Aurora is the third largest city in Colorado and spans three counties, and its licensing position is the cleanest statement of the Colorado split you will find on any city website: the city licenses what the state does not, and defers to the state on what it does.
The Building Division handles permitting and inspection, with applications through the city’s business portal. Permits related to structures are issued only after plans have been routed to all departments for final review and approval.
This guide covers work inside the Aurora city limits. Aurora spans Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties, so recording and any county-level approval follow the parcel rather than the city, and unincorporated land in any of the three is permitted by that county.
Aurora issues no separate plumbing or electrical contractor licence. The city’s own position is that it requires a current State of Colorado master’s and contractor’s licence to be on file with the Building Division, and that it does not issue a separate plumbing or electrical contractor licence. General contractors register with the city; the trades are verified against the state boards. Two credentials, two different places to check them.
What requires a building permit in Aurora?
Colorado has no statewide building code. Home rule leaves adoption to local government, so whether a building code applies at all, and which edition, is decided by the municipality or the county — roughly two hundred and seventy municipalities and sixty-four counties, each choosing for itself. That makes the edition in force in Aurora a local question, and an exempt list or fee schedule from a neighbouring jurisdiction unreliable. What it does not make Colorado is a state where nothing is decided centrally.
Typically permit required
- New buildings, additions, alterations and change of occupancy or use
- Structural alterations, load-bearing changes, foundations, decks and retaining walls
- Electrical work under the National Electrical Code, permitted locally or by the state board
- Plumbing work under the Colorado plumbing code, permitted locally or by the state board
- Mechanical and fuel gas work, and anything touching the adopted energy provisions
- Work in the wildland-urban interface, and re-roofing, demolition and signs above the local threshold
Often exempt
- Ordinary repairs and maintenance replacing materials in kind
- Small accessory structures below the local threshold, where zoning allows
- Painting, flooring, cabinetry and other finish work
- Like-for-like fixture swaps with no alteration to wiring or piping
An exemption from a building permit is never an exemption from zoning, from the adopted energy provisions, or from a trade permit. Confirm scope with the Aurora Building Division before work starts.
Your electrical and plumbing permits may come from the state, not the city. The State Electrical Board and the State Plumbing Board issue permits and carry out inspections everywhere in Colorado that has no local inspection programme of its own, and the state does not inspect where a local programme exists. Establishing which authority covers the job site is the applicant’s responsibility, not the city’s. One override applies regardless: under section 12-115-120 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, any electrical installation in the new construction, remodelling or repair of a public school must be inspected by a state electrical inspector, even where the local authority has its own electrical code.
Four things Colorado decides centrally, whatever the local code says
First, electrical and plumbing: the National Electrical Code and the Colorado plumbing code are state baselines, and the state boards permit and inspect wherever no local programme exists. Second, energy: under House Bill 22-1362 no jurisdiction is compelled to update its codes, but any jurisdiction that adopts or updates a building code must take up at least the specified minimum energy code, so the floor arrives with the update rather than on a statewide date. Third, the conflict rule: where the energy provisions or the state model codes conflict with the Colorado plumbing code or the National Electrical Code, the plumbing code or the electrical code prevails. Fourth, wildfire: the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code adopted in twenty twenty-five sets a state minimum for new construction and significant exterior alterations and additions inside the mapped wildland-urban interface, and it is not a retrofit code. Altitude derating, snow loading and expansive soils are live design constraints across much of the state. Landscape and water carry their own gate here: permits for irrigation systems and new lawns are issued only after landscape plan mylars have been approved by the planning and development services department, and the irrigation plans themselves are approved by the city’s water utility rather than by the building division — a sequencing step that is easy to discover far too late on a landscaped commercial site
Who handles permitting in Aurora?
The Building Division issues building and trade permits and carries out inspections, with a contractor lookup published so an owner can confirm which contractors are licensed to work in the city before signing anything.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | City of Aurora Building Division |
| Address | 15151 East Alameda Parkway, Aurora, CO 80012 |
| Phone | (303) 739-7420 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| General contractors | Register with the Building Division before permits are issued |
| Trade contractors | State master's and contractor's licence kept on file; no separate city licence |
| Structures | Permits issued after plans are routed to all departments for final approval |
| Occupancy | Engineering and grade inspections and public improvements required first |
The certificate of occupancy has a wider gate than the building work alone. Before it is issued the general contractor must complete all applicable building inspections — structural, electrical, heating and ventilation, plumbing and life safety — and the city additionally requires engineering and grade inspections and the completion of applicable public improvements. On a site with frontage work outstanding, the building can be finished and the certificate still unavailable.
The inspection permit card and the approved plans must remain available at the job site, and next-day inspections can be requested through the portal, by email or by telephone with the permit number, project address, inspection type and a callback number ready. Zoning sits in the city’s Unified Development Ordinance, which carries both the zoning and subdivision regulations.
