Building permits for unincorporated Teller County come from the county’s Building Division, part of the Community Development Department, at 800 Research Drive in Woodland Park (719-687-3048). Applications are filed on the county’s online forms, and the county’s own inspectors cover building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work. Woodland Park and Green Mountain Falls use the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, while Cripple Creek and Victor each run a city building department.
What needs a permit in unincorporated Teller County?
The Building Division publishes a separate application for each kind of job, and the Teller County Building Code, in force since July 1, 2023, sets a short list of exemptions.
Applications the county publishes
- Single-family dwellings and residential additions
- Decks, detached garages and accessory structures
- Interior remodels and basement finishes
- Manufactured, factory-built and mobile homes
- Small projects
- Re-roofs
- Electrical, mechanical, plumbing and solar work
- Demolition
- Driveways and work in the county right-of-way
- Commercial buildings
- Development in a floodplain
Exempt under the county code
- A one-story, detached, unheated shed, playhouse or greenhouse of up to 200 sq ft on a lot that already has a primary residence, with overhangs of no more than 24 in. and used for light storage only
- A membrane structure under 200 sq ft used only for storage or to shelter a vehicle, detached from the house and meeting the setbacks
- An agricultural building used solely for the farming or ranching that gives the land its agricultural classification, not for household storage, and meeting the setbacks
- Temporary canopies and tents for residential events
An exempt building still has to follow the building code, and any electrical, mechanical or plumbing installed in it needs its own permit and inspections.
Who issues building permits in Teller County?
The Building Division issues permits for, and inspects, all property in unincorporated Teller County. Janine Snyder is the Building Official. A nine-member Board of Review, drawn from the local construction industry, issues contractor licences, hears complaints against contractors and considers variances and appeals.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | 800 Research Drive, Suite 100-B, Tamarac Business Center, Woodland Park, CO 80863 |
| Phone | 719-687-3048 |
| Fax | 719-687-5256 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
| Code questions | Inspectors take questions 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. on weekdays, in person or by phone |
| Plans Examiner | By appointment, 719-686-5405 |
| Septic (OWTS) permits | Teller County Public Health and Environment, 11115 W Hwy 24, Unit 2C, Divide, 719-687-6416 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →The county office sits inside Woodland Park, but it does not permit work there. Each of the 4 incorporated municipalities is handled as follows.
| City or town | Who issues building permits |
|---|---|
| Woodland Park | Pikes Peak Regional Building Department (PPRBD), which provides the City’s building services for new construction, remodels, additions and structural changes. The City’s Planning & Building Department, 220 W South Avenue (719-687-5202), issues the Zoning Development Permit. |
| Green Mountain Falls (the part in Teller County) | PPRBD, which the Town names as the issuing authority for its building permits. |
| Cripple Creek | The City of Cripple Creek Building Department, 337 E. Bennett Avenue (719-689-3588, extension 1). SAFEbuilt carries out the City’s plan review, permits and inspections, and the building inspector’s regular day is Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| Victor | The City of Victor Building Department, 500 Victor Avenue (719-689-2284), which contracts with ShumsCoda as Building Official for plan review and inspections. |
PPRBD’s office is at 2880 International Circle, Colorado Springs (719-327-2880).
Teller County applications, portal and licensing
Most county applications are online forms on the Building Permit Applications page, including the single-family dwelling, addition, deck, garage, remodel, basement finish, re-roof, solar and trade permit forms. The commercial building, demolition, manufactured home, mobile home, floodplain development, right-of-way use and permit transfer applications are PDFs.
- Contractor Portal: for now only electrical, mechanical, plumbing and roofing contractors can pull and pay for permits in the portal, by card or ACH. Contractors also use it to check permit activity, pay trip fees and schedule inspections. The county plans to open accounts to homeowners and is adopting the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department’s online permit tracking system.
- Public search: anyone can look up a permit by address or number and search licensed contractors by name or licence type.
- Contractor licences: everyone working on a county project must be licensed and insured, with Teller County named as certificate holder. The permit holder lists the general contractor and every subcontractor and keeps the list current through to the Certificate of Occupancy.
- Homeowner builders: every owner of record signs the application. A homeowner builder may take out a permit for only 1 new dwelling in any 24 months and 2 in any 10 years.
