Yuma building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Yuma, Colorado.
Last verified 2026-07-23 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 320 South Main Street, Yuma, CO 80759 (mailing: PO Box 265, Yuma, CO 80759)
- Phone
- 970-848-3878 (City Hall); 970-630-7118 (Building Inspector direct line)
- Office hours
- Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (City Hall, 320 South Main Street)
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Yuma — 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.
- 2015 International Building Code (IBC) — per the City's own 'Roofing, Siding and Window Requirements' handout ('All projects must conform to Chapter 15 of the 2015 IBC, IRC and ICC as specified'; Siding requirements cite '2015 IBC Chapter 14 section 1403'); this is the most current, actively-maintained City-published statement of adopted edition found after full chasing.
- 2015 International Residential Code (IRC) — same source as above.
- 2015 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — RE-VERIFIED 2026-07-23 on a live primary source: Municode Chapter 15.28 (§15.28.010, 'Adopted') was read directly via the Browser pane (which renders Municode's Angular SPA server-side content client-side, unlike a plain fetch/curl request, which still returns only the app shell), current through Supplement No. 5 (codified through Ordinance No. 5-2025, adopted 4-15-2025; online content updated 7-25-2025). Full section text confirmed verbatim: 'There is hereby adopted by reference the International Existing Building Code, 2015 edition, as published by the International Code Council, as the Existing Building Code of the City of Yuma, Colorado, regulating and governing the repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition and relocation of existing buildings...' (Ord. 17-2018, 2018). This closes the prior partial-confidence flag, which had relied only on a search-engine-indexed snippet rather than a directly re-read chapter body.
- 2015 International Fire Code (IFC) — RE-VERIFIED 2026-07-23 by directly reading Municode Chapter 15.16 (§15.16.010, 'Adopted') via the Browser pane, current through Supplement No. 5: 'There is hereby adopted by reference the International Fire Code, 2015 edition, as published by the International Code Council, as the Fire Code of the City of Yuma, Colorado...' (Ord. 17-2018, 2018) (administered by Fire Department, not modeled in this file's permitTypes).
- 2015 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) — RE-VERIFIED 2026-07-23 by directly reading Municode Chapter 15.30 (§15.30.010, 'Adopted') via the Browser pane, current through Supplement No. 5: 'There is hereby adopted by reference the International Property Maintenance Code, 2015 edition...' (Ord. 17-2018, 2018) (administered by Code Enforcement, not modeled in this file's permitTypes).
- Most recent International Plumbing Code (IPC) as adopted by the State of Colorado, adopted by reference by the City of Yuma — RE-VERIFIED 2026-07-23 by directly reading Municode Chapter 15.32 (§15.32.010, 'Adopted') via the Browser pane, current through Supplement No. 5: 'There is hereby adopted by reference the most recent International Plumbing Code, adopted by the State of Colorado, as published by the International Code Council, as the Plumbing Code of the City of Yuma, Colorado...' (Ord. 17-2018, 2018) — confirming the City ties its plumbing code edition to whatever the State of Colorado has adopted rather than naming a fixed edition year itself; see localAmendments for why plumbing permits/inspections are administered by the State Plumbing Board (DORA/DPO), not the City, for Yuma jurisdiction.
- 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), with the 2015 IECC/IRC Table R402.1.2/N1102.1.2 U-factor/SHGC table and the 2012 IECC/IRC Table R402.1.1/N1102.1.1 table both cited as applicable (values stated as identical between the two editions) in the City's 'Roofing, Siding and Window Requirements' handout, for window replacement energy compliance specifically.
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) as adopted by the Colorado State Electrical Board — City of Yuma does not run its own local electrical program (see localAmendments); wiring work is governed by whatever NEC edition the State Electrical Board has adopted, verify current edition directly with the State Electrical Board (dpo.colorado.gov/Electrical) at time of permit, since the City does not separately publish or amend an NEC edition of its own.
