What needs a permit
The City's Building Permits and Inspections page (read 26 October 2026) starts from "The alteration, deconstruction, construction, enlargement, movement, repair, removal or replacement of any building or structure is authorized by a permit" and then lists the exceptions:
| Job | Permit in Boulder? |
|---|---|
| Painting, papering, flooring, carpeting, cabinets, countertops | No |
| Tiling outside a shower enclosure | No |
| Drywall repair under one sheet or 32 sq ft | No |
| Tiling inside a shower, larger drywall work | Yes |
| Kitchen or bath with plumbing or wiring changes | Yes, plus plumbing and electrical sub-permits |
| Moving or removing walls | Yes; structural work needs a Colorado structural engineer's plans |
| Window or siding replacement | Yes (window installers file most of the City's alteration permits in our data) |
| Interior non-structural deconstruction | Its own permit type ($24.55 demolition fee for interior non-load-bearing) |
Properties in a historic district or designated as an individual landmark need a Landmark Alteration Certificate for exterior changes before applying, and floodplain or wetland sites need their own approvals.
Who can pull it
The City's Contractor Licensing page (read 26 October 2026): "Permits will not be issued for work to be done by a person who does not have a valid, current license as required by the city for the type of work to be performed, except a homeowner performing work on their own home", and "Boulder does not accept reciprocal licenses from other jurisdictions."
| Who | Covers |
|---|---|
| General contractor Class A or B | Class A any building; Class B Type V, IV, III-B and II-B buildings; only Class A or B may do work "requiring the supervision of an architect or structural engineer" |
| General contractor Class C | Detached one- and two-family homes and townhomes up to two stories, Type V construction (ICC certification required) |
| Class D specialty | Named trades such as D-2 roofing, D-3 siding and D-8 "Class not identified but requiring a building permit and inspection" |
| Class E | Alterations up to $2,000 and 200 sq ft with no load-bearing work, plus fences |
| Class F | Your own building, projects up to $500 with no load-bearing, electrical, mechanical or plumbing work |
| Homeowner contractor permit | Your own residence, "not intended for rent or resale", work you do yourself, one structure a calendar year |
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work under the remodel are pulled by the City-registered or City-licensed trade firms.
What it costs
From the 2026 Schedule of Fees (read 26 October 2026). The building fee is based on the higher of the City's valuation table and your stated value:
| Valuation | 2026 building permit fee |
|---|---|
| $2,000.01 to $25,000 | $74 for the first $2,000 + $14.95 per further $1,000 |
| $25,000.01 to $50,000 | $418 for the first $25,000 + $10.75 per further $1,000 |
| $50,000.01 to $100,000 | $686 for the first $50,000 + $7.45 per further $1,000 |
| $100,000.01 to $500,000 | $1,059 for the first $100,000 + $5.95 per further $1,000 |
On top: a plan check fee of 25% of the building fee for single-family (50% under some compatible-development zones), and a pre-payment of City and County use tax on materials, which the schedule estimates at half the valuation, at 3.860% (City) and 1.335% (County).
| Remodel value | Building fee | Plan check (25%) | Use-tax pre-payment | Subtotal (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $418.00 | $104.50 | $649.38 | $1,171.88 |
| $75,000 | $872.25 | $218.06 | $1,948.13 | $3,038.44 |
The City's typical interior remodel adds electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits; the residential electrical fee is by area ($36.70 under 500 sq ft) and the plumbing remodel fee for one dwelling unit is $34.20. Fees double for work started without a permit. Once you hold the permit, materials bought in Colorado are exempt from City and County tax, and the use tax may be reconciled to the final cost.
How to apply and close it
- Pick the checklist. The City's "Residential - Alterations Requirements Checklist" sets what goes in; buildings over 50 years old add a historic review step for demolition (Boulder demolition review).
- Apply in the Customer Self-Service portal. Applications not issued within 180 days of filing expire unless being pursued.
- Inspections. Print the approved plans and permit placard from CSS Attachments for the site, and request each inspection from the Inspections tab.
- Deadlines. Work must start within 180 days of issue and not stop for 180 days, and the whole job must be "completed and approved for occupancy within three years from the date the permit was issued." Extensions go to the Chief Building Official, 303-441-1880, before expiry.
