Windsor, Colorado Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Windsor are issued by the Town’s permit desk in Community Development, 200 N. 11th Street (970-674-2436), and applications are filed online in Community Core. SAFEbuilt reviews the plans and carries out inspections under the 2024 International Codes. On top of the SAFEbuilt permit fee the Town adds a 25% administration fee and use tax of 3.65% on half the project valuation, and no Town contractor licence is required.

What needs a permit in Windsor?

Windsor adopted the 2024 International Building and Residential Codes with its own exemptions, and publishes SAFEbuilt handouts for the residential jobs it permits most often.

Signs and accessory dwelling units have their own applications through the Planning Department, and fences must still follow the Town’s fence regulations even where no building permit is needed.

Who issues building permits in Windsor?

The Town of Windsor, through the Permit Technician in the Community Development office. SAFEbuilt, whose office is also in Windsor, performs plan review and building inspections for the Town, and Town staff inspect water, sewer, curb and gutter work.

Windsor lies in both Weld and Larimer counties, and its permits apply across the whole town whichever county the lot is in. Unincorporated land outside the town limits is permitted by the county it sits in.

Filing in Community Core

To get a login, email bp@windsorgov.com or Windsor@SAFEbuilt.com with your name, company, address, email and phone number. A personal login and instructions come back by email. Then:

• Log in to Community Core and click Apply from the dashboard.
• Pick the permit type and category from the dropdowns.
• Describe the work in detail; the description cannot be left blank.
• Enter the jobsite address and upload the documents, including the Town’s Building Permit Application form.
• Add the contractor and every subcontractor, then save.

Contractors: Windsor does not license contractors. Electrical and plumbing contractors must hold current State of Colorado licences and email the company licence and master licence to the permit desk.

Master plans: production builders need a new master plan reviewed under the 2024 codes. Existing master plans cannot be revised or reused for new projects, and a basement finish cannot be folded into a master plan.

The Town also posts a monthly Building Permit Report.

Windsor permit fees, use tax and impact fees

The Town of Windsor Fee Schedule, updated February 1, 2026, sets the building permit fee as SAFEbuilt’s fee under Resolution 2016-91 and does not print that table. The Town gives written estimates: send the fee estimate form for a single-family, multi-family, commercial or tenant finish project to the Permit Technician.

On a home valued at $400,000 the use tax is 3.65% of $200,000, or $7,300. The road impact fee and park and trail fee add $16,895 for a single-family detached house, before the permit fee, the administration fee and utility charges. Where the Town supplies water and sewer, the two plant investment fees for a 3/4 in. meter add a further $16,162.

Windsor-Severance Fire Rescue now bills its impact fee itself: for permits received on or after June 26, 2026 it must be paid to the fire district within 30 days of permit issuance. The Town still collects the district’s fire building and fire plan review fees. Lots served by the Fort Collins-Loveland Water and South Fort Collins Sanitation Districts pay those districts for raw water and taps.

Fees can be paid online in Community Core, by a check mailed to 200 N. 11th Street or in person there. Card payments carry a 3% transaction fee. Work begun without a permit can be charged an investigation fee of up to the permit fee.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits in Windsor

Windsor runs its own trade permitting through SAFEbuilt, so electrical and plumbing permits are Town permits applied for in Community Core. For electrical work the Municipal Code (Sec. 18-10-10) adopts the Colorado State Electrical Board’s rules as the Board amends them, and the Board has applied the 2026 National Electrical Code since August 1, 2026; the Town’s adopted-codes sheet still lists the 2023 edition. The same sheet lists the 2024 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes, and SAFEbuilt inspectors check state electrician and plumber licences on site.

Commercial applications state the electrical valuation separately from the project valuation. Commercial electrical plans must be stamped by a Colorado engineer and include load calculations, one-line diagrams and a fault current analysis.

New homes, duplexes and townhomes must be EV ready, solar ready and electric ready: a 40 amp minimum circuit location for an EV charger within 3 ft of a parking space, a marked solar-ready roof zone with a prewire route, and prewiring plus a load calculation for future electric appliances.

Windsor deleted the residential code’s requirement for fire sprinklers in one- and two-family homes. Windsor-Severance Fire Rescue reviews fire protection plans.

Windsor submittal checklists

Everything is submitted electronically and must comply with the 2024 International Codes and the electrical code the State Electrical Board has adopted.

SAFEbuilt contacts the applicant if it needs more for the review. The Town advises, but does not require, a meeting with SAFEbuilt and the fire district before a commercial application, with a code summary and questions sent to SAFEbuilt beforehand. The approved plan set is downloaded and printed, and must stay on site through the final inspection.