- No newer code-edition cycle (e.g. 2018, 2021, or 2024 IBC/IRC family) is referenced anywhere on the City's Building Inspection page, Permits and Forms page, Roofing/Siding/Window Requirements handout, or Building Permit Application form after full chasing (page fetch via full-header curl, PDF text extraction, and Municode search-index snippet) — the City's actively-maintained public materials consistently cite the 2015 ICC family, so this file records 2015 IBC/IRC/IEBC/IFC/IPMC as the governing adopted editions rather than assuming a later cycle. RE-VERIFIED 2026-07-23 with a genuinely new avenue — the Municode Library's own live Supplement History Table (nodeId=SUHITA, read directly via the Browser pane) — confirms the CURRENT codification is Supplement No. 5 (online content updated 7-25-2025), which lists every ordinance considered for codification through Ordinance No. 5-2025 (adopted 4-15-2025) as either 'Included' or 'Omitted'; no ordinance postdating 4-15-2025 (including no Dec-2025-era ordinance) appears anywhere in that table, and a direct read of every Title 15 code-adoption chapter (15.04, 15.10, 15.12, 15.16, 15.24, 15.28, 15.30, 15.32, 15.36, 15.40, 15.41) confirms each still cites its original 2015-cycle edition (or, for Chapter 15.24, the 1997 UCADB), with the only post-2018 touch to any of these chapters being the identical, uniform Ord. No. 3-2025 (4-1-2025) penalty-cross-reference amendment applied chapter-by-chapter — not a code-edition update. This is a live, direct, chapter-by-chapter confirmation (not an inference from absence), and closes this line to full confidence: as of 2026-07-23, Yuma has adopted no newer I-code cycle than 2015.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit (New Construction, Addition, Alteration, Repair)
City of Yuma issues a single general-purpose Building Permit Application covering new construction, additions, alterations, and repairs to residential structures, selected via a 'Class of Work' checkbox (New / Addition / Alteration / Repair / Move / Remove / Demolition) on one shared form. Reviewed under the 2015 IBC/IRC as adopted. No separate application exists per project type.
Demolition Permit
Demolition is one of the explicit 'Class of Work' checkbox options (New / Addition / Alteration / Repair / Move / Remove / Demolition) on the City's single shared Building Permit Application, billed under the same valuation-based fee schedule as other building permit work — confirmed 2026-07-23 by a direct read of Municode §15.04.010 ('Adopted'), which states the adopted 2015 IBC governs '...the condemnation of buildings and structures unfit for human occupancy and use and the demolition of such structures in the City of Yuma; providing for the issuance of permits and collection of fees therefor...'. No separate City-specific demolition application or fee category is published. Independent of the City process, Colorado state law requires an asbestos inspection and a CDPHE notification (with its own fee and a 10-working-day waiting period) before ANY demolition in the state, regardless of size or whether asbestos is found.
Re-Roof Permit
Required for roofing and re-roofing projects in the City of Yuma. Work must conform to Chapter 15 of the 2015 IBC/IRC/ICC. No contractor license is required. A distinctive feature of Yuma's process is a photo-based remote mid-roof inspection option as an alternative to an onsite visit.
Electrical Permit
Electrical permits and inspections within City of Yuma limits are administered by the Colorado State Electrical Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA/DPO) rather than the City itself. Yuma County does not appear on the State's published list of counties with their own local Electrical Inspection Program, so State jurisdiction applies. Governed by the National Electrical Code (NEC) edition currently adopted by the State Electrical Board.
Plumbing Permit
Plumbing permits and inspections within City of Yuma limits are administered by the Colorado State Plumbing Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA/DPO) rather than the City itself. Yuma County does not appear on the State's published list of counties with their own local Plumbing Inspection Program, so State jurisdiction applies. Governed by the most recent International Plumbing Code (IPC) edition adopted by the State of Colorado.
Rooftop Solar / Photovoltaic Permit
Required for solar PV (and small wind turbine) installations connecting to the City of Yuma Utilities electric grid. Requires both a building permit and an electrical inspection (performed by the State Electrical Board, since the City has no local electrical program), plus a separate Application for Interconnection and Facilities Interconnection Agreement with City of Yuma Utilities.
EV Charger / Electric Vehicle Charging Station Permit
The City of Yuma has no dedicated EV charger/EVSE permit type or fee line. As with rooftop solar, the electrical portion of an EV charger installation (circuit wiring, panel/service upgrade, equipment) is permitted and inspected by the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA/DPO), not the City's Building Inspector, since Yuma County does not appear on the State's list of counties with a local Electrical Inspection Program. A separate City of Yuma structural building permit (valuation-based, Resolution #46, Series of 2024) may apply if the installation involves new construction (e.g., a carport or panel enclosure). No City of Yuma Utilities interconnection fee applies to an EV charger the way it does to solar, since a charger draws power rather than exporting it to the grid. Re-verified 2026-07-20: because Yuma County has no local electrical inspection program, the governing mechanism is the State Electrical Board's direct statutory authority under C.R.S. § 12-115-120(2) — a state electrical inspector must inspect the work within three WORKING days of the inspection request (§ 12-115-120(2)(b)), and the Board sets its own fee based on actual inspection cost (§ 12-115-121(1)) rather than a published table, confirmed directly against both statute sections and the Board's current rules (3 CCR 710-1), which likewise publish no static fee schedule.
