Do I need a permit to build a house in Denver? Zoning, building and SUDP permits, fees and the homeowner route

The Denver rule

From Community Planning and Development's Permits for New Homes and Additions page (read 23 October 2026): "All new homes and additions need zoning, building, and sewer use and drainage permits." The city reviews the documents against "zoning, building, drainage, transportation, structural, Denver Fire, energy use, and potentially health and forestry regulations."

Special situations the page flags: a house over or within 2 feet of the existing sanitary sewer means replacing that sewer; a new or moved driveway onto a public street needs transportation review; trees in the right-of-way or protected setbacks go to the City Forester (720-913-0651); parkway setbacks need an exception request. Denver also warns that new construction is "often required to build new sidewalks or repair existing sidewalks".

How to apply

1. In e-permits, choose "Apply for a Permit" under Development Services, then building log; set Project Classification to "Single Family/Duplex Residential" and Project Scope to "New Home".
2. Upload everything the Residential Permitting Guide lists for the residential, structural, energy, zoning and zone lot reviews. Uploading all three permits' material at once gets a simultaneous review.
3. Once the Residential Construction Permit is issued, trade contractors apply for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and roofing and siding as quick permits. Since 22 May 2025 they cannot apply before that.
4. A Certificate of Occupancy "is required before a newly constructed dwelling unit can be lived in."

Who can pull it

"New homes and additions may be built by a homeowner or a licensed contractor." A builder needs a Denver contractor license backed by a supervisor certificate; Residential Contractor Class C covers "To erect, add to, alter, or repair one- and two-family dwellings" (Construction Certificates), and Denver does not accept other cities' or states' licenses.

The homeowner route is narrow: single-family homes only (not duplexes or ADUs), you must be the legal owner and resident with ID matching the Assessor's record (no trusts or LLCs), you must occupy the home at least a year after the work, and "You will need to pass an exam before doing electrical, plumbing, or mechanical/HVAC work." Subcontractors you hire must be Denver-licensed and pull their own trade permits.

What it costs

Denver's building permit fee table, on the job's valuation:

On a $275,000 valuation, close to the usual filed value of $275,110: $770 + 175 × $5.60 = $1,750, plus $875 plan review, about $2,625 before zoning, SUDP and trade permits (our arithmetic). Denver sets valuation from its own policy (Admin 138) and ICC building valuation data, so it can value the house above your contract; its fee estimator spreadsheet is on the same page. Reinspections are $100 an hour, and card payments carry a 2.5% fee.

What 2,371 Denver new home permits show

Denver home building is spread out: the five busiest firms hold 28.3% of permits, and 51 firms have 10 or more. The middle half of builders' usual filed values runs from $280,806 to $587,500, which is above the permit-weighted $275,110, so the busiest builders tend to file lower values per house. July runs at 157 against an average month of 100. Monthly counts are on Denver permit statistics.

See every Denver home builder by permits filed →

Before you hire

Compare builders on the Denver home builder list and check the license in the Denver contractor license lookup. What to ask is in hiring a home builder; other places' rules in do I need a permit to build a house; national prices in new home construction cost. Remodels follow a different path, covered in Denver remodel permit.

What this does not tell you

Denver stopped recording final dates for most permits after 2020, so we cannot show how many new home permits finished or how long they took (Denver building permit search explains the file). Filed values are the builder's or the City's valuation, not the sale price.