How to apply: 6 steps in Windsor

Windsor inspections and Certificate of Occupancy

Building inspections are requested from SAFEbuilt by phone on 970-674-1036 or 1-866-671-1036, by email to windsor@safebuilt.com or in Community Core. Requests received by 3 p.m., Monday to Thursday, are scheduled for the next working day. A request after 3 p.m. or on a Friday goes to the working day after that, so one sent at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday is inspected on Monday. Inspections of Town utilities, curb and gutter are requested by email to utilities@windsorgov.com.

For a new house the Town issues the Certificate of Occupancy through the Permit Technician once three things are done:

• All utility inspections have passed, including the water meter installation and the sidewalk inspection.
• SAFEbuilt’s final construction inspection has passed.
• The site grading certification has been accepted and the Engineering Department has inspected the lot grading.

The grading certification is emailed to bp@windsorgov.com. It must be prepared by a Colorado professional engineer, not a land surveyor, although a surveyor may stamp the as-built survey, and the Engineering Department allows up to 48 hours for its site inspection.

A permit expires if work does not begin within 180 days or stops for 180 days. Restarting needs a new permit at half the fee if the plans are unchanged and less than a year has passed, or at the full fee after a year. Over-the-counter permits cannot be reactivated.

Local Windsor rules that affect the design

Design criteria: 115 mph ultimate wind speed, seismic category B, a 30 in. frost line, a 30 psf roof snow load and an assumed soil bearing capacity of 1,500 psf. Ice and water shield and under-floor protection are required.

Ground water: the bottom of a basement floor or crawl space may never sit within 3 ft of the ground water table. Between 3 ft and 5 ft a sump with a working pump is required, and at 5 ft or more a sump. The water table is established by an open-hole inspection certified by a professional engineer before any foundation work.

Foundation drains and flatwork: every foundation drain must be designed and inspected by a Colorado registered design professional, and backfill under porches, patios, sidewalks, driveways and steps is confirmed by the geotechnical engineer on the Town’s Soil Compaction Affidavit.

Sump pumps: discharge may never reach the Town’s sanitary sewer or run across a driveway, sidewalk or street where it creates a hazard.

Fences: outside the industrial zones the limit is 6 ft, solid fences over 4 ft are not allowed in a front yard, and chain link is not allowed in a front yard at all.

Water meters: a Town notice posted with the permit requirements states that an exterior water meter pit is required.

Wildfire code: the Town’s Building Permits page gives July 1, 2026 as the date the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code took effect in Windsor.

New businesses: every new business needs a Town business licence in addition to any building permit.

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 Windsor permitting resources

• Town of Windsor Building Permits
• Community Core permit portal
• Town of Windsor Fee Schedule (updated February 1, 2026)
• Windsor design criteria and adopted codes
• 2026 SAFEbuilt Residential Application Check List for Windsor
• Windsor New Commercial and Tenant Finish Plan Submittal Procedure
• Windsor Single-Family Residential Construction Guidelines
• Windsor fence regulations handout
• Windsor monthly Building Permit Reports
• Windsor Planning applications, forms and handouts
• Windsor Municipal Code, Chapter 18 (Municode)

Windsor building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Windsor, Colorado?

The permit fee is SAFEbuilt’s fee plus a 25% Town administration fee and use tax of 3.65% on half the valuation. A new single-family detached home also pays an $8,245 road impact fee and an $8,650 park and trail fee. The Town emails a written estimate when you send its fee estimate form.

Do contractors need a licence in Windsor?

No Town contractor licence is required. Electrical and plumbing contractors must send their current State of Colorado company and master licences to the permit desk.

How do I apply for a Windsor building permit?

Online in Community Core. Email bp@windsorgov.com with your contact details to have a login created.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?

Not for a one-story shed of 120 sq ft or less with a roof no higher than 10 ft, or for a fence up to 6 ft. Fences still have to meet the Town’s height and front-yard rules.

How do I schedule an inspection in Windsor?

Call SAFEbuilt on 970-674-1036 or 1-866-671-1036, email windsor@safebuilt.com or use Community Core. Requests by 3 p.m. Monday to Thursday are scheduled for the next working day.

When is the permit desk open?

Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 200 N. 11th Street. On Fridays only online services are available.

Which building codes does Windsor use?

The 2024 International Codes, in effect since January 1, 2026, plus the National Electrical Code edition adopted by the State Electrical Board, which the Municipal Code follows: the 2026 edition since August 1, 2026. The Town’s adopted-codes sheet still shows 2023.

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