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
- 2units
1 buildings · $124,000 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
- The City of Yuma runs a genuinely small, lean permitting operation: ONE Building Inspector (970-630-7118, building.inspector@yumacolo.org) and ONE shared Building Permit Application form covering New Construction, Additions, Alterations, Repairs, Moves, Removals, and Demolitions — do not expect separate forms or fee tables per project type the way larger Colorado jurisdictions in this corpus provide.
- Electrical AND plumbing permits are NOT issued by the City of Yuma — both are administered by the Colorado State Electrical Board and State Plumbing Board (DORA/DPO) respectively, since Yuma County does not appear on either board's list of counties with their own local inspection program. Apply directly at dpo.colorado.gov/Electrical or dpo.colorado.gov/Plumbing, not through the City's Building Inspector.
- No contractor license is required for roofing, siding, or window permits in Yuma — a notably lighter regulatory posture than many peer jurisdictions in this corpus. The City's Building Permit Application form does request a contractor license number field, so confirm licensing expectations directly with the Building Inspector for other trades/scopes.
- Yuma offers a distinctive photo-based remote mid-roof inspection option (email or text photos of all roof slopes plus the building front to the Building Inspector) as an alternative to an onsite visit — a notable efficiency feature for this small Eastern Plains town.
- The City's actively-maintained public code references consistently cite the 2015 ICC family (IBC/IRC/IEBC/IFC/IPMC) — no evidence of a newer code cycle (2018/2021/2024) was found anywhere in the City's public materials after full chasing (webpage, PDFs, Municode search-index). If a newer edition has been locally adopted but not yet reflected in these public-facing materials, confirm directly with the Building Inspector before finalizing a code analysis for a specific project.
- City of Yuma's 2020 Census population (3,456) sits just above HB22-1362's 2,500-resident energy-code exemption threshold, so the population-based carve-out from Colorado's statewide model energy code law does NOT apply to Yuma on population grounds — HB22-1362's model-code mandate is triggered by a jurisdiction's next code UPDATE (post-July 1, 2026); RE-VERIFIED 2026-07-23 by directly reading Municode Chapter 15.41 (Energy Conservation Code) live via the Browser pane — it still adopts the 2015 IECC (Ord. 17-2018) with no code-edition update since, only a uniform 2025 penalty-cross-reference amendment — so the mandate has not yet been triggered for Yuma as of this review. The code-edition finding is now verified on a directly re-read chapter body rather than inferred from absence; only the forward-looking question of what Yuma's NEXT code update will require remains inherently unverifiable today.
- Rooftop solar/PV projects in Yuma require THREE separate approval processes and fee streams: (1) a City building permit, (2) a State Electrical Board electrical permit/inspection, and (3) a City of Yuma Utilities interconnection application/agreement with its own $250 (up to 25kW) or $500 (over 25kW) non-refundable processing fee — budget for all three, not just the building permit.
- An Excavation Permit ($15.00 flat fee, separate from the building permit, per Yuma Municipal Code Section 12.32) is required for work in the public right-of-way, such as utility connection trenching that may accompany new construction — approved by the City Manager or designee, not the Building Inspector.
- Municode's hosted Yuma municipal code (library.municode.com/co/yuma) renders as a JavaScript single-page application with no server-side-rendered chapter text reachable via direct fetch or full-header curl — RESOLVED 2026-07-23: the Browser pane executes the Angular app's JS and successfully retrieved full, directly-readable chapter text for every Title 15 code-adoption chapter and the live Supplement History Table (current through Supplement No. 5 / Ord. No. 5-2025, 4-15-2025), closing what had been the one area of partial confidence in this file's codesAdopted list.
- The City of Yuma's website (cityofyuma.colorado.gov) returns HTTP 403 to a bare fetch tool call but responds normally to a full-header request (standard browser User-Agent, Accept-Language, and a same-site Referer header) — consistent with Colorado's shared state-government CMS template used by many municipal sites in this corpus.