Forms also exist for a change of contractor, a change order, a resubmittal, a permit extension and the Certificate of Occupancy.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Teller County permit fees
Under the Teller County Building Code, permit fees and valuations follow schedules adopted by the Board of County Commissioners using the International Code Council’s building valuation data. The schedule in force is the 2017 Building Department fee schedule: on August 22, 2023 the Board reaffirmed and adopted it so that fees would not rise, and added a $50 fee for demolition. The county has not posted that table. The county’s online Fee Calculator prices a new home, addition or remodel from the floor area of each level, the garage, the decks and the fireplaces or stoves.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Demolition (added by the Board on August 22, 2023) | $50 |
| Re-inspection | $100 |
| Change order to issued plans | $100, non-refundable, plus the fee for any added or remodeled area |
| Inspection outside business hours | $100 per hour, 2 hour minimum |
| Compliance inspection | $100 |
| Work started without a permit | A compliance inspection first, then a permit fee of twice the normal amount |
| Permit transfer | $100, plus a compliance inspection if required |
| Records research or services with no set fee | $55 per hour |
| Contractor licence application or examination | $100 |
| Building Contractor A, annual | $200 |
| Building Contractor B, annual | $175 |
| Building Contractor B-1 (remodel), annual | $150 |
| Building Contractor C (home builder), annual | $125 |
| Building Contractor C-1, annual | $100 |
| Class D specialty licence, annual | $50 |
The permit fee includes a reasonable number of inspections. Up to 80% of a permit fee can be refunded when no work has been done, on a written request filed within 180 days of payment. Fire department plan review and inspection fees are separate, and a fire plan review in the unincorporated area requires a Cost Recovery Agreement with the Building Department.
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and septic permits
Electrical and plumbing: Teller County performs its own electrical and plumbing inspections, so these permits are county permits, applied for on the county’s electrical and plumbing forms or in the Contractor Portal. No permit is issued until the contractor’s state licence has been checked and registered with the Building Division, and registering a state master’s licence carries no annual county fee. The county enforces the 2023 National Electrical Code and the 2021 International Plumbing Code. Article IX of the Teller County Building Code, in force since July 1, 2023, adopts the 2023 electrical code by name, so it remains the County’s edition although the State Electrical Board moved to the 2026 edition on August 1, 2026.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Rewiring an older house: new or altered wiring must meet current rules, and if more than 50% of the wiring in a building is changed, measured by floor area served, the whole installation has to be brought up to the standard for a new building.
Mechanical and gas: mechanical permits follow the 2021 International Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes. The county licenses Mechanical Contractor A ($75 a year, commercial and residential) and Mechanical Contractor B ($50 a year, residential, including gas piping).
Solar: a separate solar permit application is used, and alternative energy installers hold a county licence at $75 a year.
Septic: onsite wastewater treatment system permits are issued by Teller County Public Health and Environment’s Environmental Health septic services office in Divide, using the OWTS application on the building applications page. The county adopted updated OWTS regulations on June 9, 2026, effective July 24, 2026. The Building Division will not issue a building permit for a property that lacks a required sewage disposal permit.
Fire: the county fire code is the 2003 International Fire Code as amended by county ordinance. The county replaced the model code’s blanket home sprinkler rule: a dwelling needs sprinklers only if its driveway does not meet Chapter 14 of the Teller County Roadway Design and Construction Standards.
What to submit to the Teller County Building Division
New single-family home
- Site-specific soils report, stamped by a Colorado engineer and dated within the last 12 months
- Stamped, engineered foundation plan designed to that soils report; an engineering letter is not accepted in its place
- Dimensioned elevations of every side, with finished grades and roofing material
- Floor plans for each level with square footage, egress windows, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and mechanical equipment
- At least one cross section through the whole structure
- Floor and roof framing plans stamped by a Colorado engineer or architect, plus truss details
- The county’s IECC energy conservation application
Commercial project
- One complete plan set, submitted electronically with the Commercial Building Permit Application
- A Colorado design professional’s seal on every sheet (soils reports on the cover only)
- Cover sheet with project description, design team, sheet legend and vicinity map
- Code data: building area, height, levels, occupancy, separations and construction type
- Civil, utility and site plans and a soils report where they apply
- Architectural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, elevator and structural plans
Rather not deal with the Teller County building department?
Get a free quote →Some residential work must be designed and stamped by a Colorado architect or engineer whatever its size: structures using native or unconventional lumber, precast concrete panels, floor trusses and roof framing over habitable space, additions to mobile or manufactured homes, log homes, and decks that carry a hot tub or another structure or have piers more than 8 ft apart. Framed walls over 10 ft tall need a stamped detail.
