Northglenn, Colorado Building Permit Guide

Permits inside Northglenn city limits come from the City’s Building Division, which SAFEbuilt has run under contract since 2009, and applications, payments and inspection requests all go through CommunityCore. Fees follow a valuation table, with a plan review fee of 65% of the permit fee and a 4% use tax on half the project value, and residential plan review takes 10 to 14 business days.

What requires a permit in Northglenn?

The Building Division publishes its own lists of work that does and does not need a permit, and asks owners of anything not listed to call 303-450-8745.

No permit is needed for one-story detached accessory structures under 200 sq ft with no utilities, general landscaping, painting, private concrete sidewalks and driveways, patio slabs without roofs, soffit, fascia and gutter replacement, minor fence picket repair, kitchen cabinets, countertops, flooring, or swapping a light fixture like for like. Replacing public sidewalk or curb and gutter goes to Public Works.

The City’s fence handout sets the permit trigger at a fence or screen more than 30 inches high, limits height to 8 ft at the side or rear and 42 inches in a front yard, and asks for a scaled plan showing location, height and material.

Who issues building permits in Northglenn?

The municipal code makes the Department of Community Development the City’s building department. Day to day, the Building Division inside it is staffed by SAFEbuilt, the contractor the City has used for plan review, permits and inspections since 2009. The same office issues electrical and plumbing permits, so the State’s permit system is not used for work in Northglenn.

The Building Division only covers addresses inside Northglenn. A lot outside the city limits is permitted by the city or county it sits in, such as Thornton, Westminster or unincorporated Adams County.

Northglenn permit types and the CommunityCore portal

Every building permit is pulled in CommunityCore. Contractors email or call the Building Division for their login, and homeowners register themselves as a “Community Member”. The portal is also where you pay, request inspections, read results and search any permit by address, permit number, parcel number or owner name without an account.

A new egress window or bay window is a remodel permit, not a one-stop window permit. For plan review permits, upload the drawings under the portal’s Documents tab before you submit the application.

Contractor licences: every professional contractor needs a Northglenn licence, applied for in CommunityCore. General and mechanical contractors show two proofs out of current licences from other jurisdictions, a photo ID and an ICC certification, or a single licence from Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs or Fort Collins. The electrician licence is free, and all other licences expire at the end of the calendar year. The Document Center also holds a sub-contractor add-on form and a homeowner electrical and plumbing waiver.

Northglenn permit fees, plan review and use tax

Building, plumbing and HVAC permit fees share one valuation table, set in Section 10-2-5 of the municipal code (the 1997 UBC Table 1-A) and repeated on the City’s Fees & Taxes page. Project value is worked out from the square footage and the ICC Building Valuation Data table of February 2019.

For work over $1,000,000 the adopted rate is $3.15 per additional $1,000 (Municipal Code Section 10-2-5, last amended by Ordinance 1847 in 2023), although the City’s Fees & Taxes page still prints $3.65.

The City’s own example is a $20,000 job: permit fee $321.25, plan check $208.81 and use tax $400, a total of $930.06. Plan check is collected on commercial jobs, new or tenant finish, and on some residential jobs.

Use tax is charged once, at permit issue, on the assumption that half the valuation is materials. Show the permit payment receipt to your supplier so that Northglenn sales tax is not charged again; county, state and RTD taxes are still due on materials. A refund must be requested in writing within 90 days of payment. If nothing has been built and plan review has not begun, the fee comes back less a 20% administrative fee; plan review fees are not refunded once the plans have been reviewed, and nothing is refunded after construction starts.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits in Northglenn

Northglenn runs its own electrical and plumbing inspection programme, so these permits are City permits issued through CommunityCore as one-stop permits. Plumbing and HVAC work is priced from the valuation table above. Electrical permits have their own schedule in Section 10-3 of the code.

Section 10-3-2 of the code adopts whichever National Electrical Code edition the State of Colorado has adopted. The State Electrical Board moved to the 2026 NEC on August 1, 2026, so that edition applies in Northglenn, even though the Building Division’s page still lists the 2023 edition. A homeowner may do the electrical and plumbing work on their own home under a permit, but a licensed professional must do it when the home is being built for immediate sale or is a rental.

Commercial projects with food preparation or child care also go to the Adams County Health Department (303-220-9200).

Northglenn documents and plan review times

For a typical homeowner project the Building Division asks for a site plan, a floor plan and, where the structure attaches to the house, a section view. New buildings follow SAFEbuilt’s checklists in the City’s Document Center, and everything is submitted electronically.

