County Building Permits
Adams County Building Permit Guide (Unincorporated Area)
How to apply for a building permit in unincorporated Adams County, Colorado. Permit authority, application steps, fees, and inspection requirements.
Permit Authority
Adams County issues building permits only in unincorporated Adams County; incorporated cities and towns inside the county usually issue their own permits.
- Department
- Adams County Community and Economic Development, Building Safety Division
- Address
- 4430 S. Adams County Parkway, Suite W2000B, Brighton, CO 80602
- Phone
- 720-523-6800
Online Permit Portal
Platform: Adams County E-Permit Center • Account required: Yes • Submission: Online only
Additional resources:
Application Process
- Confirm the property is in unincorporated Adams County using the county jurisdiction lookup or GIS tools.
- Create an E-Permit Center account.
- Choose the proper permit type and upload the county packet, plans, and supporting documents.
- Complete contractor registration if the permit is being pulled by a contractor.
- Respond to county review comments and upload resubmittals through the portal.
- Pay fees, receive the issued permit, and schedule inspections through the county workflow.
Typical processing time: Contractor registration confirmation is stated as 24 to 48 hours; a single countywide permit-review turnaround is not posted on the main pages reviewed.
Source: Adams County Community and Economic Development, Building Safety Division
General Requirements
Adams County's code-and-information page links to project-specific permit requirements and submittal packets for work in unincorporated areas.
Required Documents
- Permit-specific packet
- Plans
- Site documents
- Supporting materials per permit type
- Permit validity
- Not clearly summarized on the main public pages reviewed.
- Building code
- Adams County Building Safety administers county-adopted building and trade codes through its code-and-information page and project packets; verify exact current edition for the filing date on the county code page.
- Owner-builder
- Public FAQ and packet materials support homeowner permitting, but a concise owner-builder rule summary was not clearly published on the reviewed overview pages.
- Contractor requirements
- All contractors doing work in unincorporated Adams County must be registered before pulling a permit; Adams County lists Class A through D contractor categories and states there is no fee to be licensed with Building Safety; electrical and plumbing contractors must provide Colorado state licensing.
Fees
- Minimum permit fee
- $23.50 for valuation from $1 to $500
- Plan check fee
- 65 percent of the building permit fee
- Permit fee formula
- Valuation-based building permit fee schedule plus plan review, inspection, and related county fees depending on permit type.
- Reinspection fee
- $75
- Payment note
- Fees are handled through the E-Permit Center as part of the online permit workflow.
Fees change. Verify current amounts at the official fee schedule.
Work That Does NOT Require a Permit
Contact the Adams County Community and Economic Development, Building Safety Division to confirm whether your project requires a permit before starting work.
Inspections
How to Schedule
- E-Permit Center workflow (online)
- Scheduling deadline
- Cutoff time is 8:00 a.m. the day before the requested inspection date.
- Inspection hours
- Building inspection scheduling is available Tuesday through Friday with building inspection hours 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; electrical inspections continue Monday through Friday with hours 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Typical inspection sequence: Required staged inspections per county procedures, correction of failed items, final building and electrical inspections, and CO where applicable.
Additional Resources
- Building code: Adams County Building Safety administers county-adopted building and trade codes through its code-and-information page and project packets; verify exact current edition for the filing date on the county code page.
- Zoning information: View zoning info
- Step Three - Inspections
- Codes and Information
- Geographic Information Systems
- Jurisdiction Lookup Guide
- License lookup guide: Colorado Contractor License Requirements
- Contract template: Colorado Homeowner-Contractor Agreement
- Colorado hub: Colorado Contractor License & Permit Hub
Information on this page was last verified: March 2026. Permit rules and fees change — confirm current requirements directly with the Adams County Community and Economic Development, Building Safety Division before applying.
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