Sheridan building permits

Verified

Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Sheridan, Wyoming.

Last verified 2026-07-01 · Source

Building department

Address: 55 Grinnell Plaza, Sheridan, WY 82801
Phone: (307) 674-5941
Email: Contact the Building Division via (307) 674-5941
Office hours: Mon–Fri 7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
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.

2024 International Residential Code (IRC) — as amended by City of Sheridan Ordinance No. 2290 (adopted Jan. 20, 2025); cited as the "Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings of the City of Sheridan"2024 International Building Code (IBC) — as amended by Ordinance No. 2290; cited as the "Building Code of the City of Sheridan"2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — as amended by Ordinance No. 2290; cited as the "Mechanical Code of the City of Sheridan"2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — as amended by Ordinance No. 2290; cited as the "Plumbing Code of the City of Sheridan"2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), as adopted/published by the NFPA — adopted as a City technical code by Ordinance No. 2290, amending NEC Section 230.70(A)(1) (exterior service disconnect location)2024 International Fire Code (IFC) — as amended by Ordinance No. 2290, including Appendix Divisions D, E, F, G and I; cited as the "Fire Code of the City of Sheridan"2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — as amended by Ordinance No. 2290; cited as the "Existing Building Code of the City of Sheridan"2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — as amended by Ordinance No. 2290; cited as the "Swimming Pool and Spa Code of the City of Sheridan"2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — as amended by Ordinance No. 2290; cited as the "Fuel Gas Code of the City of Sheridan"2021 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), including Appendix A — as amended by Ordinance No. 2290; cited as the "Property Maintenance Code of the City of Sheridan"1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings (UCADB), as adopted/published by the International Conference of Building Officials — adopted by Ordinance No. 2290

Permit types & fees

Residential Building Permit (New Construction)

Required for new single-family and two-family dwelling construction in the City of Sheridan. Processed as a "Detailed Building Permit" requiring plan review under the 2024 IRC as locally amended by Ordinance No. 2290. Building costs over $3,000 or new buildings over 200 sq ft require a permit.

Residential Addition / Remodel Permit

Required for additions, remodels, and structural alterations to existing one- and two-family dwellings in Sheridan, including decks. Processed as a "Detailed Building Permit" (plan review) under the 2024 IRC as amended by Ordinance No. 2290.

Deck Permit

Decks are explicitly named by the City of Sheridan's Building Division as a project type requiring a Detailed Building Permit (plan review) under the 2024 IRC as amended by Ordinance No. 2290.

Electrical Permit

The City of Sheridan is the electrical Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) inside city limits — Ordinance No. 2290 adopts the 2023 NEC as a City technical code enforced by the City of Sheridan Building Department, and the Wyoming Department of Fire Prevention & Electrical Safety's own "Local and State Jurisdictions" chart lists Sheridan (the municipality) as holding local ("L") electrical inspection AND electrical plan review authority under W.S. § 35-9-121, rather than the State ("S"). The State Chief Electrical Inspector's office administers electrical permitting only where no local authority has been delegated (shown as "S" on the same chart) — that does not apply within the City of Sheridan.

Plumbing Permit

Required for plumbing installations, alterations, and repairs in the City of Sheridan. Governed by the 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) as amended by Ordinance No. 2290.

Mechanical / HVAC Permit

Required for heating, cooling, and fuel-gas equipment installations in the City of Sheridan. Governed by the 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) and 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), both amended by Ordinance No. 2290.

Roofing Permit (Re-Roof)

Required for roof replacement (re-roofing) in the City of Sheridan. Re-roofing is classified as a City Simple Permit — no plan review, online-only application.

Solar PV Permit

Required for installation of solar photovoltaic panels in the City of Sheridan. Processed as a flat-fee Simple Permit per the City's Master Fee Schedule.

Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Permit

The City of Sheridan's zoning code (City Code Appendix A — Zoning) contains no ADU-specific category, standard, or process: its Definitions chapter (Ch. 2) defines only "accessory building" and "accessory use" (general incidental structures/uses, not dwelling units), and each residential district chapter — R-1 (one-family only), R-2 (two-family/multi-family), R-3, and R-4 — permits only "accessory buildings and uses customarily incidental to" the district's principal dwelling use, with no second/independent dwelling unit provision. An ADU is therefore reviewed as a standard Detailed (plan-review) Building Permit under the 2024 IRC/IBC as amended by Ordinance No. 2290, using the general Residential New/Add/Alter valuation-based fee, and must otherwise conform to the underlying district's permitted-use table (e.g., only allowed as a second unit where the district itself permits two-family/multi-family dwellings, such as R-2).

Demolition Permit

Required for demolition of structures in the City of Sheridan. Processed as a City Simple Permit at a flat fee.

Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit

Required for interior remodels, additions, and tenant improvements in commercial buildings in the City of Sheridan. Processed as a Detailed Building Permit (plan review) under the 2024 IBC as amended by Ordinance No. 2290.

Tips & gotchas

Wyoming has NO statewide building code for general private construction (W.S. § 35-9-121) — Sheridan is a Home Rule / AHJ city that must independently adopt codes at least as stringent as state minimums within 6 months of state adoption to keep that status. Ordinance No. 2290 (Jan. 20, 2025) is Sheridan's current adoption vehicle.
Sheridan's local design criteria are notable: 42-inch frost depth, 115 mph basic wind speed, 30 psf ground snow load, Seismic Design Category B, elevation 3,572 ft — do not substitute generic Wyoming or national default values.
Two building permit tracks exist: "Detailed" (plan review — new construction, remodels, additions, decks) and "Simple" (online-only, no plan review — reroofing, siding, furnace/water heater replacement, demolition, solar, etc.). Simple Permit fees are flat; Detailed Building Permits use the valuation-based formulas.
The City's Building Permit Fees, as currently published in the July 2023 Master Fee Schedule (Resolution #34-23), still reproduce the exact rate formulas originally set in 2017 (Resolution #18-17) — these are the current, in-force fees as of this verification, not stale figures.
Threshold for needing a permit at all: building costs over $3,000 OR new building over 200 square feet; some electrical/mechanical/plumbing work requires a permit regardless of value.
The City of Sheridan is the electrical Authority Having Jurisdiction inside city limits: it adopted and locally amended its own 2023 NEC section under its own Building Department (Ordinance No. 2290), and the Wyoming Dept. of Fire Prevention & Electrical Safety's own jurisdictions chart confirms Sheridan holds local ("L") electrical inspection and plan-review authority — the State's regional electrical inspector office in Sheridan serves the surrounding county, not the City itself.
As of this verification, the City of Sheridan has posted a notice that its Building Department lacks a certified Fire Plans Examiner/qualified fire-inspection professional; fire sprinkler, fire alarm, and related fire inspections and fees must currently be directed through the State of Wyoming.
Contractor License Fee: $200/year; Journeyman, Master-of-Record, and Tree Trimmer licenses: $50/year each (City of Sheridan Master Fee Schedule, Resolution #34-23, p.15).
Permitting and contractor licensing are handled entirely online via the Permit & Licensing Portal at sheridanwy.portal.opengov.com — the City states its application process 'has moved online.'