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City of Fort Collins
 

Building Services

Building Services

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Building Permits

Is your building over 50?

Please note: exterior alterations to any building aged 50 or older must be reviewed by Historic Preservation. For more information, please call Karen McWilliams at 970-224-6078.

  1. Submit at least two (2) complete sets of construction plans. See Residential Permits or Commercial Permits. Your plans are reviewed for code compliance.
  2. A plan review fee will be collected at the time of plans submittal on all work valued over $3,000. The building permit and any other applicable fees will be paid at the time the permit is issued. See Building Permit Fee Schedule.
  3. The plans are then "logged in" and checked, in order of their submission, for zoning and building code compliance in addition to any applicable requirements by other departments. When reviews are completed and plans are approved, the permit can be issued. Note: Approval from the Larimer County Health Department is required on any work which involves food service operations, kennel and pet shops, public recreational facilities, institutions, individual sewage disposal systems and commercial demolition projects.
  4. A residential "framing and foundation" (F&F) permit can be issued for $150 (single-family and duplex only) as soon as all reviews are completed. An F&F allows construction through the framing stage, but does not allow framing and "rough-in" inspections to be performed. A full permit must be pulled for these and subsequent required inspections.
  5. For contractors who are going to build several homes from the same basic plan, a "stock plan" option available. This involves having plans kept on record at the Development Review Center for referral each time the house is built. However, plans must be active (currently under construction) in order to keep them on file. Inactive plans (those not being used) must be retrieved by the contractor or plans will be discarded. Plan check fees are based on $1 per $1,000 of valuation and are typically ready in about one week.

Special Permit Types

  1. A residential F&F (foundation and framing) permit can be issued for $150 (single-family only) as soon as all reviews are completed. An F&F allows construction through the framing stage, but does not allow framing or "rough-in" inspections to be performed. A full permit must be obtained for these and subsequent required inspections.
  2. Under certain conditions, a revocable permit can be issued for commercial projects with payment of all fees. This also allows the contractor to continue construction and proceed with rough-in inspections up to, but not including, the framing inspection.
  3. Every permit issued is valid for 180 days from the date of issuance or from the date of the last inspection. If work has not commenced within this time, the permit shall become null and void unless a one time extension is granted. Plan reviews also expire 180 days after the original date of submittal if a permit is not issued. A one-time, 180-day extension may be approved under certain circumstances beyond the applicants control.

Other Applications and Forms

Over-the-Counter Permit Application Building Permit Application Commercial and Residential Demolition Permit Requirements

(for all construction other than over-the-counter, editable)

Residential Energy Compliance Form Residential Certificate of Occupancy Checklist Building Owner Authorization to Obtain a Commercial Building Permit Form

For commercial only.