Welcome to the Park County Building Department

Documents & Applications

Scheduling Building Inspections

In order to schedule a building inspection you will need to have the following information:

To schedule an inspection please call our inspection line, having the above information available:

If you leave a message, please leave all of the information and a phone number on the voice recording so we can return your call and inform you when your inspection is scheduled.  If you do not hear back from us, your inspection has not been scheduled.  Please do not leave messages for inspection requests on individual inspectors voice recordings as the inspections will not get scheduled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: During what hours is the Building Department open?

PCBD:  We are open Monday through Thursday 7am to 6pm in Fairplay. We are closed for all federal holidays. Please check our recorder for upcoming holidays. We accept plans for review until 5pm every day.

Question:  How do I get to the Building Department?

PCBD:  The Building Department office is located in Fairplay at 1246 County Road 16.  County Road 16 is located East of Highway 285.  Turn East (left) traveling from Denver just before the Phillips 66 Gas Station.  Traveling North on Hwy 285 you would turn East (right) just after the Phillips 66 Gas Station.  Other County offices that you will need to contact are also located at this same address, such as the Environmental Health Department and the Planning Department.

Question:  What can I build without a permit?

PCBD:  The following items do not require a building permit but still must conform to land use regulations. Please contact Park County Planning and Zoning Department @ 719-836-4254 or planner@parkco.us  for current land use regulations.

Question:  Do I need a permit to re-roof my house, garage, barn, or shed?

PCBD:  Yes, all re-roofing projects need permits. The permit application is available on the website, at the office, or we can fax or mail one to you. The fee is $200.00 for a complete re-roof and $100.00 for a repair consisting of 1/2 of roof.  Both permits are good for one year from the date of issuance.  If you are re-roofing more then one structure on your property you will need a permit for each structure.  As long as all inspections can be done at the same time the permit for the second, third, etc. structure will be permitted at the $100 roofing repair price.

Question:  My septic, driveway, planning and zoning sheet, and plot plan are already approved. Does the Building Department already have copies on record?

PCBD:  No. The Building Department, the Planning and Zoning Department and the Environmental Health Department are totally separate departments requiring separate paperwork. Please make copies of all necessary paperwork from other departments before coming to the building department. 

Question:  I already have my building permit and I want to make some changes to my blueprints/field plans?

PCBD:  You need to provide two sets of plans showing what you are planning on changing and submit them to our office for a plan revision. The cost for plan revisions is $47.00 per hr for every hour it takes to review the new plans, with a two hour minimum. If you are adding square footage to your project you will also be charged the standard new building square footage price for the additional area. Plan revisions need to go through the standard plan review process, usually taking about two weeks. Please be aware that you will not be able to receive any inspections while your revision is in plan review.  

Question:  Do I need a permit to put a woodstove in my house?

PCBD:  Yes you do need a permit for any type of mechanical work on your dwelling or other structure. Mechanical work includes, but is not limited to, installing woodstoves, furnaces, heating or air conditioning units. The permit fee is $100.00 and the application is available on our website, at the office, or we can fax or mail you one. The permit is good for one year from the date of issuance.

Question:  Do I need a permit to tear down a structure, or any portion thereof ?

PCBD:  Yes. Any demolition work requires a permit. The demolition permit applications are available on our website, at our office, or we can fax or mail you one. The fee is $100.00 and the permit is good for one year from the date of issuance.

Question: I just want to build a garage, addition, deck, or finish my basement, do I really need all the submittal documents listed on the building permit application?

PCBD:  Yes. Any type of addition, alteration, remodel, garage, or deck permits requires:

Please Note:  You must have the approvals from the other departments before you submit your application to the building department and you must submit all required documents at the same time. Partial submittals will not be accepted.

Question:  How long are building permits valid?

PCBD:  Dwellings, Garages, and Additions are good for three years from the date of issue.  Re-roofing, excavation, demolition, mechanical, deck, remodel, and basement finish permits are good for one year from the date of issue.

Question:  Do I need a permit to finish my basement?

PCBD:  Yes.  In order to obtain a basement finish permit you need to turn in a completed building permit application with all the necessary paperwork identified in the building permit application including Planning and Zoning approval and ISDS approval.  Two copies of your floor plan showing how you plan to finish your basement are also required.

Question:  What is the frost depth in Park County?

PCBD:  The frost depth in Park County can be as deep as ten feet so the minimum bottom of the footing requirement is 12” below undisturbed soil

Question:  What is the building code for Park County?

PCBD: 

These code books can be purchased at the Park County Building Department or on-line at www.iccsafe.org

Question:  Can I have someone other than myself or a licensed/registered contractor drop off and/or pick up permits for me?

PCBD:  Yes as long as the homeowner sends a SIGNED letter giving that person permission/authority to sign as an agent for the applicant.

Question:  Can I live in a trailer on my property while I build my house?