Permit types
Residential permits
Residential work follows the codes the city adopted, with the general contractor registered with the Building Division and any electrical or plumbing contractor verified against the state boards. Specialty trade contractors must show their state licence at registration, and the licence type — master or journeyman — must be appropriate for the work.
How Colorado contractor credentials work
Colorado has no state general contractor licence. General contractor licensing is done by municipalities and counties, many of which also require a surety bond, so a credential earned in one Front Range city does not necessarily travel to the next. The trades are the opposite: electricians and plumbers are licensed by the state, through the State Electrical Board and the State Plumbing Board, and those licences are statewide. A journeyman electrician works under a registered electrical contractor and cannot independently pull permits.
Unregistered trade work is a state-law violation, not a local one. It is a violation of state law for anyone other than the homeowner, who is not a registered electrical or plumbing contractor, to install electrical or plumbing work on a property — and a homeowner’s insurance may not cover damage caused by an uninsured installer. Confirm the general contractor’s local licence with the Aurora Building Division and the trade registrations with the state boards, because the two are checked in different places.
Commercial permits
Commercial work is routed to all departments for final review before a structural permit issues, and the occupancy gate includes engineering, grade and public improvement completion. On landscaped sites the irrigation and lawn permits sit behind approved landscape mylars and water utility approval, which should be sequenced at the start rather than at handover.
Local licences, state trade registration and design professionals
Three credential layers appear on a Colorado project and they are held by three different bodies: the local general contractor licence and any bond the jurisdiction requires; state registration for the electrical and plumbing contractors, verified with the state boards; and, on commercial and larger residential work, drawings stamped by a Colorado-licensed architect or professional engineer. Confirm what the Aurora Building Division requires for the specific building before filing.
Aurora permit costs and fees
Aurora fees follow the published schedule by permit type and valuation. The trade permit may sit with a state board rather than the city depending on the inspection programme, so confirm which body will invoice before budgeting.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Set by the local jurisdiction on valuation or square footage; there is no state building fee schedule |
| Plan review | A percentage of the permit fee or a flat charge, set locally |
| Electrical | A state board permit fee where no local electrical programme exists; a local fee where one does |
| Plumbing | The same split as electrical, against the Colorado plumbing code |
| Energy compliance | Documentation for whichever energy code the jurisdiction adopted under House Bill 22-1362 |
| Wildland-urban interface | Additional review where the parcel sits inside the mapped interface |
Because Colorado sets no statewide building fee schedule, two jurisdictions on the same model code can price the same project very differently. The component most often missed is the trade permit, because on a job outside a local inspection programme it is paid to a state board rather than to the city. Ask the Aurora Building Division for the schedule in force on your filing date, and confirm the electrical and plumbing route separately.
Need a real number for a specific Aurora project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the adopted edition, the trade authority, the wildfire position and the fee categories that will apply.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Trade permits in Colorado are not necessarily issued by the same body as the building permit. Where the jurisdiction runs its own electrical or plumbing inspection programme, the trade permit is local. Where it does not, the permit and the inspection come from the state board instead, and state-issued permits run for one year from issue.
Your electrical and plumbing permits may come from the state, not the city. The State Electrical Board and the State Plumbing Board issue permits and carry out inspections everywhere in Colorado that has no local inspection programme of its own, and the state does not inspect where a local programme exists. Establishing which authority covers the job site is the applicant’s responsibility, not the city’s. One override applies regardless: under section 12-115-120 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, any electrical installation in the new construction, remodelling or repair of a public school must be inspected by a state electrical inspector, even where the local authority has its own electrical code.
- Electrical work follows the National Electrical Code as adopted by the state and amended locally, performed by a state-licensed electrician working for a registered electrical contractor.
- Plumbing work follows the Colorado plumbing code, performed by a state-licensed plumber for a registered plumbing contractor.
- Mechanical and fuel gas work follows whichever mechanical provisions the jurisdiction adopted, permitted locally.
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar photovoltaic and EV charging
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures, backflow and gas piping
- Mechanical installation and change-out, ductwork and venting
- Any electrical work in a public school, which a state inspector must inspect
Typically exempt
- Replacing a fixture, switch, receptacle or light with no alteration to wiring or piping
- Clearing a stoppage without replacing or rearranging concealed piping
- Filter, thermostat and routine component service
- Like-for-like appliance repair that does not alter the connection
How to apply for a Aurora building permit
Registration with the Building Division is required before permits are issued, with proof of insurance and annual renewal.
The city requires a current state master's and contractor's licence on file and issues no separate plumbing or electrical contractor licence.
Irrigation and new lawn permits issue only after landscape plan mylars are approved, with irrigation plans approved by the water utility.
Permits related to structures are issued after plans have been routed to all departments for final review and approval.
Engineering and grade inspections and completion of applicable public improvements are required before the certificate of occupancy.
