Building Permits

Permits are required for all construction, remodeling and/or alteration activity as defined in Chapter 1 of the currently adopted version of the International Building Code. Building Permits will expire six (6) months after the date of issuance if the work that has been authorized by the permit has not commenced, or if the work authorized by the permit is suspended or otherwise abandoned for a period of six (6) months after the work commenced. If you believe that your work will be delayed due to uncontrollable events, please notify the Building Department as soon as possible: (303) 724-0869.

Stormwater Permits

The University has a non-standard Municipal Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit for the Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC) that requires University over-sight of campus construction and its water quality impact. Contractors are required to prepare Stormwater Management Plans (SWMPs) and obtain State of Colorado CDPHE permits and AMC Stormwater Construction Permits (SCP) for all projects that create a disturbance on campus. In addition, Contractors shall comply with the University MS4 permit requirements, including keeping written record of weekly site inspections and attaching record to the weekly Progress Meeting minutes.  For more information or questions about stormwater requirements, contact the Regulatory Compliance Manager, Iain Baker.

Posting of Permits

Work cannot commence until the permit and related records authorizing the work have been posted in a conspicuous location at the job site or within the job site trailer (if applicable). These documents shall be protected from weather and/or other damage and shall be readily accessible by inspectors.  The documents shall be maintained by the permit holder, or designee, for the entire length of the project.  Upon project completion, these documents will be returned to the Project Management team (or Building Department) for verification.  Once verified, a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) will be issued by the campus building official.

The permit and all construction documents (including current drawings/plans) shall be kept at the site of work and shall be available for review by Building Department inspection personnel.  Deviations from the permitted documents will not be allowed unless the design professional of record and the campus building official have given approval.  Manufacturer’s installation instructions, specification sheets and other associated documents required to verify code compliance shall be kept on site and made available for review.  If work has been added or is not covered by the permit documents, you will need to amend your permit with the Building Department prior to subsequent inspections.

Job Site Access

The Building Permit implies that the permit holder grants right of entry to the building, structure, or premises to inspect or perform any duty imposed upon the campus building official or his representative by the currently adopted building codes.

Stop Work Orders

Whenever the campus building official finds work regulated by currently adopted codes being performed in a manner either contrary to the provisions of said codes or dangerous or unsafe, the campus building official is authorized to issue a stop work order.  The order shall be in writing and shall be given to the property owner or owner’s agent, or to the person performing the work.  Upon issuance of a stop work order, the cited work shall immediately cease.  The order shall state the reason for the order and the conditions under which the cited work will be permitted to resume.  Any person who shall continue any work after having been served a stop work order, except such work as that person is directed to perform to remove a violation or unsafe condition, shall be subject to penalties as prescribed by law.

Inspection Records

Inspection Records shall be issued concurrent with the Building Permit.  These records detail all inspections that are required to be completed throughout the timeline of a project.  Upon issuance of a Building Permit (via electronic/email means), the Inspection Records are required to be picked up, in person, from the Building Department office located at:                               

Building Department
Campus Services Building
Mail Stop F410
1945 Wheeling St., Room 258
Aurora, CO  80045

All document pickup and drop off shall be between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday. Please call before you come to ensure someone from the Building Department is in to assist you at (303) 724-0869.

These records shall be kept with the Building Permit and posted in a conspicuous location at the job site or within the job site trailer (if applicable).  The records shall be protected from weather and/or other damage and shall be readily accessible by inspectors.  The inspectors will sign the Inspection Records upon inspection approval.  They shall be maintained by the permit holder, or designee, for the entire length of the project.  Upon project completion, all documents will be returned to the Project Management team (or Building Department) for verification and future Certificate of Occupancy (CO).

Types of Inspections

See a complete list of possible inspections on the Inspection Types page.

Other Special Inspections may be required per applicable codes and standards and will be detailed on the Inspection Records.

