Greenwood Village, Colorado Building Permit Guide

Inside Greenwood Village, building permits come from the City’s Community Development Department at City Hall, 6060 S. Quebec Street (303-486-5783), and applications go in through the Online Access Portal as a single flattened PDF. The permit fee is read from a table by contract price, a plan review fee of 65% is added, and jobs over $5,833 also pay building materials use tax. The City estimates 10 business days for a standard plan review and 15 for a single-family home or addition.

What requires a building permit in Greenwood Village?

Greenwood Village generally requires a permit for any new building, addition, alteration, repair or change of use, and for site improvements. Its list of residential examples includes fences, landscaping and paving.

The City’s advice is to email Community Development before starting, and staff will say whether the project needs a permit.

Who issues building permits in Greenwood Village?

The Building Division of the Community Development Department runs the City’s Building Permits and Inspections Program. Steve Hinkley is the Chief Building Official.

The City’s permits cover property inside Greenwood Village only. Its online permit search map, which lists active and historical building permits by address, is a quick way to see whether a property falls under the Village.

Applying through the Online Access Portal

The City sets out 3 steps. Open the Online Access Portal and create a new application. Attach your documents in the required format. When plan review is finished, you get an email that either asks for more information or tells you how to reach your invoice.

• One file. Combine all plans into a single PDF. Drawings must be a flattened PDF; portfolios and other formats are refused.
• File name. Use the application number and version number, for example “CD-22-00000 v1”.
• Bookmarks. Each sheet is bookmarked with its sheet number and title, and every sheet is turned the right way up.
• Reference material goes in as separate files under Related Documents.

Contractor licences are applied for in the same portal. A contractor must be licensed before starting work, but subcontractors working under a licensed contractor’s supervision do not need their own. Level A (commercial) costs $300, Level B (residential) $200, Level C (pools, tennis courts and solar) $100 and Level D $50 for each individual trade. Level E, for electrical and plumbing contractors pulling their own permits, has no fee. Applicants show a licence from another Colorado jurisdiction or proof of trade certification, plus insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate naming the City. A licence that has been expired for 90 days or more cannot be renewed.

Greenwood Village permit fees and use tax

Building permit fees are in the City’s Fee Schedule; the copy posted with the building page is dated June 3, 2026. The total cost of a standard permit is the permit fee, the plan review fee, the City use tax and the Arapahoe County Open Space tax, plus electrical fees where they apply.

The posted PDF’s layout drops the opening figures of the $25,001 to $50,000 and $50,001 to $100,000 rows. The two rows above are the rates the City’s own online Building Permit Fee Estimate Calculator applies ($10.10 and $7 per $1,000), and they meet the printed rows on each side exactly: $69.25 plus 23 × $14 is $391.25, and $643.75 plus 50 × $7 is the printed $993.75. A $40,000 job therefore pays $391.25 plus 15 × $10.10, or $542.75, and a plan review fee of $352.79. The calculator also returns both taxes.

Use tax. Every permit with a contract price above $5,833, demolition permits excepted, pays Building Materials Use Tax before it is issued. The rate is 3.25% (3% for the Village and 0.25% for Arapahoe County Open Space), charged on 60% of the contract price after the first $3,500 of materials. On a $300,000 contract the City’s own figure is $5,736.25. Added to a permit fee of $993.75 plus 200 × $5.60, or $2,113.75, and a plan review fee of $1,373.94, that job costs $9,223.94 before electrical fees.

Carpet, interior paint and cabinet replacement count as finish work and are left out of the permit fee calculation when they are stand-alone cosmetic jobs, but use tax is still due on materials that become fixed to the building. Give suppliers a copy of the permit so they do not charge municipal sales tax, and ask Taxpayer Services (303-486-8299) for a refund in writing if the tax paid turns out to exceed 3% of what the materials cost.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits in Greenwood Village

Electrical. Greenwood Village issues its own electrical permits and inspects the work itself, charging the fee schedule the State adopted on April 1, 2016. Its Adopted Codes page says permits are reviewed to the National Electrical Code standards adopted by the State of Colorado and names the 2023 edition; the State Electrical Board moved to the 2026 NEC on August 1, 2026, and Section 18-10-10 of the Municipal Code, last amended in 2020, still names the 2017 edition. The Chief Building Official (303-486-5782) can say which edition a current design is reviewed against.

