Chaffee County, Colorado Building Permit Guide

The Chaffee County Building Safety Department issues building permits throughout the county: directly in unincorporated areas, and for Salida, Buena Vista and Poncha Springs after the town has signed off on zoning. Applications are emailed, not filed in a portal. The building permit fee is 0.7% of the County’s square-foot valuation plus 10% of that fee for plan review, with a $110 minimum. The County also issues electrical, plumbing, mechanical and septic permits.

What needs a permit in Chaffee County?

The Building Safety Department publishes an application for each kind of work it permits, which is the clearest list of what needs approval. No work may begin before the permit is issued, and work started early pays double permit fees.

Agricultural buildings can ask for an exemption on the County’s Ag Exemption Request form. A zoning permit from the County or the town comes first for building work.

Who issues permits in Chaffee County?

The Building Safety Department reviews plans, issues permits and inspects for unincorporated Chaffee County and, by arrangement with each municipality, inside all three incorporated places. Chad Chadwick is the Chief Building Official. The office works a four-day week.

How the three municipalities fit in:

• City of Salida: the City contracts with the Chaffee County Building Department to administer all building permits. You submit the application to the City first for zoning compliance and fire safety review, and the City forwards it to the County. City Community Development is in the Touber Building, 448 E. First Street, Suite 112, phone 719-539-4555, open Monday to Thursday.
• Town of Buena Vista: a project needs both a Town Building Permit Authorization and a County building permit. Both sets of materials go to the Town Planning Office, through the Town’s GovWell portal since August 1, 2026, and the County’s fees are paid directly to the County. The Planning Department is at Town Hall East, 713 East Main Street, phone 719-581-1166, open Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Town of Poncha Springs: the Town’s Building Permit Coversheet travels with a completed Chaffee County application, a warranty deed, the drawings and proof that Town fees, Salida sewer and use tax are paid. Town Hall is at 333 Burnett Avenue, phone 719-539-6882.

Applications and how filing works

Chaffee County has no online permit portal. Completed applications go by email to bdepartment@chaffeecounty.org or by mail, and the County warns that using an out-of-date form can get a permit denied. The current forms sit on the Applications & Fees page.

• Residential Building Application and Commercial Building Application, both updated June 30, 2026.
• Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing Applications: separate trade permits, each tied to the master building permit number.
• Roofing Application and Demolition Application. The demolition form needs zoning sign-off and utility providers’ signatures.
• OWTS Septic Application (updated March 31, 2026), plus abandonment, installer and licence forms.
• Graywater and Fire Domestic Water Cistern Applications.
• Plan Change, Change of Use and Permit Extension Request forms.
• Board of Review and Board of Health Variance applications.

After the office has checked the fees, it emails an invoice with a link to the County’s online payment system. Pay, then email the office to say so. Trade permits are issued by email with inspection instructions; building applications move into plan review once payment and all documents are in. A public Permit Search and weekly residential and commercial Review Status lists are on the department’s site.

Chaffee County building permit fees

The fee schedule printed in the residential application (revised April 2026) works in three steps. Value the project from its floor area using the County’s rates, which follow the ICC valuation data for light-frame (Type VB, Group R-3) construction. Multiply the total valuation by 0.007 for the building permit fee. Add 10% of that fee for plan review. The minimum fee is $110, plan review included.

For example, a 2,000 sq ft house with a 500 sq ft garage is valued at $351,840 plus $35,535, or $387,375. The building permit fee is $387,375 × 0.007 = $2,711.63, plan review is $271.16, and the total due to the County is $2,982.79. Remodels and alterations use the full value of materials, labor and design and trade work in place of the square-foot rates.

Town fees are separate. Buena Vista and Poncha Springs charge their own permit, utility and use tax items, and new construction owes a fire impact fee to the fire district that serves the site.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and septic permits

Chaffee County runs its own trade programme, so electrical and plumbing permits here come from the County and not from the State. The department employs its own electrical inspectors and enforces the 2023 National Electrical Code and the 2021 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes. County Ordinance 2023-02 brings each new electrical code edition into force 12 months after the State Electrical Board adopts it; the Board adopted the 2026 edition on May 27, 2026, so the 2023 edition stays the County’s rule into 2027. Each trade needs its own application, separate from the building permit.

Electrical: anyone doing electrical work must show a current Colorado electrician’s licence or apprentice registration before the permit is issued, unless a licence exemption applies. The application carries a homeowner clause for owners wiring their own home.

Plumbing and gas: the residential fee is built from the number of fixtures and gas outlets, and complete gas calculations are required for fuel gas piping.

Septic (OWTS): the Building Safety Department is also the county’s septic permitting office, under OWTS regulations adopted by the Board of Health in 2025. The septic application and its engineering are submitted with the building permit where the lot is not on sewer. The County licenses OWTS installers and keeps a current installer list.

