Lone Tree, Colorado Building Permit Guide

Permits for property inside Lone Tree are issued by the City’s Building Division (720-390-5211), and applications and inspection requests are accepted only in the Accela portal. One 2026 valuation table covers building, mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits, the plan review fee is 65% of the permit fee with a $100 minimum and is paid when you apply, and the City does not license contractors.

What requires a building permit in Lone Tree?

Lone Tree asks for a permit whenever you construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building or structure, and for work that installs, alters, repairs or replaces electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems.

Emergency repairs made after hours, on a weekend or on a holiday typically get a 24-hour grace period to apply for the permit. Exempt work still has to meet zoning rules, and the City strongly recommends getting HOA or architectural committee approval before starting any permitted work.

Who handles building permits and inspections?

The Building Division, part of Community Development, carries out plan review, permit issuance and inspections for addresses inside the city. Matt Archer is the Chief Building Official. Search the parcel in the City’s Lone Tree Address Lookup map before applying, because land outside the city boundary in unincorporated Douglas County is permitted by the county instead.

If nobody picks up, leave a voicemail: the division says it generally answers within an hour and always before the end of the day.

Lone Tree permit categories and filing method

Accela is where you apply, check status, pay and schedule inspections, at any hour. The same portal takes sign permits, temporary use permits, land use applications to the Planning Division, and Public Works permits for right-of-way, access, and grading, erosion and sediment control (GESC).

No contractor licence, but a business licence. The Building Division does not issue or require contractor licences. Instead, every party named on a permit needs a valid City of Lone Tree business licence before the permit can be issued. The initial business licence fee is $10, and the licence does not expire.

Business tenants. Before applying for a building permit, the City encourages business owners to request a zoning verification letter ($50 on the 2026 schedule) confirming the location is zoned for the use, because zoning compliance is a condition of building and sign permits.

Commercial and multi-family exteriors. Exterior alterations to commercial buildings, including multi-family developments, need Planning Division approval, often as a site improvement amendment, before the building permit.

Lone Tree permit costs and payment

The Building Division’s 2026 fee schedule, dated January 1, 2026 and carried unchanged into the combined schedule updated September 15, 2026, uses one valuation table for building, mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits in all occupancies. The valuation is the total value of the work, materials and labor included.

For example, a $40,000 basement finish has a permit fee of $543.25 and a plan review fee of $353.11.

The City’s 2.5% use tax on construction materials is collected before the permit is issued. Douglas County use tax is not collected on mechanical-, plumbing- or electrical-only permits (an air conditioner, furnace, water heater or gas line job, for example) or on photovoltaic systems. Where it applies, a Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority fee is collected with the permit, and card payments carry a 2.8% service fee.

If the Building Official considers the stated valuation too low, the permit is denied unless detailed estimates support it, and the official sets the final figure.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work

Lone Tree issues its own electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits through the Building Division, priced on the same valuation table as building permits. Work is inspected to the 2023 National Electrical Code, which Municipal Code Section 18-7-20 adopts by edition with effect from January 1, 2025, and to the 2021 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes with the City’s amendments.

A furnace, air conditioner or water heater replacement needs a permit, while swapping receptacles, switches, light fixtures, sinks, toilets or shutoff valves does not.

Documents and plan review

Submittals are electronic only, and the plan review fee has to be paid at upload for review to start. Plans should be designed to the City’s published criteria:

• Roof snow load of 30 psf (ground snow load 30 psf for roofing)
• Ultimate design wind speed of 115 mph, exposure C
• Minimum frost depth for foundations of 36 inches
• Seismic design category B under the residential code
• Residential floor live load of 40 psf (30 psf in sleeping areas) and deck live load of 40 psf
• Rainfall of 3 inches per hour (100-year, 1-hour) for roof drain sizing

State the full valuation of the work in the application, including electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing equipment. Builders repeating a house design can use the $200 residential stock plan review.

How to apply: 6 steps for Lone Tree

Lone Tree inspections and permit closeout

Request inspections in your Accela account or by voicemail on the inspection line, 720-390-5211. Each weekday between 8 and 9 a.m. the City posts that day’s inspection schedule online, listing each permit number and address with an estimated arrival time or the inspector’s phone number. Call the same number to cancel.

Roofs get two inspections: a mid-roof inspection, with 20% to 50% of the roofing installed, and a final. No ladder is needed at the final unless the mid-roof inspection noted one.

A permit with no activity for 6 months or more is treated as abandoned and voided.

Local Lone Tree filing details that matter

Roofing: drip edge is required on all rakes and eaves, ice and water shield is not required, wood shakes and shingles need at least a Class C rating, and concrete and clay tile need wind clips. A partial re-roof has to stop at a natural break such as a valley, eave or ridge.

Construction hours: exterior work is allowed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays. Interior work may run from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Dumpsters and portable toilets: keep them within 300 feet of the building site and out of the public right-of-way unless Public Works has approved a right-of-way permit.

Public Works permits: right-of-way, access and GESC permits are generally issued within 5 working days of application; projects with significant lane closures should be filed at least 10 days before work starts. A curb cut or driveway is $100 on the 2026 schedule.

Utilities: the City provides none itself. Xcel Energy supplies electricity and gas, Southgate Water & Sanitation Districts serve property west of I-25 and Parker Water & Sanitation District serves property east of it.

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 Lone Tree building permit resources

City of Lone Tree pages and fee documents behind the facts above.

• Colorado state professional licensing
• Lone Tree Building Inspection Scheduling
• Lone Tree Accela permit portal
• City of Lone Tree Building Division official site
• Lone Tree: Do I Need a Building Permit?
• Lone Tree Building Fees 2026
• Lone Tree City Fees (all 2026 schedules)
• Lone Tree Design Criteria & Codes
• Lone Tree Roofing Guidelines
• Lone Tree Permits & Applications

Lone Tree building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Lone Tree?

Fees follow the 2026 valuation table: $23.50 for work up to $500, $543.25 for a $40,000 job and $993.75 at $100,000. Plan review adds 65% of the permit fee, with a $100 minimum, and the City’s 2.5% use tax on materials is collected before issuance.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Lone Tree?

Not for a fence under 7 feet tall. Check zoning rules and your HOA before building.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Lone Tree?

Yes, when more than 1 square (100 sq ft) of roofing is replaced. A mid-roof and a final inspection are both required.

Do I need a permit to replace windows or siding?

Residential windows, doors and siding replaced like for like do not need a permit. A permit is needed if the opening size changes, or for stucco, stone or brick replacement.

Do contractors need a Lone Tree contractor licence?

No. The Building Division does not issue or require contractor licences, but each party on the permit must hold a City business licence.

When are plan review fees paid?

At application submittal in Accela.

How do I find out when the inspector will arrive?

Look up your permit number or address on the City’s daily inspection schedule, posted between 8 and 9 a.m. Monday to Friday.

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