County Building Permits
Jefferson County Building Permit Guide (Unincorporated Area)
How to apply for a building permit in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado. Permit authority, application steps, fees, and inspection requirements.
Permit Authority
Covers unincorporated Jefferson County outside incorporated city/town limits. Separate review may also be required from Planning and Zoning, local fire districts, Public Health, floodplain, access/roadway, or OWTS programs.
- Department
- Jefferson County Division of Building Safety
- Address
- 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 3540, Golden, CO 80419
- Phone
- 303-271-8260
- buildingsafety@jeffco.us
Online Permit Portal
Platform: Jeffco Citizen Portal • Account required: Yes • Submission: In-person only
Additional resources:
Application Process
- Verify that the parcel is in unincorporated Jefferson County.
- Review the county plan submittal requirements and address-specific design criteria.
- Register for the Citizen Portal and submit the permit application with PDF plans.
- Include all required residential or commercial plan categories and site/zoning materials.
- Resolve any zoning, access, fire district, floodplain, OWTS, or engineering prerequisites.
- Pay permit and review fees.
- After issuance, schedule inspections online or by phone and complete all required final documentation.
Typical processing time: No single published SLA on the landing pages reviewed; online inspection requests made before 6 a.m. may be performed the same day.
General Requirements
Required for building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, reroofing, and other covered construction activities in unincorporated Jefferson County.
Required Documents
- County submittals commonly require application, plans in PDF format, site plan, structural and energy documents, calculations, truss documents, and project-specific zoning/site documentation
- Commercial submittals require full MEP and related documents where applicable
- Permit validity
- Not clearly stated on the county landing pages reviewed; verify permit-specific expiration terms with Building Safety.
- Building code
- 2018 IRC, 2018 IBC, 2018 IECC, 2018 IEBC, 2018 IFGC, 2018 IMC, 2018 IPC, 2023 NEC, plus Jefferson County building and residential code supplements and wildfire Appendix Z where applicable.
- Owner-builder
- Property owners acting as contractor for one residential dwelling or accessory buildings for their own personal use and occupancy may qualify for the homeowner/builder contractor-license exemption; two or more residences in 24 months makes the person a contractor for county licensing purposes.
- Contractor requirements
- County license required for general, roofing, and mechanical contractors in unincorporated Jefferson County; plumbers and electricians are state-licensed trades and are not licensed by Jeffco.
Fees
- Minimum permit fee
- Verify from the current fee sheet before quoting
- Plan check fee
- 65% of permit fee on permits requiring plan review
- Permit fee formula
- Unified permit fee schedule; valuation-based building permit table with listed fees for MEP and other permit categories
- Reinspection fee
- Reinspection fees may be assessed per Jeffco supplements; inspections are withheld when unpaid reinspection fees are outstanding
- Payment note
- Payment workflow runs through the Citizen Portal and county Building Safety office.
Fees change. Verify current amounts at the official fee schedule.
Work That Does NOT Require a Permit
Contact the Jefferson County Division of Building Safety to confirm whether your project requires a permit before starting work.
Inspections
How to Schedule
- Citizen Portal (anytime) (online)
- 303-271-8260 (Monday through Thursday) (phone)
- Scheduling deadline
- Phone requests due by 5 p.m. the prior day; Monday inspections must be called in on Thursday if using the phone
- Inspection hours
- Field inspections Monday through Friday
- Time windows
- Phone requests due by 5 p.m. the prior day; Monday inspections must be called in on Thursday if using the phone; online windows post at 8 a.m. day-of
Typical inspection sequence: Rough trade approvals before frame inspection; final building inspection requires insulation certificate, foundation compliance form, special inspection letter if required, and applicable fire/floodplain documentation.
Inspections will not be scheduled if stop-work orders are active or reinspection fees are unpaid; inspection results are viewable through the Citizen Portal and permit search.
Additional Resources
- Building code: 2018 IRC, 2018 IBC, 2018 IECC, 2018 IEBC, 2018 IFGC, 2018 IMC, 2018 IPC, 2023 NEC, plus Jefferson County building and residential code supplements and wildfire Appendix Z where applicable.
- Verify contractor license: Contractor Licensing
- Zoning information: View zoning info
- Adopted Building Codes
- Plan Submittal Requirements
- Inspections
- Contractor Licensing
- 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 Jefferson County Division of Building Safety before applying.
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