Fire: commercial projects in unincorporated Chaffee County file the County’s Fire Department Review Application. New construction pays a fire impact fee before the Certificate of Occupancy; the form in the County packet is for the Chaffee County Fire Protection District in Buena Vista (719-395-6545) and does not cover the Salida or South Ark fire districts.

Application documents and plan review

The County takes one complete electronic plan set, as unlocked PDFs or a Dropbox link, sent directly by the architect or engineer of record with electronic stamps and signatures. Hand-drawn plans are not accepted, and the building address must be on every sheet.

Engineering is required for commercial projects, log homes, snow loads over 70 psf, exterior bearing walls over 10 feet and designs outside the prescriptive codes. Plans must be between 11 x 17 and 24 x 36 inches, at a minimum scale of 1/4 inch to 1 foot.

The County does not publish a fixed review time, but it posts updated residential and commercial review status lists. Affordable housing projects under its Proposition 123 programme are processed within 90 days of a complete application, in the county and all municipalities.

How to apply: 6 steps in Chaffee County

Inspections and permit expiry

Inspections are carried out Monday to Thursday, excluding federal holidays. A request must reach the office by 4:00 p.m. on the business day before the date you want; later requests move to the following business day, and anything called in after 4:00 p.m. on Friday is inspected the following Tuesday. The County posts each day’s inspection schedule online.

Have these ready when you call:

• Main permit number
• Address
• Contact name and phone number
• Type of inspection

Re-inspections and partial inspections may be charged. On re-roofs, the permit card must be posted and reachable, the permit holder provides a properly set and secured ladder, and a mid-roof or in-progress inspection is required.

A permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days of issue, or stops for 180 days. Two extensions can be requested during a permit’s life, and there is a 30-day grace period after expiry in which to apply. After that a full resubmittal is needed, with updated plans if the code has changed. If all framing and rough-in inspections had passed before expiry, the owner may instead continue at $100 per inspection trip.

Local Chaffee County details that matter

Frost depth by elevation: 24 inches below finished grade up to 8,000 feet, 30 inches from 8,001 to 10,000 feet and 36 inches above 10,000 feet.

Snow and wind: ground snow load is site specific and read from the County’s Snow Load Map; the minimum roof design snow load is 35 psf. Design wind speed is 115 mph (Vult), the Seismic Design Category is C and the winter design temperature is -10°F.

Wildfire code: the County adopted the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code with local amendments by Ordinance 2026-02, and plans must detail ignition-resistant exterior materials.

Energy code: the 2021 IECC applies, and every compliance path requires one additional energy efficiency option to be chosen and shown on the plans. County Ordinance 2026-01 adds “electric preferred” amendments.

Graywater: the Board of Health adopted graywater control regulations in 2025, and a graywater system needs its own application.

Mobile homes: a Colorado Division of Housing installation insignia must be permanently fixed to the home before the County’s final inspection.

Colorado building code

Colorado has no statewide building code for private buildings: each city and county decides whether a code applies and which edition, while the state sets electrical and plumbing rules, a minimum energy code on any update, and a wildfire code for the mapped wildland-urban interface. Building codes in Colorado

Official Chaffee County resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Chaffee County Building Safety Department
• Chaffee County building applications and fees
• Residential Building Application and fee schedule (PDF)
• Adopted codes and design criteria
• Chaffee County inspections
• Plan review status lists
• City of Salida building permit review
• Town of Buena Vista residential building permits
• Town of Poncha Springs planning and building permit forms

Chaffee County permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Chaffee County?

The Chaffee County Building Safety Department, for unincorporated land and for Salida, Buena Vista and Poncha Springs. In the three municipalities the city or town reviews zoning first.

How much is a building permit in Chaffee County?

0.7% of the County’s valuation plus 10% of that fee for plan review, with a $110 minimum. A 2,000 sq ft house with a 500 sq ft garage comes to $2,982.79.

Does Chaffee County issue electrical and plumbing permits?

Yes. The County issues and inspects both, along with mechanical permits, on separate applications.

How do I apply for a building permit in Salida?

Submit it to the City of Salida for zoning and fire safety review. The City then forwards it to the Chaffee County Building Department, which administers the permit.

How much is a roofing permit?

$100 minimum, and each structure needs its own permit.

Who issues septic permits in Chaffee County?

The Building Safety Department. A new system permit is $423 and a site evaluation is $150.

When are inspections done?

Monday to Thursday. Call 719-539-2124 by 4:00 p.m. the business day before.

Is the building office open on Fridays?

No. The department is open Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Simplify Chaffee County permitting with Alliance Permitting

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.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Chaffee County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.