The inspection permit card and approved plans must remain available at the job site.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
The first cause of delay in Colorado is the trade split: a project waits on a city inspection that was never going to happen, because the electrical or plumbing permit sits with a state board. The second is the wildland-urban interface, where a parcel inside the mapped area brings requirements the building code alone does not describe. The third is the energy code, because the tier a jurisdiction sits on depends on when it last updated rather than on a statewide date. The fourth is edition drift between neighbouring jurisdictions on the same corridor. There is no statutory review clock for building permits: any timeline you are given is that jurisdiction’s own target. Confirm the checklist with the Aurora Building Division before filing.
Approvals do not stay live indefinitely. Local permit validity periods are set by the adopting jurisdiction and differ between neighbours, while state-issued electrical and plumbing permits run one year from the date of issue. On phased or financed work, confirm both clocks and keep them alive with progress inspections.
Inspections in Aurora
Standard checkpoints include footing and foundation, framing, rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and energy compliance, fire systems on commercial work, and final, with a certificate of occupancy before the building is used. Next-day inspections can be requested through the portal, by email or by telephone, with the permit number, project address, inspection type and a callback number ready.
Plan around the possibility of two inspection queues. Where the state boards hold the electrical or plumbing permit, their inspectors attend on the state’s schedule and the local inspector will not sign off that trade. State board policy is that the contractor or a representative, or an adult homeowner or their representative, must be present for the inspection of an occupied dwelling unit — so an unattended property cannot be inspected.
Do not cover work before the required inspection has been approved. Keep the issued permits, the approved plans and the energy compliance documentation available on site.
Aurora permit search and official resources
Permit records in Colorado are split the way the permits are. Where the Aurora Building Division is the authority for the City of Aurora, it holds the building record — but an electrical or plumbing permit issued by a state board sits with that board instead. If you are buying, refinancing or renovating, check both, because a clean local record does not mean the trade work was ever permitted.
Three questions, three different answers. Which edition did this jurisdiction adopt, and when did it last update? Who holds the electrical and plumbing permits here, the city or the state board? And is the parcel inside the mapped wildland-urban interface? None of the three can be assumed from a neighbouring jurisdiction.
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- City of Aurora contractor licensing and lookup
- City of Aurora permitting
- Colorado electrical and plumbing permits homepage
- State Electrical Board permit and inspection information
- House Bill 22-1362, building greenhouse gas emissions
Frequently asked questions
Does Aurora license plumbers and electricians?
No. The city requires a current State of Colorado master's and contractor's licence to be on file with the Building Division, and states that it does not issue a separate plumbing or electrical contractor licence. The trades are the part Colorado does decide centrally. The State Electrical Board and the State Plumbing Board issue permits and carry out inspections everywhere in the state with no local inspection programme of its own, and the state does not inspect where a local programme exists, so establishing the correct authority for the job site is the applicant's responsibility. State-issued permits run one year from the date of issue. Electricians and plumbers are licensed by those state boards and the licences are statewide, while general contractors are licensed by municipalities and counties, often with a surety bond. It is a violation of state law for anyone other than the homeowner, who is not a registered electrical or plumbing contractor, to install that work.
What do I need before a certificate of occupancy?
More than the building. Before a certificate is issued the general contractor must complete all applicable building inspections including structural, electrical, heating and ventilation, plumbing and life safety, and the city also requires engineering and grade inspections and completion of applicable public improvements.
Why is my irrigation permit held up?
Usually the landscape approvals. Permits for irrigation systems and new lawns are issued after landscape plan mylars are approved by the planning and development services department, and the irrigation plans themselves are approved by the city's water utility.
Which code edition applies?
The edition Aurora adopted. Colorado has no statewide building code. Home rule leaves adoption to local government, so whether a building code applies at all, and which edition, is decided by the municipality or the county — roughly two hundred and seventy municipalities and sixty-four counties, each choosing for itself. House Bill 22-1362 does not compel any jurisdiction to update, but when a jurisdiction adopts or updates a building code it must take up at least the specified minimum energy code, so the energy floor arrives with the update rather than on a statewide date. Where the energy provisions or the state model codes conflict with the Colorado plumbing code or the National Electrical Code, the plumbing code or the electrical code prevails.
Which county am I in?
Possibly any of three. Aurora spans Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties, so recording and any county-level approval follow the parcel rather than the city.
How do I check a contractor?
The city publishes a contractor lookup showing which contractors are licensed to work in Aurora. For electrical and plumbing contractors, also pull the state board record and confirm the licence is active, the type is appropriate for the work and there are no disciplinary actions.
Simplify Aurora permitting with Alliance Permitting
Two credentials held by two different bodies, and a landscape gate most people meet at handover. We check all three before filing.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 22 years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Aurora because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- Twenty-two years of filing, so the trade authority is settled before the application goes in
- We confirm which edition the jurisdiction adopted and when it last updated
- Local general contractor licence and state trade registration both verified, in different places
- Wildland-urban interface position checked against the state map before the design is fixed
- Two inspection queues sequenced so a cover-up never waits on the wrong inspector
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Colorado. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.
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More Colorado permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Aurora permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.