What triggers a permit in Denver
From Community Planning and Development's Residential Interior Remodel page (read 23 October 2026):
| Work | Permit? |
|---|---|
| Replace cabinets, countertops, flooring, ventilation, plumbing or electrical fixtures like-for-like | No |
| Replace, tear down or repair drywall smaller than one 4 ft by 8 ft sheet | No |
| Replace doors, glass or window frames (not a landmark or historic district) | No |
| Alter the floor plan, or change load-bearing walls | Yes, building |
| Add, resize or remove doorways, windows, skylights or egress windows | Yes, building |
| New or rerouted ductwork | Yes |
| New or relocated electrical or plumbing fixtures | Yes, plus trade permits |
| Exterior work on a landmark or in a historic district | Certificate of appropriateness first |
The same page covers attic conversions, basement finishes and pop-top second stories under the same process. Two extra requirements catch bigger jobs: an interior remodel with "a modified gross floor area over 2,500 square feet" falls under Denver's construction waste ordinance, and no building permit is issued until a waste diversion plan is approved and a refundable deposit paid. And if you dig within two feet of the sewer line, or the house is in a floodplain, a sewer use and drainage permit (SUDP) may be needed.
Building log plus quick trade permits
The remodel itself is applied for in e-permits as a "building log", which routes it to zoning, building and, where needed, SUDP review. Uploading the site plan (to scale, with lot lines, structures and the proposed openings and headers), floor plans and dimensioned elevations with the first application gets a simultaneous review.
The trades follow as quick permits: electrical, plumbing, mechanical, boiler/AC and roofing permits "issued without the need for a plan review". For an alteration of an existing home, the trade contractor does not need the building permit number to apply; for new houses and additions it does. Denver warns that "Most projects CANNOT be permitted as a quick permit, including structural work", so a wall removal always goes through the building log.
What it costs
Denver's building permit fee table (read 23 October 2026), on the job's valuation:
| Job value | Permit fee | Plan review |
|---|---|---|
| $501 to $2,000 | $35 | none |
| $2,001 to $25,000 | $35 for the first $2,000, plus $8 per additional $1,000 or part | 50% of permit fee |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | $220 for the first $25,000, plus $8 per additional $1,000 or part | 50% |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $420 for the first $50,000, plus $7 per additional $1,000 or part | 50% |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $770 for the first $100,000, plus $5.60 per additional $1,000 or part | 50% |
Worked through: a $25,000 remodel is $35 + 23 × $8 = $219, plus $109.50 plan review, about $330 before trade permits. Reinspections are charged at $100 an hour, and cards carry a 2.5% service fee. Denver bases valuation on its Admin 138 policy and ICC building valuation data, so the City may value the job higher than your contract. Its fee estimator spreadsheet is linked from the same page.
The homeowner route
Denver's homeowner permit page (read 23 October 2026) sets the rules:
- Single-family homes only. "A homeowner cannot obtain a permit for work in accessory dwelling units (ADUs), townhomes, condos, or duplexes, even for the unit where you live."
- You must be the legal owner and resident, with photo ID matching the Assessor's record; no trusts, LLCs or corporations.
- "You will need to pass an exam before doing electrical, plumbing, or mechanical/HVAC work." No exam for general construction.
- You must occupy the home for at least a year after the work.
- Acting as your own general contractor, you sign a notice of requirements and a letter promising to hire Denver-licensed contractors for any work you do not do yourself, and those subcontractors pull their own trade permits.
Who else can pull it
A remodeler needs a Denver contractor license backed by a supervisor certificate; for houses that is Residential Contractor Class C, "To erect, add to, alter, or repair one- and two-family dwellings" (Construction Certificates, read 22 October 2026). Denver does not accept licenses from other cities or states. The check takes five minutes: Denver contractor license lookup.
