Broomfield Building Department 2026: Permits, Inspections & Services

Broomfield Building Permits & Inspections: 2026 Guide

The City and County of Broomfield Building Division, part of Community Development, handles building permits, plan review, construction inspections and local building-code administration in Broomfield, Colorado. For most permit applications, the important point is that applications are submitted by email—not through the online permit portal.

What Does the Broomfield Building Division Handle?

The Building Division issues construction permits, reviews plans, performs required inspections and enforces adopted building codes within the City and County of Broomfield. A permit may involve more than one city division, so identifying the type of approval before submitting can prevent delays.

Which Projects Commonly Require a Broomfield Building Permit?

Broomfield states that most new construction, additions, alterations and significant repairs require permits and inspections. Its published permit guidance specifically identifies work such as:

• New homes, additions and structural alterations
• Basement finishing and remodeling
• Decks, patio covers, garages and accessory structures
• Sheds, ramps, hot tubs, pools and spas
• Retaining walls subject to applicable size and engineering requirements
• Roof replacement
• Windows and doors
• Siding replacement
• Furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps and boilers
• Water heaters, including replacements
• Gas lines and outdoor gas appliances
• Electrical vehicle charging systems
• Solar photovoltaic systems
• Sewer or water-line repairs
• Structural repairs and fire or flood repairs
• Mobile-home setup and certain temporary construction installations

What Documents Should You Prepare?

The exact submittal depends on the project. Broomfield’s published instructions require the General Permit Application for the listed building projects, plus a Homeowner Statement when the homeowner will perform any portion of the work.

Open the official Broomfield General Permit Application →

Base-plan rule introduced in late 2025

Effective November 1, 2025, Broomfield stopped accepting an Improvement Location Certificate (ILC) as the base plan for permit review. The Building Division lists improvement survey plats, plot plans, plats, site plans, aerial photographs and certain other plans or surveys signed and stamped by a licensed surveyor as acceptable alternatives, depending on the project.

For a typical residential project, the site plan should identify the proposed construction, lot dimensions and existing structures. Floor plans should identify room uses, dimensions and proposed framing where applicable.

How to Apply for a Broomfield Building Permit

1. Identify the permit and related approvals.
   Determine whether the work needs building, electrical, plumbing or mechanical review and whether Planning, Engineering, fire review or another agency is also involved.
2. Download the correct application.
   Start with the official Broomfield permit forms and submittal requirements. Most listed projects use the General Permit Application.
3. Prepare plans and project documents.
   Include the site plan, construction drawings, questionnaires, engineering documents and project-specific forms required for your scope of work.
4. Complete the valuation fields accurately.
   Broomfield requires project valuation to include materials, labor, overhead, profit, permanent systems and applicable trade work. General, electrical, HVAC and plumbing valuations are listed separately on the application.
5. Email the complete application.
   Send applications, plans, revisions and related documents to buildingpermits@broomfield.org. Broomfield explicitly states that permit applications cannot be submitted through its Online Portal.
6. Respond to plan-review comments.
   Watch the email address provided on the application and submit requested corrections or revised documents promptly.
7. Pay the assessed charges after approval.
   Permit fees, applicable plan-review charges and building-material use tax are generally calculated from the submitted scope and valuation. Follow the city’s payment instructions for the permit record.
8. Wait until the permit is issued before regulated work begins.
   Keep the permit card and approved plans available at the job site.
9. Schedule each required inspection.
   Use the inspection code shown on the permit card and request inspections before work is concealed.
10. Close the permit.
    Complete correction items, final inspections and any certificate-of-occupancy requirements that apply to the project.

How to Search Broomfield Building Permits & Check Status

You do not need to create a contractor account simply to search public permit information.

1. Open the official Public Access Permit Search page.
2. Select the button that continues to Broomfield Citizen Access.
3. Choose Public Access on the left side of the permit system.
4. Search using the property address, permit number or other available search criteria.
5. Open the matching permit record to review available permit data, status information, documents or inspection results.

The separate Citizen Access portal is also used for permit records and contractor functions. Broomfield advises members of the public not to register merely to search permit records; contractor registration is used for functions such as online inspection scheduling.

Broomfield Permit Review Times in 2026

The Building Division publishes target review times by project type. These are goals, not guaranteed approval times; incomplete plans, corrections, outside-agency review and project complexity can extend the process.

Broomfield Building Permit Fees & Use Tax

Broomfield building permit charges are generally based on the valuation of the work. Building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical/HVAC valuations are calculated separately under the city’s fee schedule.