If the reviewer wants changes, a Corrections Notice is emailed and the corrections are sent straight back to the person who issued it. The county publishes no review time.
How to apply: 6 steps for a Teller County permit
Addresses in Woodland Park, Green Mountain Falls, Cripple Creek and Victor do not go to the county Building Division.
The division will not issue a permit on a lot with a zoning violation or illegal subdivision, without legal access and any required access permit, or without a required sewage disposal permit.
Run the county’s Fee Calculator for a new home, addition or remodel.
Complete the online form or PDF for the project type and attach the plans; list the general contractor and all subcontractors.
Send revised sheets to the reviewer who issued the notice. Later changes to issued plans go in as a change order.
Schedule inspections, pay any re-inspection or trip fees, and file the Certificate of Occupancy application.
Teller County inspections
The county’s own staff inspect building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work; the division lists a dedicated electrical inspector and combination inspectors. Licensed contractors schedule inspections through the Contractor Portal.
The county code adds a foundation drain inspection: every required foundation drain must be inspected before backfill. A failed or repeated visit is charged a $100 re-inspection fee, and inspections outside business hours cost $100 an hour with a 2 hour minimum. Wiring disconnected after fire, flood or tampering may not be reconnected until the building official has inspected and approved it.
The contractor list on the permit has to be accurate at the building final, and occupancy follows the county’s Certificate of Occupancy application. Anyone who starts work without a permit must first pass a $100 compliance inspection and then pays double the permit fee.
Local Teller County design and site rules
Snow, wind and frost: the county sets a ground snow load of 57 psf and a roof snow load of 40 psf for all structures, with no reduction allowed. The ultimate design wind speed is 115 mph at exposure C, and the county lies in a special wind region. Footings must reach a frost depth of at least 30 in.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Access: a building permit is not issued until the Teller County Transportation Department is satisfied the lot has adequate legal access under the Roadway Design and Construction Standards. Driveways have their own permit application and guidelines.
Subdivision and zoning: the Planning Department can block a permit on a parcel created or reshaped without county approval. Splits where every parcel is over 35 acres are outside that rule.
Floodplain: development in a mapped floodplain needs the county’s Floodplain Development Permit.
Energy code: the county enforces the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code and asks for its IECC application with a new home.
Homeowner builders: a second owner-built home can be applied for 24 months after the Certificate of Occupancy on the first, provided the owner lived in the first as a primary residence for at least 12 months; otherwise the wait is 60 months. After 2 homes the owner is treated as a contractor and must be licensed.
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 Teller County resources
- Teller County Building Division
- Teller County building permit applications
- Teller County permit search, contractor search and Contractor Portal
- Teller County permit Fee Calculator
- Teller County Building Code (2023, with amendments)
- Teller County single-family dwelling and addition requirements
- Teller County commercial building permit requirements
- Teller County contractor licensing information
- Teller County septic (OWTS) services
- City of Woodland Park Planning & Building Department
- Pikes Peak Regional Building Department
- Town of Green Mountain Falls building permits
- City of Cripple Creek Building Department
- City of Victor Building Department
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Teller County building permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Teller County, Colorado?
The Teller County Building Division for unincorporated land. Woodland Park and Green Mountain Falls use the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, and Cripple Creek and Victor have their own city building departments.
How much is a building permit in Teller County?
The county has not posted its fee table. Fees follow the 2017 Building Department fee schedule, which the Board of County Commissioners reaffirmed on August 22, 2023, and can be worked out with the county’s online Fee Calculator. Fixed charges in the code include $100 for a re-inspection and $100 for a change order.
Do I need a permit for a shed in Teller County?
Not for a one-story, detached, unheated shed of 200 sq ft or less on a lot that already has a primary residence, with overhangs of 24 in. or less. Wiring or plumbing in it still needs a permit.
Does Teller County issue electrical and plumbing permits?
Yes. The county performs its own electrical and plumbing inspections, so those permits are county permits for unincorporated addresses.
Can a homeowner build their own house in Teller County?
Yes, as a homeowner builder, with every owner of record signing the application. The limit is 1 new dwelling in 24 months and 2 in 10 years.
Who issues septic permits in Teller County?
Teller County Public Health and Environment’s septic services office at 11115 W Hwy 24, Unit 2C, Divide, 719-687-6416.
What snow load does Teller County require?
A ground snow load of 57 psf and a roof snow load of 40 psf for all structures, with a 30 in. minimum frost depth.
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More Colorado permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Teller County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.