What 3,530 Denver remodel permits show
| Measure | Denver remodel and alteration |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 3,530 |
| Firms | 858 |
| Firms with one permit only | 368 (42.9%) |
| Firms with 10 or more | 65 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months | 488 |
| Usual filed value | $25,000 |
| Middle half of firms' usual value | $15,000 to $67,951 |
| Share of permits carrying a value | 88.2% |
| Share held by the five busiest firms | 13.5% |
| Firms with 5+ permits, none in the last 12 months | 25 |
| Busiest / quietest month | July (114) / December (86) |
Denver's permitted remodels are big jobs: the usual one is filed at $25,000, and a quarter of firms usually file above $67,951, partly because like-for-like kitchen and bath refreshes need no permit and never reach this file. The field is thin per firm: 42.9% of remodelers filed one permit in three years and only 65 filed ten or more, so ask a remodeler how many Denver permits it has pulled, and check. Prices by home value are on Denver remodel cost; the counts by year on Denver permit statistics.
See every Denver remodeler by permits filed →
Before you hire
Look the firm up on the Denver remodeler list and the City's license search, and read hiring a remodeling contractor. Other cities' remodel rules are in do I need a permit for a home remodel, kitchen and bathroom remodels; national prices in home remodel cost. To find permits on an address, see Denver building permit search.
What this does not tell you
Denver stopped recording final dates for most permits after 2020, so we cannot say how many remodel permits were finished or how long they took; ask the contractor for the final inspection result before the last payment. Denver publishes no electrical, plumbing or HVAC permits, so the trade permits on a remodel are not in our file. Denver's license search publishes no bulk list, so we show no license status.
How we know this
Rules, the homeowner terms and the fee table are quoted from City and County of Denver Community Planning and Development pages read 23 October 2026, and the license class from the City's Construction Certificates page, read 22 October 2026; the $25,000 example is our arithmetic from the fee table. Permit counts are City and County of Denver residential construction permits classed as remodel or alteration, October 2023 to September 2026; usual value is the middle filed value.
Numbers come from City and County of Denver residential construction and demolition permits, data through October 16, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to redo a kitchen in Denver?
Not if you replace cabinets, countertops, flooring and plumbing or electrical fixtures like-for-like. Denver requires a permit once the job changes the floor plan, touches load-bearing walls, adds or resizes openings, reroutes ductwork, or adds or moves electrical or plumbing fixtures.
- How much is a remodel permit in Denver?
Denver's building permit fee is set by job value: $35 for $501 to $2,000, then $35 plus $8 for each extra $1,000 up to $25,000, and $220 plus $8 per $1,000 from $25,001 to $50,000. Plan review adds 50% of the permit fee on jobs over $2,000. Card payments carry a 2.5% service fee.
- Can I pull my own remodel permit in Denver?
Yes, if you own and live in a single-family home (not a duplex, condo, townhome or ADU), show photo ID matching the Assessor's record, and occupy the home for at least a year after the work. You must pass a City exam before doing electrical, plumbing or mechanical work yourself; no exam is needed for general construction.
- Do I need a permit to replace drywall in Denver?
Not for less than one 4-by-8-foot sheet. Denver says tearing down, replacing or repairing drywall smaller than that needs no permit; anything bigger, or anything that opens walls for new wiring or plumbing, does.
- How long does a Denver remodel permit take?
Trade permits for a remodel are usually quick permits issued online without plan review. The building log for the remodel itself goes through zoning, building and sometimes sewer review; Denver publishes its current average plan review times on its website. Denver has not recorded final dates for most permits since 2020, so we cannot time remodels from issue to final.
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 permit to remodel a bathroom? The rule in 14 cities, and what is exempt
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Ames building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Austin building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need a remodel permit in Naperville? Kitchens, baths, basements, the fee and who may do the work
- Do I need a remodel permit in Orlando? The new $7,500 exemption, what it excludes, fees and review times
For one city
- Residential Interior Remodel — City and County of Denver (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Applying for Permits as a Homeowner — City and County of Denver (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Quick Permits — City and County of Denver (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building and Land Development Fees — City and County of Denver (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Homeowners — City and County of Denver (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Construction Certificates — City and County of Denver (2026-10-22)