The Inspection Process

The permit holder and/or their subcontractors are responsible for ensuring the work is completed in accordance with all applicable codes and standards.  The Building Department is here to help you verify the project meets minimum code requirements by law.  

Currently, the Building Department uses My City Inspector for all inspections. This shall be the first option when requesting an inspection.  Access to the site will be issued with the permit packet. Inspection requests will be made on My City Inspector.

In the event of the inspection site being down the emergency inspection line can be used at (303) 724-0676 to make a request.  You will be required to leave a clearly audible voice message containing all of the following information: 

• Permit number
• Your name and contact information
• Specific project you are working on
• Building you are working in
• Type of inspection needed
• Date of the inspection
  

If any of the preceding information is missing or the message is inaudible, the inspection will not be scheduled and you will be required to resubmit your request.

ALL INSPECTIONS REQUIRE AT LEAST 24-HOURS NOTICE.  Same-day inspection requests can rarely be granted due to scheduling conflicts of the inspectors.  Inspections will be performed between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday (excl. holidays).  Off-hours and/or weekend inspections can be granted on a case-by-case basis and are at the full discretion of the campus building official (please contact to discuss options).

The permit holder is required to make all necessary portions of the work available for inspection (e.g.: doors/rooms unlocked, ceiling tiles open, etc.)  and provide the means (e.g.: ladder, scaffolding, stairs, lifts, etc.) for the construction area to be inspected.  Inspectors do carry flashlights, but do not carry tools.  Electrical panels/boxes or concealed areas must be open for the inspection – the inspector will not disassemble your work.  Do not block inspection areas with materials or boxes or other items that may hinder or delay the inspection process.

The permit holder, contractor’s representative or site superintendent must accompany the inspector during the inspection process and specify the work area to be inspected.  If the representative can’t be found or contacted in a timely manner the inspection will be terminated and re-inspection fees may apply.  The superintendent should also verify the work is complete prior to inspection so that the inspector’s time is not wasted.  There are too many projects and only a few inspectors, so delays must be avoided.  The Building Department will always try to meet scheduled inspection times, however, inspectors may be delayed for various reasons.  The inspector will always contact you when arriving onsite (another reason to include your contact info in the inspection request).  The permit holder shall make all permits, drawings, specifications and code related change order documents available to the inspectors.  Work shall not be concealed or proceed to the next step on any part of a building, structure, electrical system, fire suppression, gas system, mechanical system, or plumbing system, etc. until the previous work has been inspected and approved by the campus building official or his/her authorized representative (inspector).

Inspection Status

The following is a list of possible inspection status reports found on My City Inspector.

• Requested - The inspection has been requested and is awaiting scheduling.
• Scheduled - The inspection has been scheduled and will be completed by the end of that business day.
• Pass - The requested inspection has been performed and all work related to that particular inspection has been found to be compliant with applicable codes and standards.
• Partial Pass - Only a portion of the work related to that particular inspection has been approved.  Requires a re-inspection or subsequent inspection of items that were not part of the original approval.
• Fail - This confirms that the requested inspection does not comply with applicable codes and standards and details will be added regarding what requires corrections.  Re-inspection is required for all disapproved items and re-inspection fees may apply.
• Cancelled - The requested inspection has been cancelled by the contractor or inspector.  If an inspection is cancelled after the inspector has arrived for the inspection, a re-inspection shall be required and re-inspection fees may apply.

For any questions regarding the inspection process, please contact the campus building official at (303) 724-0869.

Certificate of Occupancy

The issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) shall complete the process of the Building Department.  The University of Colorado Denver and Anschutz, University Hospital, or Children's Hospital of Colorado Project Manager is responsible for making the request for CO after verification of all final building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire & life safety and ADA inspections.  All documentation shall be submitted to the Building Department prior to issuance of the CO.

On rare occasions, a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) can be issued.  The request for TCO will be reviewed by the campus building official and will be granted at his/her full discretion.