The County rule
Community Planning & Permitting's Building Permits page (read 26 October 2026) lists "re-roofing" among alterations that need a permit, and the EZ BP page lists "Re-roofs" among residential permits that "do not require plans for submittal". The only roofing exemption in publication B05 is "Roof covering repair, shingle repair or replacement, not exceeding one square (100 square feet of area) ... of covering per building or structure."
The Class A rule
The County's ignition-resistant construction code (B37, section R390, read 26 October 2026) divides the whole unincorporated county into Wildfire Zone 1 (West County) and Wildfire Zone 2 (East County), and applies to "all new buildings, additions, alterations, and repairs". For roofs:
| R390 rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Roof covering (R390.4.1) | "Roofs shall have a roof assembly that complies with a Class A rating when tested in accordance with ASTM E108 or UL 790." |
| Materials that count | Brick, masonry, concrete deck; metal sheets and shingles, clay or concrete tile, or slate on noncombustible decks; slate over Type II underlayment on combustible decks |
| Profiled coverings (tile, metal) | Space at the eave ends fire-stopped, or a 72-pound mineral-surfaced cap sheet over combustible decking |
| Gutters and downspouts (R390.4.2) | Noncombustible where replaced or installed; a re-roof does not trigger new gutter guards where none were installed |
Class A is a rating of the assembly, so ask the roofer for the third-party listing of the shingle and underlayment combination; the County's new-building checklist asks for a "Class 'A' roof assembly listing".
Who can pull it
The County licenses roofers for work in the unincorporated county. Its Contractor Licensing page lists a Roofing license, "new roofing, re-roofing", at $150, issued after an ICC exam (or another Colorado jurisdiction's ICC-based license) and proof of liability and workers' compensation insurance, and good for three years. The owner, or "A person who is performing labor or repair work on their own property", is not a contractor under the County's definition, so an owner can pull the permit for their own roof.
What it costs
From B33 (read 26 October 2026): a building permit fee on the valuation ($89.24 for the first $2,000 plus $15.35 per further $1,000 up to $25,000), a plan check fee of 65% of that, County use taxes on half the valuation at 1.335% combined, and an $8 EZ BP technology fee. The zoning and public health review fee "does not apply to EZBP permits".
| Job value | Permit fee | Plan check | Use tax | Tech fee | Total (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12,000 | $243 | $158 | $80 | $8 | $489 |
| $15,000 | $289 | $188 | $100 | $8 | $585 |
| $22,000 | $396 | $258 | $147 | $8 | $809 |
Valuation is the higher of the County's figure and the contract price. Materials bought in Boulder County are exempt from County taxes when you show the permit to the vendor. The County's fee estimator gives a PDF estimate.
Applying and the photo inspection
- Apply online through CP&P's online permits page; an account is needed to apply or pay. EZ BP questions: ezbp@bouldercounty.gov or 303-441-3926.
- Schedule the inspection when the roof is done, in Accela, at 303-441-3925 or by texting "SCHEDULE" to 877-558-7966 (Building Inspections).
- Send photos on the day. "Re-roof and temporary electric meter release inspections are conducted through photo documentation provided to the Building Inspectors by the contractor": the address, the overall roof, step, counter, kickout and drip-edge flashing, gutters and downspouts, and valleys. Results are posted within 24 hours.
- Check it in the County's Accela search, no account needed. A permit expires if work has not started 180 days after issue.
What 1,524 County roofing permits show
| Measure | Unincorporated Boulder County roofing |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, May 2023 to April 2026 | 1,524 |
| Firms | 364 |
| Firms with one permit only | 174 (47.8%) |
| Firms with a permit, May 2025 to April 2026 | 198 |
| Usual filed value | $14,988 |
| Middle half of firms' usual value (3+ permits) | $12,250 to $21,626 |
| Complete or closed (permits a year or more old) | 82.1% |
| Usual days from issue to completion | 50 |
| Firms with 10+ permits under 70% complete | 5 of 27 |
| Busiest / quietest month (index, 100 = average) | October (168) / January (45) |
The County roofing market is spread thin: 364 firms for 1,524 permits, and 174 filed just one. A firm with one County permit has no record here to judge, so ask for its County license number. Seasonality is sharp: October runs at 168 against an average month of 100 and January at 45. Completion is better than for County HVAC (82.1% against 66.6%), helped by the photo final. Prices by job size: Boulder County roofing cost.
