Cheyenne building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Last verified 2026-07-01 · Source
Building department
- Address
- 2101 O'Neil Avenue, Room 202, Cheyenne, WY 82001
- Phone
- (307) 637-6265
- Office hours
- Mon–Fri (contact department for current hours); permits/inspections managed via OpenGov portal (cheyennewy.portal.opengov.com)
- Website
- Official site
Codes adopted
Wyoming has no statewide-mandated building code for general private construction. Under Wyoming Statute § 35-9-106, the Council on Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety in Buildings adopts minimum fire, building, mechanical, existing-building, and fuel-gas standards (not exceeding the International Codes), but § 35-9-121 makes local enforcement an opt-in delegation: a municipality or county must apply to the State Fire Marshal for local enforcement authority and adopt, by ordinance or resolution, standards equivalent to or more stringent than the state's — otherwise no local building code applies at all. In practice this produces exactly the fragmented picture that describes most of the state: some cities and counties (e.g., Laramie County, Natrona County) have adopted and enforce their own building codes, while many unincorporated county areas genuinely require no building permit for general construction. Electrical is different: under § 35-9-119(a)(i), the Chief Electrical Inspector (Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Office, Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety) enforces the National Electrical Code statewide by default, EXCEPT in localities that have been separately granted their own certified electrical-enforcement authority under § 35-9-121(a) — so electrical permitting may be issued by the state program or by the local jurisdiction depending on which one currently holds delegated authority. Always confirm both the current building-code adoption status (if any) and which entity — state or local — issues the electrical permit with the specific jurisdiction before submitting plans.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction)
Required for new single-family dwellings, duplexes, and other one- and two-family residential construction in Cheyenne. Cheyenne's building permit is all-inclusive of structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing scope when submitted on one application. Governed by the 2024 IRC as adopted by Ordinance No. 2-24 (Feb 24, 2025).
Residential Addition / Remodel Permit
Required for additions, structural alterations, remodels, basement finishes, garage conversions, and other significant alterations to existing one- and two-family dwellings in Cheyenne. Uses the same all-inclusive, valuation-based Building and Construction Permit Fee schedule as new construction.
Electrical Permit
Cheyenne is a home-rule municipality with its own delegated building-code authority and its OWN electrical permitting/inspection program (Municipal Code Chapter 15.20 'National Electrical Code Adopted'), separate from the Wyoming State Fire Marshal's default statewide electrical program. The City's Compliance Department (Building Safety Division) issues electrical permits directly using its own 'Plumbing, Mechanical, Electrical Permit Application' form, and requires a City of Cheyenne contractor license (not just a Wyoming state license) to pull the permit.
Plumbing Permit
Required for plumbing installations, alterations, and repairs in Cheyenne. Issued by the City's Compliance Department (Building Safety Division) under the 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — NOTE: Cheyenne uses the IPC, not the Uniform Plumbing Code.
Mechanical / HVAC Permit
Required for heating, cooling, ventilation, and fuel gas installations in Cheyenne. Issued by the City's Compliance Department under the 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) and International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC).
Roofing Permit (Reroof)
Required for roof replacement (tear-off and reroof) on residential and commercial buildings in Cheyenne. Processed as a standard valuation-based Building and Construction Permit.
Solar PV Permit
Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic systems in Cheyenne. Processed through the standard building/electrical permit process (structural + electrical scope); a separate Solar Access Permit System review exists for solar-access-rights questions under UDC § 39-4.
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Permit
Required for construction of a new ADU in Cheyenne. As of a Feb 2026 third-reading ordinance, the City removed its owner-occupancy requirement for ADUs and adjusted parking regulations and ADU/semi-attached-dwelling definitions in the Unified Development Code (UDC), making it easier to build and rent ADUs without the owner living on-site.
Demolition Permit
Required for demolition of structures in Cheyenne. Contractors must hold City of Cheyenne contractor and building trade licenses before performing demolition work. Processed via the standard Compliance Department permit application, with 'Demolish' as a selectable work-type checkbox.
Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit
Required for interior build-out, remodeling, or change-of-use work in commercial spaces in Cheyenne. Valuation-based, and commercial plan review runs a longer 21-business-day timeline than residential.
Deck Permit
Decks in Cheyenne require a building permit regardless of attachment status, per the City's Building FAQ, which lists decks among the 'residential work' requiring a permit. Processed as a valuation-based Building and Construction Permit.
Basement Finish Permit
Finishing a basement (framing, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work) in Cheyenne requires a remodel-type building permit. Processed as a valuation-based Building and Construction Permit, potentially all-inclusive of any trade scope if disclosed on the application.
Tips & gotchas
- IMPORTANT: The city of Laramie (Albany County) is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT municipality from Laramie COUNTY (where Cheyenne is the county seat). Do not confuse City of Laramie's building department, codes, or fees with Cheyenne's/Laramie County's — they are separate jurisdictions with separate permitting authority.
- Cheyenne is a home-rule city with its OWN delegated electrical inspection authority (Municipal Code Ch. 15.20) — it does NOT default to the Wyoming State Fire Marshal's statewide electrical program for work inside city limits. This differs from many smaller Wyoming towns that DO rely on the WSFM state program.
- Cheyenne's Building and Construction Permit Fee is ONE unified valuation-based schedule (Ordinance 4254) that covers building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and demolition scope — unlike some cities (e.g., Reno, NV) that use separate flat-rate tables per trade/permit type.
- Cheyenne adopted the 2024 IBC, IRC, IEBC, and IFC via Ordinance No. 2-24 on Feb 24, 2025; the City's own 'ICC 2024 Building Codes' adoption page also lists 2024 IPC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, and IPMC. Cheyenne uses the IPC (not UPC) and its own locally-adopted NEC (Chapter 15.20) — the 2023 NEC is the current edition in force.
- All building permits/plan reviews expire if work isn't started within 180 days (or suspended for 180 days); extensions up to 180 days each may be granted in writing for justifiable cause.
- Design criteria to use for Cheyenne (per Building Safety Dept. Plan Review Information): 115 mph ultimate wind speed / Exposure C; Seismic Design Category B; 30 psf ground snow load; 36-inch minimum frost depth; Climate Zone 6B; winter design temp -1°F (7,381 HDD).
- A City of Cheyenne contractor license (Class A/B/R/C-1/C-2/C-3/D/E/F/S) is required for all contractors and subcontractors working in the city — this is separate from and in addition to any Wyoming state trade license.
- Sheds/detached accessory structures under 200 sq ft need no permit if detached from the home; 200 sq ft or larger, or attached, requires a permit. Fences over 6 ft require a permit.
- As of a Feb 2026 ordinance, Cheyenne removed the owner-occupancy requirement for Accessory Dwelling Units — a recent, significant policy change worth flagging to anyone researching ADUs based on older information.
- Plan review timelines ARE published and verified: 10 business days (residential) / 21 business days (commercial) per the Building Safety Department's Plan Review Information handout.
- Several permit types (reroof, demolition, solar PV construction, temporary power pole) have no separate flat-fee line in the adopted Schedule of Fees (Ordinance 4254) — these are charged under the single general valuation-based Building and Construction Permit Fee table, which is a fully verified fee treatment, not a gap.
- cheyennecity.org blocks direct automated fetches of HTML pages (Akamai/edge WAF, HTTP 403), but its static asset PDFs on the /files/sharedassets/ CDN path (e.g., the Schedule of Fees PDF) fetch directly with a full-header request; all cited sources are official City of Cheyenne, Municode, or Wyoming State Fire Marshal URLs (never a third-party news/mirror site).