Fremont County, Colorado Building Permit Guide

On unincorporated land, the Fremont County Building Department (719-276-7460) issues building, re-roof, demolition, solar, flood and septic permits and carries out the inspections itself. Applications go in on paper at 615 Macon Avenue, Room 212, with a Planning & Zoning sign-off, and a permit lasts 1 year. The fee follows a valuation table: $887.25 for the first $100,000 of value plus $5 per additional $1,000, and multi-family, commercial and industrial jobs add a plan review fee of 65% of the permit fee. Cañon City, Florence, Williamsburg, Rockvale, Coal Creek and Brookside each permit work inside their own limits.

What requires a permit in Fremont County?

Resolution No. 60, Series of 2020 made the 2018 International Building, Residential and Energy Conservation Codes the Building Code of Fremont County from January 1, 2021. It covers commercial, industrial, residential and accessory structures on unincorporated land: construction, alteration, moving, enlargement, replacement, repair, change of use, removal and demolition. The same resolution rewrote the list of work that needs no building permit.

Agricultural buildings are exempt only on land that holds agricultural declaration status with the County Assessor, only when they shelter implements, farm products, livestock or poultry, and only after the owner has sent an application to the Building Official to confirm the building qualifies. Exempt work still has to meet the Fremont County Zoning Resolution.

Who issues building permits in Fremont County?

The county’s building code created the Department of Building and Environmental Health, run by the Building Official, Wyatt Sanders. It has its own inspectors and a permit technician and serves every part of the county outside the six municipalities. Its website tells owners inside those municipalities to go to the city or town instead.

Rockvale charges 1% of the project’s valuation with a $100 minimum, plus 10% for greenways and parks, and exempts storage sheds of 120 sq ft or less from the application. In all six municipalities electrical and plumbing permits still come from the State, and Williamsburg and Brookside both send septic applicants to the county.

County applications, forms and contractor licences

Fremont County has no online permit portal. Its Applications and Submittal Information page pairs one Building Permit Application with a checklist for each project type: one- and two-family dwellings, residential additions, basement finish and interior remodel, change of use, commercial buildings, detached garages and barns, pole barns, carports, patio covers and covered decks, uncovered decks, enclosed patios and solar. Re-roofing, demolition, flood damage prevention and septic systems each have a form of their own.

• Permit Renewal Application. A building permit can be renewed once, for 1 more year, if the request and the $48 fee reach the department before the permit runs out. Re-roof, demolition and mobile home placement permits cannot be renewed.
• Application for Contractor’s Licence. Anyone paid to direct or carry out work that needs a county building permit must hold a county licence: Class A, B or C general, Class D for manufactured housing, or a Class E or F limited trade licence. Owners may work on their own property without one.
• Bulk Water/Cistern Form Letter. Signed and notarized at the Building Department when a cistern is proposed as the main water supply.
• Appeal Application. For a hearing before the Building Code Board of Appeals ($100).

The county issues a provisional contractor licence within 7 business days of a complete application. Annual licence fees are $75 for Class A, $60 for Class B or C, $50 for Class D, $40 for Class E and $30 for Class F, and the written examinations cost $25 to $120.

Permit costs and fees in Fremont County

The Permit Fees page posts the Building Department Fee Schedule, revised August 2018, and a Building Valuation Chart. The building permit fee is read from the valuation of the work.

For example, work valued at $200,000 pays $887.25 plus 100 × $5, which is $1,387.25. The posted chart values a one- or two-family dwelling at $105.93 per sq ft, a garage on a foundation at $39.83, sheds, carports, decks and patios at $19.25, a finished basement at $36.20 and an unfinished one at $15. Those are valuation rates used to reach the table above, not the fee, and the chart is an older one. Section 109.3 of the county code, as adopted in Resolution 60, sets the valuation from the most recent Building Valuation Data the International Code Council publishes twice a year, so the adopted rule is the current ICC rate for the building type. Where that figure does not reflect a particular project, the Building Official sets the valuation.

The schedule lists a plan review fee only for multi-family, commercial and industrial applications. Starting work before the permit is issued adds a penalty equal to the permit fee, payable on top of it. A permit that has been expired for more than 90 days can be replaced with a new one at half the original fee.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and septic permits

Fremont County issues no electrical or plumbing permits. Its building code defers to the electrical code enforced by the Colorado State Electrical Board and the plumbing and gas codes enforced by the State Board of Examining Plumbers, and the department’s website sends applicants to the State’s online permit system. The county inspector will not carry out the final building inspection until the State electrical and plumbing inspectors have approved theirs.

Mechanical work is checked by the county under the mechanical provisions of its building code. One local rule: propane appliances may not sit in a pit, crawlspace or basement unless unburned gas has an approved way out, with an exception for direct-vent appliances with a sealed combustion chamber.

Septic permits are issued by the Building Department itself, acting as the county’s environmental health office. A new system or major repair costs $283 and a minor repair $142, plus the $23 Colorado surcharge. The installer must hold a Fremont County septic installer licence ($50, renewed for $25), the application needs a site and soil evaluation with 2 profile holes prepared by a professional engineer or competent technician, and an engineer who designed a system must approve it before the county inspects. A visual inspection of an existing system costs $85.