See every Boulder County roofer by permits completed →
Related
Compare roofers on the Boulder County roofing list; monthly counts on Boulder County permit statistics. Inside the City of Boulder: Boulder roofing permit. Other places: do I need a permit for roof replacement. National prices: roof replacement cost; what to ask: hiring a roofer.
What this does not tell you
Our file is the County's Accela permit feed, which stopped taking new applications on 4 May 2026, so it ends with April 2026. Filed values are the contractor's figure. The County publishes no bulk license file, so we show no license status.
How we know this
The permit rule, EZ BP list, one-square exemption, Class A and gutter rules, roofing license, fee lines and photo inspection are quoted from Boulder County's Building Permits, EZ BP, B05, B37, Contractor Licensing, B33 and Building Inspections pages, read 26 October 2026; the fee examples are our arithmetic. Counts are Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting roofing permits on homes in the unincorporated county, May 2023 to April 2026; "complete" uses permits a year or more old and days are the median from issue to the County's completion date.
Numbers come from Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting building permits on homes in unincorporated Boulder County (the County's Accela permit layer, which stopped taking new applications on May 4, 2026, so the data ends with April 2026; the City of Boulder and the other cities issue their own permits), with issue dates and declared job values from the Boulder County Assessor's permit file, data through October 20, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to replace my roof in unincorporated Boulder County?
Yes. The County lists re-roofing among alterations that need a permit, and re-roofs are on its EZ BP (Easy Building Permit) list, so no plans are required. Only a repair of one square (100 square feet) or less per building is exempt.
- What kind of roof does Boulder County require?
A Class A roof assembly (ASTM E108 or UL 790). The County's ignition-resistant construction rules apply in both Wildfire Zone 1 (West County) and Wildfire Zone 2 (East County), and they cover repairs and alterations as well as new buildings.
- How much is a roofing permit in Boulder County?
On the County's B33 fee lines a $15,000 re-roof works out to about $585: a $289 building permit fee, $188 plan check, $100 in County use taxes and an $8 technology fee (our arithmetic). The County's online estimator gives the figure for your job.
- How is a re-roof inspected in Boulder County?
By photos. The contractor schedules the inspection, then on the day sends photos of the address, the whole roof, flashings, gutters and valleys. Inspectors review them within 24 hours and post the result in the County's permit records.
- How long does a roofing permit take in Boulder County?
The usual unincorporated Boulder County re-roof permit in our file was marked complete 50 days after it was issued, and 82.1% of those a year or more old were complete or closed.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Do I need a roofing permit in Anaheim? The $375 reroof fee, the one-layer rule and two inspections
- Do I need a roofing permit in Bernalillo County? The re-roof application, the tile rule and two inspections
- Do I need a roofing permit in Boulder? Yes: Class A roofing, a D-2 roofer and photo inspections
- Burlington, VT building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need a roofing permit in Chicago? Not for a pitched roof on a house, yes for a flat one
- Do I need a roofing permit in Cleveland? Yes for a reroof: the 10% repair rule, the fee on a $10,500 roof, and timing
For one city
- Home improvement costs in Boulder County, CO (2026): what 10 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Do I need an HVAC permit in unincorporated Boulder County? The EZ BP permit, the County mechanical license and the fee math
- Do I need a solar permit in unincorporated Boulder County? Yes: the B46 plan set, the $400 fee and the engineer's roof letter
- Building Permits — Boulder County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- EZ BP Program for Residential Building Permits — Boulder County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Building Permit Requirements (B05) — Boulder County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Ignition-Resistant Construction (B37) — Boulder County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Permit Fees (B33) — Boulder County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Contractor Licensing in Unincorporated Boulder County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Building Inspections — Boulder County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Boulder County Services Portal (Accela Citizen Access) search (2026-10-26)