PCBD:  Please contact the Park County Planning and Zoning Department @ 719-836-4254 or planner@parkco.us  regarding this question.

Question:  Do I need a permit for a deck?

PCBD:  Yes. The Deck permit application is the same as the standard building permit application and you do need to get Planning and Zoning approval through the Park County Planning and Zoning Department and ISDS approval through the Park County Environmental  Health Department prior to turning in your deck permit to the Park County Building Department.

Question:  Does Park County require contractors to be licensed/registered?

PCBD:  Yes. Park County does license/register general contractors, mechanical contractors, roofing contractors, and manufactured home set contractors, and excavation contractors. Please see the Park County Contractor license information for complete details.

Question:  Does my shed required a permanent foundation?

PCBD:  Up to a 600 sq ft. storage structure can be built without a permanent foundation. Please note any storage shed over 120 sq. ft. does require a building permit.

Question:  Can I camp on my property?

PCBD:  Please contact the Park County Planning and Zoning Department @ 719-836-4254 or  planner@parkco.us  for this question.

Question:  Can I put a mobile home on my property?

PCBD:  Please contact the Planning and Zoning Department @ 719-836-4254 or  planner@parkco.us  for this question.

Question:  Can I put a shed or garage on my property prior to a house?

PCBD:  Please contact the Planning and Zoning Department @ 719-836-4254 or  planner@parkco.us  for this question.

Question:  What is the smallest cabin/house I can build?

PCBD:  Please contact the Planning and Zoning Department @ 719-836-4254 or  planner@parkco.us  for this question.

Question:  Do I need the fire mitigation listed in the building permit guide?

PCBD:  It depends on where your project is located. If your project is in the Bailey area please contact the Platte Canyon Fire Dept @ 303-838-5853. If your project is anywhere near the Hartsel area please contact the Hartsel Fire Dept @ 719-836-3500. These are the only areas this applies to at this time.

Question:  Can I put a manufactured home on my property?

PCDB:  Yes but you must have a general contractor who holds both his/her “Park County Contractor license/registration” and his/her “Colorado Division of Housing manufactured housing registration” responsible for the entire project. Park County does not allow homeowner builders to do their own manufactured projects. Please contact the Building Department for a list of licensed/registered installers.

Question:  How do I get a plumbing or electrical permit?

PCBD:  Park County contracts all plumbing and electrical with the State of Colorado, please contact them @ 303-894-2985 or on-line at www.dora.state.co.us/electrical or www.dora.state.co.us/plumbing

Question:  Do my plans have to be engineered?

PCBD:  For standard conventional construction we do not require engineered plans to be submitted for a permit. However, if the plans examiner and/or inspector finds something of concern he may require engineering at any time. Please remember the more complete your plans are the faster you plan review process will go.

Question: Can I build my own home?

PCBD:  Yes, Park County does allow home-owner builders.  However, the only stipulation is that the structure cannot be offered for sale until after the Certificate of Occupancy is issued.  Home-owner builders can only build one dwelling every four years after the Certificate of Occupancy is issued.

Question: What do building permits cost?

PCBD:  Most building permit fees are based on the sq. footage of the structure being built and a few permits are flat fee permits.

The flat fee permits are:

(New fees effective June 1, 2009)

For the square footage types of permits we can only provide estimates and not exact costs until the building plans are actually turned in. To get an estimate of what a permit is going to cost please use these guide lines:

Question:  What are the snow and wind loads for Park County?

PCBD:  The snow loads in Park County depend on the elevation of the project. The minimum snow load is 50 PSF.  In order to determine snow loads for individual permits you will need to know the physical address of the property, the legal description including township, section, and range, the subdivision if applicable, and the nearest town, once you have this information please fill out our Park County Building Snow Load Request Form and fax to (719) 836-4268 or email Building@parkco.us .

            The wind load is 110 MPH per the 2006 International Residential Code and the 2006 International Building Code countrywide.

Question:  Can I just build a primitive/weekend/hunting cabin without water, sewer, electrical or plumbing?

PCBD:  No. There is a minimum standard of living that states all buildings used for the purposes of sleeping must have electrical, plumbing, sanitation facilities, and running water.

Question:  What inspections are needed and in what order are they required?

PCBD:  Please refer to the Park County Inspection Information document available on our website or call 719-836-4255 to have a copy faxed or e-mailed to you.

Question:  How do I find out if there were ever any building permits on a property?

PCBD:  There is a information request form that you need to fill out that provides your contact information, the property information, and what information you are looking for. You can get the forms on-line at our website, or we can fax, mail, or e-mail you one.  You can come to the Fairplay office and we will look for your request while you wait or you can fax, mail, or e-mail your request in and we will get back to you as soon as possible. (usually the same business day, but requests can take up to three business days) Please note: large complex requests can take longer and may not be able to be done while you wait or within three business days.