Application documents and plan review

Every checklist has two halves: Planning & Zoning items handled in Room 210 (719-276-7360) and Building Department items handled in Room 212. Plans go in as 2 paper copies.

Evidence of water means a signed tap contract or recent bill from a public water supplier, or a well construction and test report from a Colorado licensed driller. A cistern letter is accepted only for parcels created before June 1, 1972 or parcels of 35 acres or more, and it must come with a State well denial, a report of a dry well drilled at least 600 ft deep, or notarized statements from 2 licensed drillers that a well is unlikely to succeed. Evidence of sanitation means a sewer tap contract or bill, a county septic permit, or a notarized existing-system letter.

The Building Official may let an applicant draw the construction details for a house, and may waive sealed drawings where the work needs no engineering. The county publishes no plan review turnaround.

How to apply in Fremont County: 6 steps

Fremont County inspections and closeout

Every inspection on a county permit is carried out by a Fremont County Building Inspector. Requests go through the Submit Inspection Request form on the Building Department’s web page or by phone to 719-276-7460; the office is closed on Fridays.

• The orange permit card and the field set of plans must be on site, visible and protected from the weather, with the address posted. If they are missing, the county can charge the $42-per-hour re-inspection fee.
• A lost, stolen, laminated or damaged permit card costs $30 to replace.
• A re-roof needs a decking inspection while the deck is exposed and a final that must be requested within 10 days of finishing; a ladder has to be on site for both.
• For septic work the tank and system stay uncovered until inspected.
• The inspector collects the permit card at the final inspection. Before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued, the water supply has to be proven and any septic system installed, inspected and approved.

A partial inspection, for building or septic, is listed at $42.

Local Fremont County details that matter

Design values. The county amendments set the frost line at a minimum of 27 inches below finished grade, a design wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust), seismic design category B and severe weathering. Roof snow load is site specific and rises with elevation, taken from the snow load chart attached to Resolution 60.

Re-roofing. Ice barrier underlayment is required on every roof except detached accessory buildings with no conditioned space. All existing layers of shingles come off, and spaced board decking has to be replaced with OSB of at least 7/16 inch. Contractors submit the signed contract as proof of value; owners submit an itemized cost of materials. The permit lasts 90 days.

Demolition. The application needs the recorded deed, a notarized statement from the owner if someone else applies, utility company sign-off and a start-and-finish schedule naming the method and equipment. The permit runs 180 days. The lot must be filled back to existing grade.

Flood plain. Work in a FEMA-designated flood plain needs a county Flood Damage Prevention Permit ($75) with a Flood Elevation Certificate, under the county’s Flood Damage Prevention Regulations.

Housing projects of 7 or more units. Before construction starts, the builder signs a contract with the Board of County Commissioners guaranteeing the required number of accessible units.

Wells. Well permits come from the Colorado Division of Water Resources, not the county.

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 Fremont County resources

• Fremont County Building Department
• Fremont County applications and submittal checklists
• Fremont County permit fees: fee schedule and valuation chart
• Fremont County adopted codes and Resolution 60
• Fremont County septic systems: application, requirements and regulations
• Fremont County Bulk Water/Cistern Policy
• Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations: state electrical and plumbing permits
• City of Cañon City Building Department
• City of Florence Building Department
• Town of Williamsburg forms and permits
• Town of Rockvale forms
• Town of Coal Creek building permits and inspections
• Town of Brookside building permits

Fremont County permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Fremont County?

The Fremont County Building Department, for unincorporated land. Cañon City, Florence, Williamsburg, Rockvale, Coal Creek and Brookside issue their own, and the county department does not serve property inside them.

How much is a building permit in Fremont County?

It depends on valuation. The posted schedule charges $887.25 for the first $100,000 plus $5 per additional $1,000, so $200,000 of work pays $1,387.25. Multi-family, commercial and industrial jobs add a plan review fee of 65% of the permit fee.

Do I need a permit for a shed, fence or deck in Fremont County?

Not for a one-story detached shed of 200 sq ft or less, a solid fence up to 7 ft, or a deck on a one- or two-family home that is no more than 30 inches above grade. Zoning setbacks still apply.

How long is a Fremont County building permit valid?

1 year from issue. It can be renewed once for another year for $48 if you ask before it expires. Re-roof permits last 90 days and demolition permits 180 days, and neither can be renewed.

Who issues electrical and plumbing permits?

The State of Colorado, both in the unincorporated county and in the six municipalities. The county’s final inspection waits for the State finals.

Where do I get a septic permit in Fremont County?

From the Building Department in Room 212. A new system costs $283 plus the $23 state surcharge, and the installer must be licensed by the county.

Can a homeowner build without a contractor licence?

Yes. The county’s contractor licensing rules do not require a licence for work on your own property, though the permit and inspections still apply.

Can I use a cistern instead of a well?

Only on a parcel created before June 1, 1972 or one of 35 acres or more, with a notarized cistern letter and proof that a well was refused, came up dry or is unlikely to succeed.

Simplify Fremont 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 Fremont County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.