Published review times are 10 to 14 business days for residential permits, 14 to 20 for a commercial job under $1 million and 21 to 30 for one over $1 million. For commercial work, SAFEbuilt advises a meeting with its staff and the fire district before you apply. The approved plans are emailed with the permit, and one full-size color print has to stay on the job site through the final inspection.

How to apply: 6 steps in Northglenn

Northglenn inspections

Request an inspection in CommunityCore or leave a message on the inspection line, 303-450-8748, with the address, permit number, type of inspection and a phone number. A call before 4 p.m. is scheduled for the following work day. Inspectors set their routes each morning, so the visit can fall anywhere between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The Building Division tells each permit holder which inspections apply. A full project can include setback, foundation, the framing, electrical, mechanical and plumbing roughs, insulation, drywall screw and final. Work has to be seen before the next phase covers it.

Every commercial roof gets a mid-roof inspection. On a house it is required only when the roof pitch is 2/12 or lower.

A remodel finished without a permit is handled under a written SAFEbuilt policy: the owner removes 12 inches of drywall along the top and bottom of all exterior walls, and along one side of interior walls, so the framing, wiring, plumbing and insulation can be inspected.

Local Northglenn details that matter

Code editions: the municipal code adopts the 2021 International Codes with City amendments, and for electrical work the edition of the NEC adopted by the State, which has been the 2026 NEC since August 1, 2026. The Building Division’s page, which still shows the 2023 NEC, says the City is scheduled to adopt the 2024 International Codes; Chapter 10 of the code still reads 2021.

Design criteria: 30 psf snow load, 130 mph ultimate wind speed at exposure B, and a 36-inch frost depth and minimum footing depth.

Foundations and setbacks: the City’s amendments require a foundation designed and stamped by a Colorado design professional where the soils report calls for it, and a stamped site certification confirming setbacks on all new occupancies.

Typical setbacks: structures usually sit at least 5 ft from side lot lines, corner lots typically have a 25-foot side setback, and additions in most older neighborhoods stay 20 ft from the rear line. Newer subdivisions with PUD zoning have their own figures.

Fences on arterial roads: along 120th, 112th and 104th Avenues, Huron Street and Washington Street a fence must be a solid privacy fence at least 6 ft high where no City fence exists. Front yard fences must be at least 50% transparent outside industrial and public facility zones.

Fire district: North Metro Fire Rescue District is the fire department for the city. It takes part in plan review, permits and inspections and may charge its own fees.

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 Northglenn permitting resources

• Northglenn Building Division: adopted codes and design criteria
• Northglenn: Do I Need a Permit? and building guides
• Northglenn: Pull a Permit in CommunityCore
• Northglenn building fees and use tax
• Northglenn contractor licence
• Northglenn building FAQs
• Northglenn Municipal Code, Chapter 10: Building Regulations
• New Residential Submittal Checklist (PDF)
• New Commercial Plan Submittal Procedure (PDF)
• Northglenn Fence Regulations (PDF)
• Search Northglenn building permits in CommunityCore
• North Metro Fire Rescue District permits and inspections
• Colorado State Electrical Board rules, 3 CCR 710-1 (Rule 1.5, 2026 NEC) (PDF)

Northglenn building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Northglenn?

The City’s Building Division at City Hall, 11701 Community Center Drive. SAFEbuilt staffs it under contract and answers at 303-450-8745 on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

How much does a Northglenn building permit cost?

It depends on the value of the work. The City’s example for a $20,000 project is a $321.25 permit fee, a $208.81 plan check fee and $400 of use tax, $930.06 in all.

How long does plan review take in Northglenn?

The City publishes 10 to 14 business days for residential permits, 14 to 20 for commercial jobs under $1 million and 21 to 30 for larger commercial jobs.

Do I need a permit for a shed or a fence in Northglenn?

A one-story detached shed under 200 sq ft with no utilities needs no permit; anything over 200 sq ft does. Fences are on the City’s permit list, and its fence handout sets the trigger at more than 30 inches high.

Do I need a permit to replace a roof, furnace or water heater?

Yes. All three are one-stop permits in CommunityCore, issued without plan review.

Can a homeowner pull a permit and do the work?

Yes, for your own dwelling, with no contractor licence. You may also do your own electrical and plumbing work under a permit unless the home is for immediate sale or is rented out.

How do I schedule an inspection in Northglenn?

Through CommunityCore or by calling 303-450-8748. Requests made before 4 p.m. are inspected the next work day, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Are electrical permits in Northglenn issued by the State?

No. Northglenn issues and inspects its own electrical and plumbing permits, with electrical fees starting at $115 for a home of up to 1,000 sq ft.

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