• Residential work priced by enclosed living area: $100 up to 1,000 sq ft, $150 up to 1,500 sq ft, $200 up to 2,000 sq ft, then $10 for each additional 100 sq ft, rounded up. The City’s example is a 2,235 sq ft home at $230.
• Commercial work, and residential jobs not based on floor area such as a garage or shop: $100 up to $2,000 of contract value, then $10 per $1,000, rounded up. A $5,150 installation is $160.
• The fee doubles if the permit is not filed before the installation starts.
• If a permit expires after the rough-in is approved but before the final, a trim permit is needed, with a $100 minimum.

Plumbing and mechanical. The City enforces the 2018 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes; plumbing work and water heater replacement are on its list of jobs that need a permit. Level D licences cover plumbing and mechanical work as individual trades, and Level E is for electrical and plumbing contractors who need permits and are not working under a licensed contractor.

Fire. Commercial submittals must include proof that plans were also sent to South Metro Fire Rescue, and new homes show fire access and water supply to the same agency.

Application documents and plan review

New projects need a complete digital plan set at the first submittal. An incomplete submittal is returned without review.

How to apply: 6 steps for Greenwood Village

Greenwood Village inspections

Inspections are requested in the Online Access Portal, up to 7 days in advance and subject to availability. Inspectors work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and call 30 to 60 minutes before they arrive if you gave a contact number. If that call goes unanswered and the site cannot be entered, the inspection may fail and has to be rebooked for the following day.

• An adult aged 18 or older must be present for every interior inspection.
• Keep a hard copy of the City-approved color drawings for the inspector.
• Display a hard copy of the permit card, ideally where it can be seen from the public right-of-way.
• No inspections on most Federal holidays.
• A re-inspection costs $47.

Roofs. A mid-roof inspection is required on new construction but not on a re-roof unless the Building Division asks for one. For tile and metal panel roofs it is scheduled once underlayment, flashing and battens are in, with no more than 25% of the covering installed. The final inspection needs a secured ladder reaching at least 3 ft above the roof edge, and roofing work must be finished within 6 months of the permit date.

Local Greenwood Village details that matter

Construction hours. Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays and observed holidays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sprinklers in large homes. A residential fire sprinkler system is required in a new home with a total floor area of 7,700 sq ft or more.

Roof design criteria. The City’s July 2026 Roofing Guidelines give a 100 mph 3-second gust wind speed, Exposure Category C and a 30 psf roof snow load. If the new roofing is heavier than the old, a Colorado-licensed design professional has to seal a structural evaluation or truss verification letter.

Site and drainage manuals. Builders work to the City’s Construction Site Management Manual for erosion control and water quality and to its Storm Drainage Criteria Manual. Sitework and floodplain permits are priced by the cubic yards of earth moved.

Covenants. Where a business park, homeowners’ association or private covenant requires architectural control committee approval, the City asks for it with the submittal. Outside approvals do not replace the City’s own plan review.

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 Greenwood Village resources

• Greenwood Village building permits and inspections
• Greenwood Village Online Access Portal
• Greenwood Village Fee Schedule
• Greenwood Village permit fee calculator
• Greenwood Village Building Materials Use Tax
• Greenwood Village electrical permit fees
• Greenwood Village contractor licensing
• Greenwood Village adopted codes and manuals
• Greenwood Village Roofing Guidelines

Greenwood Village building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Greenwood Village?

On a $300,000 contract the permit fee is $2,113.75, the 65% plan review fee is $1,373.94 and use tax is $5,736.25, a total of $9,223.94 before electrical fees. Jobs of $500 or less carry no permit fee.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Greenwood Village?

Yes. Fences are on the City’s list of residential projects that require a permit, along with landscaping and concrete or asphalt work over 100 sq ft.

How long does plan review take?

The City estimates 10 business days for a standard review, 15 for single-family homes and additions, and 3 when no plan review is needed.

Does Greenwood Village issue electrical permits?

Yes. The City permits and inspects electrical work, charging $100 for a home up to 1,000 sq ft and $10 per additional 100 sq ft above 2,000 sq ft.

How do I submit plans?

Through the Online Access Portal, as one flattened PDF named with the application number and version, such as “CD-22-00000 v1”.

Do subcontractors need a Greenwood Village licence?

Not when they work under the supervision of a licensed contractor. The contractor itself must be licensed before work starts.

When can construction work take place?

From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays and holidays.

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