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Change of Use Permit in Pierce, Colorado

A change in the use of any building or other structure within Pierce town limits requires a Town building permit, per the Town's Zoning Code enforcement provision (Sec. 16-19-30), which makes it 'unlawful to erect, construct, reconstruct, alter or change the use of any building or other structure within the Town limits without obtaining a building permit.' Processed through the same combined Building Permit Application used for all other Pierce permit types and reviewed by the Town's contracted building official, SAFEbuilt Inc., against the zoning and building code regulations then in effect.

Verified 2026-08-14 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Sec. 16-19-30 (Enforcement; building permits), verbatim: 'It is unlawful to erect, construct, reconstruct, alter or change the use of any building or other structure within the Town limits without obtaining a building permit from the Town, and such permit shall not be issued unless the plans of and for the proposed erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration or use fully conform to the zoning and building code regulations then in effect, and unless plans are submitted to the Town pursuant to such regulations.'
  • Same section: 'All such submitted plans may be disposed of by the Town 180 days after issuance of a certificate of occupancy' — applicants should retain their own copies of approved plans
  • A building permit fee applies to change-of-use work, 'except that the following construction shall be exempt from paying a building permit fee: (1) All remodeling which does not extend the floor area of the building or alter walls or structural support of the building. (2) All construction with a total value of less than $50.00. (3) Accessory buildings of 100 square feet or less and anchored.' These are fee exemptions only — the underlying obligation to obtain a permit for a change of use is not itself waived by this list
  • Sec. 16-19-40: 'A certificate of occupancy or completion shall only be issued after a final inspection has been completed' — applies to any accompanying heating, air conditioning, plumbing, or electrical system changes bundled with the use change
  • Standard Building Permit Application requirements apply: General Contractor (and Electrical/Plumbing/Heating contractors as applicable) name/phone/license number, and zoning compliance verification (Building Coverage max 60%, Open Space min 30%, required setbacks)

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee (same general schedule as other Pierce building permits)Town of Pierce Fee Schedule; per Sec. 16-19-30, fee-exempt only for remodeling that doesn't extend floor area or alter structural walls, construction valued under $50.00, or anchored accessory buildings of 100 sq ft or less — a change of use outside these narrow exemptions is billed under the standard Building Permit Fee line
UBC fee schedule + $30 or 30% (whichever is greater)

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use Permit permit actually take in Pierce?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final Inspection

    Per Sec. 16-19-40, a certificate of occupancy or completion is issued only after a final inspection has been completed, confirming the new use and any accompanying heating/electrical/plumbing modifications comply with approved plans

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

Tips

  • A change of use in Pierce requires a Town building permit even if no physical construction is involved — Sec. 16-19-30 explicitly lists 'change the use' alongside erecting, constructing, reconstructing, and altering a building as activities that trigger the permit requirement.
  • The fee exemptions listed in Sec. 16-19-30 (minor remodels that don't expand floor area or alter structural walls, construction under $50, small anchored accessory buildings) only waive the FEE — they do not waive the underlying obligation to obtain a permit before changing a building's use.
  • The Town may dispose of your submitted plans 180 days after a certificate of occupancy is issued — request and keep your own copies of approved plans for future reference.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Sec. 16-19-30 of the Pierce Municipal Code makes it unlawful to 'change the use' of any building or structure in Town limits without a building permit, and the permit cannot be issued unless the proposed use fully conforms to the zoning and building code regulations then in effect.

It is billed under the Town's standard Building Permit Fee ('UBC fee schedule + $30 or 30%, whichever is greater'), unless the specific work qualifies for one of the narrow fee exemptions in Sec. 16-19-30 (minor non-structural remodeling, construction under $50 total value, or small anchored accessory buildings of 100 sq ft or less).

Pierce does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Town of Pierce Planning & Zoning / Building Permit Department (Town Hall) at 970-834-2851 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application; Site Plan / Floor Plan showing existing and proposed use. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Pierce requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use permit, in order: Final Inspection. Schedule each through Town of Pierce Planning & Zoning / Building Permit Department (Town Hall) (970-834-2851).

Apply through Town of Pierce Planning & Zoning / Building Permit Department (Town Hall) at 144 Main Street, Pierce, CO 80650 (PO Box 57). Phone: 970-834-2851, email: info@piercecolo.gov. Office hours: Town Hall main line (970) 834-2851, fax (970) 834-2755, per the Town's Building Permit Application form. The Town's general Contact Us page lists the same address/phone but no posted office hours; the Planning and Zoning department directs all building-permit, addition, new-construction, annexation, and remodel questions to the Town Hall main line. Inspections (not permit intake) are scheduled directly with SAFEbuilt Inc. at 970-674-1036 or 1-866-671-1036, calls before 7:30 a.m. receive same-day inspection, after 7:30 a.m. scheduled for the next working day. Note: the Contact Us page renders the street address as '144 Main Avenue' while the Town Hall page and the Building Permit Application PDF both render it as '144 Main St./144 Main Street' — treated as the same address, minor inconsistency in the Town's own CMS.. Official information: https://www.piercecolo.gov/government/departments/planning-and-zoning/pages/building-permits.

Pierce, Colorado has adopted: 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) — Town of Pierce Design Criteria page (Residential Construction Codes); 2024 Energy Conservation Code (residential) — Design Criteria page; 2024 International Building Code (IBC) — Design Criteria page (Commercial Construction Codes); 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC); 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC); 2024 International Energy Code (IECC); 2024 Pool and Spa Code; 2024 International Property Maintenance Code; 2024 International Existing Building Code; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — listed for both Residential and Commercial Construction Codes on the Design Criteria page; Note on document currency: the Town's downloadable project guides in the Building Permits 'Supporting Documents' list are titled for the prior code cycle ('2018 IRC Accessory Structures Guide', '2018 IRC Decks Guide', '2018 IRC Home Additions Guide', '2018 Pole Barns Guide', '2018 Swimming Pools Guide', '2018 IRC Basement Finish Guide', '2018 IRC Patio Covers - Carports Guide', '2018 IRC Window Replacement', '2018 IRC Re-Roof Guide', '2020 NEC - Significant Changes Residential') even though the Town's live Design Criteria page lists 2024 IRC/IBC/IPC/IMC/IFGC/IECC/Pool-Spa/Property-Maintenance/Existing-Building codes plus 2023 NEC as currently adopted. As in this corpus's established pattern (e.g. Vail), the actively maintained Design Criteria webpage is treated as the current, governing adopted-code list; the 2018/2020-titled PDFs are legacy guidance documents whose filenames were not renamed when the Town's adopted-code edition was updated.; State-level requirement: Electric Ready, Solar Ready, and EV Ready provisions apply per the Town's Design Criteria page, consistent with Colorado's HB22-1362 statewide energy-code floor (2021 IECC baseline plus electric/solar/EV-ready provisions, in effect July 2023-July 2026) — Pierce's own 2024 IECC adoption already meets or exceeds this floor, and the Town's page lists the electric/solar/EV-ready provisions as an explicit, separate 'State Code Requirements' item rather than folding them silently into the IECC line.. Local amendments apply — see the Pierce overview page for the full list.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-14.

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 Pierce building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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