sheds, patios, decks, pole barns, commercial).
- Gas Line Pressure Check is explicitly a pressure-TEST permit for an EXISTING line, not a new gas line installation permit — the Town's own page title emphasizes this distinction ('this is not a gas line installation') to prevent applicant confusion.
- Electrical permit fees are a direct pass-through of the Colorado-mandated CRS 12-23-117 state fee schedule, scaled at the maximum 1.15x (15%) local surcharge the statute allows — the Town's own fee schedule PDF states this explicitly, confirming Keenesburg runs its own electrical permitting program (does not defer to the State Electrical Board) while still anchoring fees to the state-published base rate.
- The Town links directly to Colorado DORA's 'Procedure for Contemporaneous Reviews of Electrical and Plumbing Licenses' from its Building Department page, indicating both electrical AND plumbing contractor state licensure is checked at permit application — this DORA page itself returned HTTP 403 on independent direct-fetch attempts (both WebFetch and browser-header curl), so its full text could not be independently verified for this file; only its existence, title, and linkage from the Town's own page are confirmed.
- Commercial demolition, new builds, additions, and remodels require Southeast Weld Fire Protection District approval BEFORE the Town will issue a building permit — this is explicitly stated as a commercial-scope requirement and is a separate process from Building Department plan review.
- Solar PV: the Town's dedicated 'Solar Submittal Requirements' document cites 2020 NEC while the Building Department's main adopted-codes list cites 2023 NEC as current — a genuine unresolved discrepancy between an older static PDF handout and the actively-maintained webpage; confirm directly with the Building Official which edition governs a specific submission.
- The Town does not publish a numeric plan-review turnaround (days or weeks) for ANY plan-review-required permit category anywhere on its site — not on the Building Department page, individual permit sub-pages, plan-review checklists, building guides, or the Building Permit Fee Schedule/Impact Fee Schedule PDFs. The only timing commitments are operational: One-Stop Permits 'usually' issue the same day, inspections 'usually' happen the next business day if requested by 3:00 p.m., and permits are only processed/issued Wednesdays and Fridays as of 6/11/2026. Colorado is home-rule with no statewide review-time clock; every plan-review permitType in this file is honestly null/unverified with a documented chase trail rather than an invented figure.
- Keenesburg genuinely sits at the Adams/Weld county boundary region in northeastern Colorado, but every official Town source reviewed for this file (impact-fee ordinance, drainage-basin street tables referencing 'Weld County Road 59,' Census Bureau statutory-town listing) anchors the Town's own jurisdiction to Weld County, which is why weld-county is used as the countySlug here.