What 1,178 Boulder remodel permits show
| Measure | Boulder alterations and repairs |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 1,178 |
| Firms | 414 |
| Firms with one permit only | 232 (56.0%) |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months of the file | 220 |
| Usual filed value | $25,862 |
| Middle half of firms' usual value (3+ permits) | $14,431 to $73,225 |
| Passed final (permits a year or more old) | 80.6% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 141 |
| Firms matched to a current City license | 72.0% |
| Busiest / quietest month (index, 100 = average) | July (142) / February (78) |
The spread is wide because this group mixes window swaps with whole-house renovations: firms' usual job runs from $14,431 to $73,225 across the middle half, so compare a remodeler with firms of its own job size. Plan on months, not weeks: the usual permit took 141 days from issue to final. 56.0% of firms filed one Boulder permit, and 72.0% matched a current City license; check the class before signing. Prices by job size: Boulder remodel cost.
See every Boulder remodeler by permits passed and City license →
Related
Compare firms on the Boulder remodel list; monthly counts on Boulder permit statistics; license steps in Boulder contractor license lookup. The trade permits: Boulder electrical permit and Boulder HVAC permit. Other places: do I need a permit for a home remodel, kitchen remodel and bathroom remodel. National prices: home remodel cost; what to ask: hiring a remodeling contractor.
What this does not tell you
Our remodel group is the City's single-family, attached and multifamily Alteration and Repair building permits; additions and new homes are separate. Window and siding replacements that are filed as alterations are in it. "Passed final" counts an expired permit as not finished. Use tax and fee examples are estimates; the CSS invoice is the figure that counts.
How we know this
Exemptions, permit lifetimes, the homeowner permit and the engineer rule are quoted from the City of Boulder's Building Permits and Inspections page, license classes from its Contractor Licensing page, and fees and tax rates from the 2026 Schedule of Fees, all read 26 October 2026; the worked examples are our arithmetic. Counts are City of Boulder Alteration and Repair building permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026; "passed final" uses permits a year or more old, days are the median from issue to final, and license status is our name match to the City's licensed contractors list.
Numbers come from City of Boulder construction permits, data through October 16, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen in Boulder?
Not for finish work: the City exempts painting, papering, flooring, carpeting, tiling outside a shower enclosure, cabinets and countertops. Moving walls, plumbing or wiring needs a building permit, with electrical, mechanical and plumbing sub-permits for that work.
- How much is a remodel permit in Boulder?
For a $25,000 single-family remodel the 2026 building permit fee is $418, plan check adds 25% ($104.50), and the use-tax pre-payment on half the valuation at the City and County rates (5.195%) is about $649 (our arithmetic). Trade sub-permits are extra.
- Can a homeowner pull a remodel permit in Boulder?
Yes, on a homeowner contractor permit for work you personally do on your own residence that is not for rent or resale. You file the Homeowner Contractor License Application first; if you do not do all the work, licensed subcontractors are required.
- How long does a remodel permit take in Boulder?
The usual Boulder remodel permit in our file passed final 141 days after it was issued; review time before issue is extra. A permit must be finished within three years of issue.
- Do I need an engineer for a remodel in Boulder?
For any structural change, yes: the City says any structural modification requires plans prepared by a Colorado-licensed structural engineer. Nonstructural alterations to a single-family home do not need an architect or engineer.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Boulder's demolition review for houses over 50 years old: what counts as demolition, the fees, and the 180-day stay
- Boulder SmartRegs: the 100-point rental efficiency standard, who is exempt, and hiring for the upgrades
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Ames building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need a permit to remodel in Denver? What triggers one, fees and the homeowner route
- Do I need an electrical permit in Detroit? The homeowner affidavit, BSEED fees and 9,705 permits
For one city
- Building Permits and Inspections — City of Boulder (accessed 2026-10-26)
- City of Boulder, Planning and Development Services 2026 Schedule of Fees (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Contractor Licensing — City of Boulder (accessed 2026-10-26)
- EnerGov Customer Self-Service Portal — City of Boulder (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Construction Permits — City of Boulder Open Data (2026-10-26)