View the official 2026 Community Development fee schedule →

Other charges that can affect the total

• Plan review: The 2026 fee schedule lists a plan-review fee of 65% of building permit fees for commercial projects, new single-family and multi-family homes, and solar permits. Separate hourly plan review may apply at $50 per hour depending on the scope.
• Building-material use tax: For contracted work, Broomfield generally assumes materials equal 50% of total project valuation and applies the published 4.15% Broomfield use-tax rate to that materials amount.
• Owner-performed work: Homeowners performing all work themselves are instructed to list actual total materials cost for use-tax purposes.
• Reinspection: The 2026 fee schedule lists a $150 reinspection fee.
• Credit-card payments: The published 2026 schedule lists a 2.65% convenience charge or $1.25 per transaction, whichever is greater.
• New residential construction: A $1 per finished-square-foot Service Expansion Fee applies to new residential construction and is collected before the Certificate of Occupancy.

How to Schedule a Broomfield Building Inspection

Broomfield provides an automated inspection line and online scheduling for eligible contractor accounts. The simplest method for most permit holders is the automated telephone system.

1. Find the permit number.
   Use the number printed at the upper-right of the permit card. For the automated system, enter the numeric portion only.
2. Find the 3-digit inspection code.
   The code is printed next to the required inspection on the inspection card.
3. Call 303-438-6376 and choose option 1.
   The automated system offers up to four available business days.
4. Select the inspection date.
   Requests must be received before 11:00 p.m. on the preceding day to be considered for the following business day. Next-day availability is not guaranteed.
5. Prepare the job site.
   Have the permit card and approved plan set on site. Make the work accessible and do not cover anything that must be inspected.
6. Check the inspector route on inspection day.
   The city’s Daily Inspection List shows the order assigned to each inspector and updates as inspections are completed.
7. Review the result.
   Inspection results and correction notices can be viewed through the permit portal.

Inspection timing, cancellation and reinspection rules

• Inspectors generally perform field inspections between approximately 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
• For a more precise same-day window, Broomfield advises calling 303-438-6370, option 5, between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m.
• If the project is not ready, cancel before 8:30 a.m. on the inspection day.
• A same-day cancellation after 8:30 a.m. can trigger a $150 cancellation fee.
• If the required permit card or plan set is not available, or the work is not ready, a $150 reinspection fee may be assessed.
• Weather-related cancellations are not automatically moved to the next day; the inspection must be rescheduled.
• Where an engineer inspection is required, an original signed and sealed inspection report must be emailed to the Building Division before applicable rough or final inspections are scheduled.

Roof inspections

Broomfield’s 2026 re-roof application states that ladders must be set and secured by 8:00 a.m. on inspection day. For pitched roofs, the city identifies a mid-roof inspection when approximately 25%–50% of roofing is complete, followed by a final inspection after the work is finished.

Building Codes Used in Broomfield in 2026

Broomfield adopted Ordinance 2295 with an effective date of April 15, 2026, moving the city and county to the 2024 International Code family and the Colorado Low Energy and Carbon Code. Electrical-code timing is separate.

Review Broomfield’s official building-code information →

Useful structural design references

Broomfield’s published 2024-code design criteria include a residential roof snow load of 42 psf or the applicable ASCE 7-22 value, whichever is higher, a 36-inch frost depth, and wind-exposure classification that depends on the site. These values are reference points, not substitutes for required engineering or site-specific design.

Contractor Licensing & Homeowner Projects

Broomfield requires contractors performing regulated building, construction, alteration, remodeling, repair, moving or demolition work to hold the appropriate local contractor license.

For a new contractor license, the city instructs applicants to email the contractor-license application, proof of general liability insurance showing the City and County of Broomfield as certificate holder, and applicable state/master licenses for plumbing or electrical contractors.

Open Broomfield contractor licensing and permit resources →

Before You Submit: Practical Broomfield Permit Checklist

• Confirm exactly which permit types and outside-agency reviews apply.
• Use the current Broomfield application rather than an old saved copy.
• Include the Homeowner Statement if the homeowner will perform work covered by the city’s requirement.
• Do not use an ILC as the permit-review base plan where Broomfield’s current rule prohibits it.
• Show accurate project valuation, including labor and permanent systems where required.
• Include site plans, engineering and project-specific questionnaires before emailing the application.
• Do not attempt to submit the permit through Citizen Access; use the published Building Division email.
• Do not begin regulated construction before issuance.
• Keep approved plans and the permit card available for inspections.
• Request each inspection before the associated work is concealed.
• Complete the final inspection and any required occupancy documentation before treating the permit as closed.

Related USBuilding.org Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

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